Toyota Prius ?s

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escomm
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Toyota Prius ?s

Post by escomm »

What's a good method for an NMO mount on the roof? Looks like dropping the roofliner is going to be a real $%&@# and looks molded to the fit the roof almost perfectly. I'm loathe to use a lip mount but if I have to I will.

And are there any high current cables running along the center hump between passenger and driver's seat? Or any other cables I should be worried about?
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escomm
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Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by escomm »

bueller bueller
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firefighter13669
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What radios do you own?: M1225,F3161,F70,F5061,F33,F50V

Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by firefighter13669 »

You will def hve to pull the headliner down..a nice trunk lip would look better on that type of vehical..But I am not going to knock anyone who wants to drill its the best way to do it
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Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by tvsjr »

Google "prius extrication guide". I believe it's a federal mandate that all hybrid models have an available extrication guide for first responders. Anyway, the guide should at least give you routing information on the HV cables.

You can also visit techinfo.toyota.com and sign up for full access to service manuals, TSBs, etc. It costs money ($10/day, $50/mo., or $350/year) but you can download everything to your local machine if you so choose. $10 to sign up and download everything isn't so horrible.

I don't think you want to drop the headliner due to the side-curtain airbags (supposedly the covers have one-shot clips - once you pull the cover, you have to swap the clips). The technique I've heard for my Camry is to drop the overhead console, drill nearby and run the coax down that hole, pull the door trim and run the cable using a coat hanger to the space between the A and B pillars, then go forward or back from there. Not the easiest, but it'll work (assuming the Prius has an overhead console, anyway). The only thing I have to run is three 18/2 power cables... all the antennas are going on the trunk.
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escomm
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Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by escomm »

Thanks Terry, I registered there and judging from the roofliner takedown instruction it looks to be a veritable pain in the rear. I can't seem to find any major cabling in the hump, seems it's just there for the exhaust pipe so mounting there should be OK. A $10 well spent, that techinfo site. I'll post tomorrow evening for posterity on how it went.
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Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by tvsjr »

While you have the access, make sure to siphon all the service manuals and other fun stuff down. No point in spending another $10 if you don't have to!

I was thinking about doing something similar on my Camry commuter-mobile, but decided against it. I'll fish the cables along and call it a day. This ride is going to be a bit more limited than the truck anyway (well, dual XTL O3s, ID800, and some basic lighting front/rear).

Watch out for the big orange cables.
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Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by escomm »

Well at first it went poorly, but we finally managed to figure something out.

At first it seemed there was no place to put the radio, except under the seat, and since Motorola can't pay their bills the RLN4802 remote kits I've had on backorder for 2 months were not an immediate option. The exhaust hump was at least 1 inch of matting and 2 inches of plastic, no place at all to secure a radio. The trunk is even worse, a bunch of plastic form fitted over the tiny bit of metal available.

In the end, the radio was bolted to the shroud up front under the dash, with a metal plate behind for extra rigidity. We ended up running power from the fuse box under the hood, there was no good place to tap into under the dash. There is a grommet with wiring passing the firewall into the passenger compartment, we were just able to fit the 14 gauge hot power lead through. The antenna was a lip mount on the rear hatch, with a 1/4" hole drilled through the tab the weather stripping attaches to and some caulk to seal it.

We steered way clear of the thick orange loomed cables, although I never could find a good exploded wiring diagram on the Toyota site. But the site was clear when stating that dropping the roof liner was going to be nothing but a pain in the ass.

Thanks all for the help. Took us 3 1/2 hrs to figure it out, we'll be down to doing installs in 45 minutes in no time.

On a side note, I turned the power on the radio down to 15 watts.. the 12VDC system in a Prius is like a toy and isn't designed to handle much more than the headlights, AM/FM stereo, and turn signals :lol:
tvsjr
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Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by tvsjr »

Well, what did you expect from a glorified golfcart motor? :lol:

If you want to be truly pimpin, check this:
http://www.priups.com/ham-12v/

Nothing says hamsexy like a 180-375 VDC in --> 13.2 VDC out DC-DC converter. This assumes you really want to jack with the traction battery pack...
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Re: Toyota Prius ?s

Post by va3wxm »

Somehow I see playing around with that system in the car would void the warranty faster than you can say Jack Robinson.
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