Leaking with Coastal XM Kit?

[exces6]

Whenever I take my Prius through a car wash, there is a fair amount of dripping coming from where the antenna goes over the weatherstripping in the hatch. Doea anyone have suggestions on how I can fix this?

Thanks!

[flynz4]

Originally posted by exces6@Jan 14 2006, 11:04 AM
Whenever I take my Prius through a car wash, there is a fair amount of dripping coming from where the antenna goes over the weatherstripping in the hatch. Doea anyone have suggestions on how I can fix this?

Thanks!

[snapback]189857[/snapback]

I can't help you with your question... but I was wondering how Toyota installs satellite radio antennas on their "official" installations. Do they really go over a wetherstrip? In my other vehicle (Jeep), it is installed by drilling through the roof and then a waterproof external antena in mounted through the hole. I certainly hope this is how Toyota installs the antenna.

/Jim

[fulostix]

Originally posted by flynz4@Jan 14 2006, 08:35 PM
I can't help you with your question... but I was wondering how Toyota installs satellite radio antennas on their "official" installations.  Do they really go over a wetherstrip?  In my other vehicle (Jeep), it is installed by drilling through the roof and then a waterproof external antena in mounted through the hole.  I certainly hope this is how Toyota installs the antenna.

/Jim

[snapback]190068[/snapback]

I installed the antenna on the rear of the car as well over the weatherstrip for my Sirius installation. What I did, to prevent water from coming in, is make a loop in the antenna on the outside of the car a little up from there the antenna goes over the weatherstrip. This will make the water drip down the sides of the hatch, rather than use the antenna as a "wick"

[aaf709]

I don't have a Coastal XM (I have a Pioneer AirWare), but what I did was to keep the wire on the outside of the weatherstrip until it sweeps under at the bottom. It doesn't act as a wick then and can go straight under the carpeting. I had thought making a slice in the weatherstrip and putting some sort of rubber glue over it, but it seems to work without that.

[Marlin]

Originally posted by exces6@Jan 14 2006, 02:04 PM
Whenever I take my Prius through a car wash, there is a fair amount of dripping coming from where the antenna goes over the weatherstripping in the hatch. Doea anyone have suggestions on how I can fix this?

Thanks!

[snapback]189857[/snapback]

You probably fed the wire straight down from the antenna across the weather stripping at the top of the hatch opening. This allows water to run down the wire and wick through the gap in the weather stripping.

I had a similar problem with my Delphi SkyFi unit whenever it rained hard until I rerouted the wire.

What you need is a "drip loop" in the wire. Water has no problem running downhill into your car, but it doesn't like going uphill.

So, feed your wire down the side channel of the hatch and then into your car across the weather stripping from the side. Provide a drip loop, which is simply a U shaped bend in the wire outside the weather stripping that extends a half inch to an inch past where the wire enters the weather stripping. This will allow water to run down the wire to the loop where it will drip off instead of entering your car.

When I installed my Solara XM radio, I ran the wire down and around the lift arm before I ran it into the car. Inside the car, the wire inside the plastic moulding around the hatch and that holds it in place and maintains the drip loop outside of the car.

[fred s]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Jan 16 2006, 12:48 PM) [snapback]191150[/snapback]</div>

You probably fed the wire straight down from the antenna across the weather stripping at the top of the hatch opening. This allows water to run down the wire and wick through the gap in the weather stripping.

I had a similar problem with my Delphi SkyFi unit whenever it rained hard until I rerouted the wire.

What you need is a "drip loop" in the wire. Water has no problem running downhill into your car, but it doesn't like going uphill.

So, feed your wire down the side channel of the hatch and then into your car across the weather stripping from the side. Provide a drip loop, which is simply a U shaped bend in the wire outside the weather stripping that extends a half inch to an inch past where the wire enters the weather stripping. This will allow water to run down the wire to the loop where it will drip off instead of entering your car.

When I installed my Solara XM radio, I ran the wire down and around the lift arm before I ran it into the car. Inside the car, the wire inside the plastic moulding around the hatch and that holds it in place and maintains the drip loop outside of the car.
[/b]

The drip loop is a good start. there's a rubber ramp-like piece that you can put the wire into where it passes through the weather strip, so that instead of the abrupt profile of a wire through the strip, it's a gradual transition which makes for a better seal.

[alanh]

The factory directions for the Sirius antenna call for pulling out the gasket a bit and running the cable diagonally across the edge. They provide a cover for the edge to avoid chafing the wire.

[bobc]

This is an old thread but if you're still having the problem:

Is your antenna a big honking thing that is about 2" square with a wire that resembles 110V extension cord? If so, look at replacing it with a micro antenna. With this smaller antenna comes a much smaller wire.

This wire can then be threaded through the rubber boot that houses the wires running from the car body to the hatch. You can slip the wire underneath the boot or better yet, make a small hole in the rear of the boot (to keep wind driven water from entering) and thread it through, then hide it under the roof liner and on down to the XM box.

Cheers,