dynamo

I am going to attempt installing my Sirius antenna and receiver into my 2000 4Runner tonight. I have a Kenwood HU, so the receiver unit will be mounted somewhere inside the dash. However, I am not sure what to do with the antenna.

Ideally, I'd like it to come out of the rear gate/door, but I am not sure how to run the wire though pre-existing holes (or by any other means). If anyone here has done this, could you please drop some hits/knowledge to get this done right the first time?

TIA

Citykid

I just did it this weekend. I ran the antenna wire along the passenger side, under the rocker panels, through the back. Very easy to remove the side panels. Ran the wire behind the weatherstripping on the rear hatch up to the roof. I made a little cut on the bottom of the door where the weatherstripping is so the wire would not get pinched.

By the way, Toyota does not leave a lot of room to hide anything. Damn! Good luck finding room inside your dash.

dynamo

I was planning to remove the stock amp (left it in there when I installed my head unit), and mount the Sirius receiver in its place. Looked like there would be enough room last time I had to open it up to wire up the sub/amp.

I am more concerned about running the antenna wire through the rear hatch. Do you have any pics of your install? I found some pics posted by another member, but they are really blurry, and he mounted his antenna on the front, which I don't really wan't to do. Is there any way to run the wire through the grommet that is already on the body of the car, or do I have to puncture the weather stripping?

And lastly, I've never removed weather stripping before - does it need to be replaced once removed, or do I need some sort of an adhesive to put it back on?

Citykid

I did the exact thing. Planned to remove the amp when doing this, I have a pioneer by the way. But there really wasn't enough room. Maybe Sirus' receiver is smaller. I am just forewarning you on this, that's all.

The weatherstripping... no sweat at all. There is a metal lip all around the opening and the rubber weatherstripping sits on it. You just pull it off, tuck the wire in, place it back. No harm at all.

I don't know what grommet you're talking about. I have my antenna hidden so sweet on the rear, I wouldn't put it anywhere else. It is very easy to get it back there. Just make sure when you put back the side panels that you pull off to hide the wire, that the wire is no in any of the clips that the panels, well, clip into. You could acidentally cut the wire.

The little divot I made can be with a Dremel or bolt cutters. I put it on the bottom of the hatch where the wire leaves the weatherstripping, goes under the carpet to the inside quarterpanel (where the little storage compartment is).

Sorry, I am an idiot and do not have a digital camera. I knew this was gonna bite me in the ass. :pat:

Please feel free to ask more.

bobzemuda

I don't have Sirius, but I have XM and mounted my antenna above the rear hatch.

I just snapped a couple underside shots of how I ran my cable so you could see.
http://gallery.zemudaville.com/XMBaby%21

Bill

User 051420

I have my XM tuner under the passenger seat. It would not fit in the dash anywhere, beause it came with wayyy too long and thick of a wire to tuck it all up in there.

I mounted my antenna on the rear passenger side right above the rear gate. I then ran my wire right over the top of the weather stripping and behind the trim along the headlinder, down the pillar (B pillar?) that has the seatbelt, under the carpet, and up under the seat.

Be VERY VERY careful while running the wire. It has a tendancy to kink up. At least mine did. Any knick in your wire, and there's no signal for you.

Overall, I'm happy with the install. Later on I'll get a mini flat antenna and mount it directly in front of my sunroof deflector so that my Yakima SpaceBooster box doesn't interfere with the signal.

dynamo

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to go with the rear roof mount option, will try it tonight and post up the results tomorrow.

keisur

I put mine on the rear roof just in front of the third brake light, not on the tail gate but just before the crack. then I ran the wires through the wire boot and the hole into the cab and I pulled the interior panels and ran the wires along the walls to the satellite reviever which is sitting under my drivers seat. the wires were more than long enough. and the cable from the tuner to the receiver is about 6 feet too long so I coiled it around my stick shift inside the console. pretty clean install if you want my honest opinion, hehe.

oh, just peal the edge of the grommet up and run the wires through it in the hatch. then take some silcone sealant and seal it back and let it dry. that way you don't have to cut a slit in the grommet.

bobzemuda

You must have been where I got that idea. Thanks

dynamo

Well, I got it installed yesterday, but it was dark so no pics yet. I tried doing it the same way SLCPunk did (putting the antenna in the front). But, I did not like how it looked, and I didn't want all the dirt and grime to get caught on it, since it was protruding out of the roof.

So, I ended up moving the antenna to the back, and running the wire through the top body panels. I tried to run it under the carpet, but there wasn't enough to get it to the driver's seat, so I had to go from the top.

And, Citykid was totally right about the amount of room in the dash - even with the amp removed, I couldn't get the receiver to sit right or mount to anything. So, I ended up putting it under the seat, although the velcro stickers that came with the kit don't actually work on the carpet, but I will probably end up getting different ones to make it work.

Overall, very happy with this setup, and I'm extra glad that I have a compatible head unit so that I don't have to deal with more clutter by using an extra PNP unit. The reception and sound quality are great so far, besides for the several spots where it cuts out near my work (I work in downtown, so the whole area is surrounded by tall buildings). Would highly recommend it to anyone.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Citykid

Congrats!

keisur

no prob, haha.

WOW! you weren't using a Kenwood brand antenna then. Did you buy the Terk? because I have the Kenwood brand antenna and it had about 5 feet too much wire so it got coiled up and placed under the carpet under the drivers seat.

dynamo

Yes, I have the Kenwood/Terk antenna. It was barely reaching when I ran it from the back under the carpet. However, it fit just right when I ran it through upper body panels, down the seatbelt panel, and from under the carpet to under the seat through the seat wiring hole.

I did have quite a bit of wire left over when I mounted the antenna on the front of the car. Is that what you're talking about?