I have seen many great ideas on this Forum so I decided to take a different approach on one of my favorites. Another post referenced a Homelink Transmitter from a Kia Sedona that is available on ebay. It also works great with Rolling Codes which is what I have. I bought one and decided to try to find a good location for it. I settled on the panel below the AC vent on the drivers side and went to work. The worst part of this project was getting the panel off. Be careful, you must pull the entire panel upwards and out. Do not pull from the bottom only, you could severely damage your panel.
As it turns out, the Sedona Transmitter is perfect for this area with only minor mods. As you see in the pic below, it comes mounted to a panel that is easily removed. Simply remove the two screws and remove the unit. Make sure you don't lose the rubber buttons piece. You will need this to make to get the right size for the button holes on the panel and to complete the final asembly.
This Transmitter is a perfect thickness to mount behind this panel and all I needed to do was cut the tabs off of the Transmitter to get it to fit. After a few test fits by taping the unit to the Vent Panel and reinstalling the panel, I found what I felt was the best location for me.
In order to get the locations for the holes, I took the Transmitter apart. I used the half with the holes to mark my pushbutton locations on the back side of the panel. I center punched the locations and using small drill bits and gradually getting larger I made the holes. Drill bits do not make perfect round holes so I got them close and used a rat tail file to get them perfectly round. Make sure you drill only from the backside of the panel and go slow and don't push very hard with the drill.
When making the hole for the Transmitter light, I used a small bit and made a hole about the same size as the one in the Panel that came with the Transmitter from the Sedona. Once all of the holes were drilled I placed the rubber buttons in place and set the Transmitter on top of them. I used 5 minute epoxy on the back and sides of the Transmitter.
After a few minutes of additional drying time, I was ready to install it. I then cut the wires and spliced on longer wires so I could run the power. The black one is the ground and there is a bolt behind this panel in the FJ that I used for the ground. I then ran the power lead to the fusebox and installed the panel back in the FJ. This is a pic of the completed project. Once I re-installed the panel, I programmed the unit and Voila, success. You can get the programming instructions from Homelink.com.
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2007 Ti FJ Cruiser - 6MT "C Package" Current Mods
- 33/1250R17 Nokian Vatiiva M/T on stock alloys (summer), 285/75R16 GY Duratrac on MB Razors (winter), OME 886/895
- AllPro skids, Expedition One front bumper/sliders
- JBA exhaust, TRD Intake & AFE Throttle Body Spacer
- AllPro air dam w/ 4 PIAA 540s, Gobi ladder & 20% Tint
- KB Voodoo's console cover and bike rack, Ellis Precision "ohsh*t" handles, Scangauge II & TomTom One, Dometic Refrigerator I can has off road?
I am glad you asked about the transmission distance. I just drove up the street with my old remote in hand and compared the distance with both systems. They are virtually identical in distance. This works really great. One other thing, I hooked this up to a constant hot 12v source but if anyone is concerned about Security, you can install this on a switched 12v source that is only hot when the car is on. This Sedona Unit doesn't lose memory with loss of power. Awesome addition to the FJ.
Last edited by bpaetznick : 02-05-2007 at 09:47 PM.
Linear Mode
