Toyota Innova Owners & Discussions [continued 3]

[oj88]

So how do I non-destructively pass a cable from a GPS antenna on the roof at the back of the car (near the spoiler) to the inside and behind the dashboard?

On the 1st gen Innova, the car body is like Swiss cheese and I was able to get the wire to go in via the left tail light wiring harness through hole. On the 2nd gen Innova, the tail light harness is sealed with a rubber grommet/gland to the body. Can't make myself to tear it up.

This is for a GPS booster.... the antenna outside is a receiver and it gets the signal, sends it down the cable and to another antenna which transmits it to the devices in the vicinity of the dashboard like smartphones, head units with navigation, etc. This makes for a faster and more accurate GPS positioning. There must be sufficient distance and isolation between the receive and transmit antennas or an RF feedback loop will occur.

[dr. d]

So how do I non-destructively pass a cable from a GPS antenna on the roof at the back of the car (near the spoiler) to the inside and behind the dashboard?

On the 1st gen Innova, the car body is like Swiss cheese and I was able to get the wire to go in via the left tail light wiring harness through hole. On the 2nd gen Innova, the tail light harness is sealed with a rubber grommet/gland to the body. Can't make myself to tear it up.

This is for a GPS booster.... the antenna outside is a receiver and it gets the signal, sends it down the cable and to another antenna which transmits it to the devices in the vicinity of the dashboard like smartphones, head units with navigation, etc. This makes for a faster and more accurate GPS positioning. There must be sufficient distance and isolation between the receive and transmit antennas or an RF feedback loop will occur.

tear it up or drill another hole artfully, sir. if you do it well, it'll probably look factory.
or would you consider drilling that hole thru the metal, then properly insulate and seal it around the cable?

seigh... can you run it in the space between the metal roof and the ceiling cover?

[Gumusut_Amige]

So how do I non-destructively pass a cable from a GPS antenna on the roof at the back of the car (near the spoiler) to the inside and behind the dashboard?

On the 1st gen Innova, the car body is like Swiss cheese and I was able to get the wire to go in via the left tail light wiring harness through hole. On the 2nd gen Innova, the tail light harness is sealed with a rubber grommet/gland to the body. Can't make myself to tear it up.

This is for a GPS booster.... the antenna outside is a receiver and it gets the signal, sends it down the cable and to another antenna which transmits it to the devices in the vicinity of the dashboard like smartphones, head units with navigation, etc. This makes for a faster and more accurate GPS positioning. There must be sufficient distance and isolation between the receive and transmit antennas or an RF feedback loop will occur.

i'm not sure if it's the same as the installation of the rear cam procedure.
iirc, yung sa akin noon ay tinanggal yung grommet rubber na may flexible conduit at doon pinadaan ang cable to conceal it. the installer used a normal steel wire to fish out the end of the cam cable temporarily connected by cable tie with electrical tape. before you can do that, you have to remove the cover just above the rear windshield. maraming pre-drilled hole dito. baka ito yung hinahanap mo. hth

[oj88]

tear it up or drill another hole artfully, sir. if you do it well, it'll probably look factory.
or would you consider drilling that hole thru the metal, then properly insulate and seal it around the cable?

seigh... can you run it in the space between the metal roof and the ceiling cover?

All doors including the lift gate have rubber seals. There's no elegant way to run a cable through it without potentially damaging it or causing a leak. It has to go through existing holes on the body, unfortunately.

i'm not sure if it's the same as the installation of the rear cam procedure.
iirc, yung sa akin noon ay tinanggal yung grommet rubber na may flexible conduit at doon pinadaan ang cable to conceal it. the installer used a normal steel wire to fish out the end of the cam cable temporarily connected by cable tie with electrical tape. before you can do that, you have to remove the cover just above the rear windshield. maraming pre-drilled hole dito. baka ito yung hinahanap mo. hth

Silipin ko yan one of these days. If the spoiler is plastic, I can mount the antenna inside then route the cable through the rubber tube.

How did the installer pull the cable into the ceiling from the rubber tube? Tinanggal ba yung headliner?

[dr. d]

All doors including the lift gate have rubber seals. There's no elegant way to run a cable through it without potentially damaging it or causing a leak. It has to go through existing holes on the body, unfortunately.

if you are using a factory antenna hole, you can run the cable under the headliner (which will have to be brought down for the process), on its way to the dash..

if not, can you pass the cable under the weatherstrip, then apply gobs of filler or other similar material to waterproof it?

[oj88]

if you are using a factory antenna hole, you can run the cable under the headliner (which will have to be brought down for the process).

if not, can you pass the cable under the weatherstrip, then apply gobs of filler material to waterproof it?

I have already considered that. The tolerances are too tight and the cable just adds so much bulk. It's a small coaxial cable.

[dr. d]

I have already considered that. The tolerances are too tight and the cable just adds so much bulk. It's a small coaxial cable.

i googled for some videos of headliner work, but it was an older innova.
it looks like there's enough space there.

[bxr monkey]

Puwede siguro gapang ang wire sa space ng rear hatch lifter/struts papunta sa rear bumper, tapos hanap ng access point sa rear fender (tabi ng drip hose ng AC evaporator, or sa may left tool box, or cable release ng gas tank) tapos gapang na sa carpet floor along side sills?

[oj88]

On the old Innova, the external antenna is placed on the rear-left corner of the roof. The cable goes down between the lifter and weather seal of lift gate and to the left tail light. Removing the tail light, there are a bunch of holes through the body shell. The antenna cable is then passed through said hole and goes out the tool compartment inside. From there, it's hidden under the cargo tray, floor mats, ending up behind the dashboard, just besides the driver's right knee. There's a metal frame underneath where the internal antenna (with magnet mount) is attached to.

I only have so much antenna cable length to work with so I can't have it rerouted too far from the old route.

Not my pics, but I've chosen these just so you can visualize it.

1st Gen Innova.... People wonder why outside air is coming into the cabin, this is one of the reasons why. The tail light assy has a rubber seal on it that affords some insulation from outside air. But remember, it's a Swiss Cheese and that's no exaggeration.... there are a bunch of other such holes around the body that lets in unfiltered outside air. The only benefit here is that it makes for an easier cable routing.


Learning on the mistakes from the old Innova, the 2nd Gen Innova has pretty decent cabin sealing.

[dr. d]

if i were me, i'd have two choices.

i'd punch thru the rubber grommet the rear light wires pass thru, and pass my cable thru it.
then i'd liberally apply some filler material, to make it waterproof.

or!
i can drill another hole thru the sheet metal where i can pass my antenna cable thru, then seal it against water using grommet and stuff.