Toyota Tundra Forum

So I wanted to install some parking sensors on the truck. I didn't order them with the truck since I figured I would end up with a backup camera. Well, the front right corner is the part that I need the sensors for. That front corner is hard for me to tell where it is. So I bought the sensors and went ahead and installed the whole thing.

This write up will be more pictures than writing, but I will give short descriptions of everything.

The sensors are ordered from here:
Parking Sensor Backup Sensors Wireless Parking Sensor Kit

Thanks to Blueheadturner, I had pictures and measurements of where the stock sensors are installed.

http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/ext...ts-please.html


So I knew I needed to extend the front left sensor wire. It was going to be several feet too short to fit in the truck. They recommend buying a small coax wire to do the extension. At first I thought about using Cat5 wire and tested it out. I ended up using a different wire, but here are the test pics using the Cat5.

Slice the wire jacket open.


Pull the wires out.


Cut them. strip them, and get them ready for a patch cable in the middle.


Here's my test of the patch cable. I used about 6 feet of Cat5 wire.



I had it temporarily wired to the cigarette lighter in the truck. That's the sensor brain in the middle.


Now it's time to start drilling the rear bumper. I went off of Blueheadturner's pictures. The measurements I used are on the tape. Use masking tape on the front and back of the bumper. I used a 7/8" bimetal hole saw for the holes and plenty of lube to keep the bit and the bumper cooled. Keeping the bit cool will stop it from getting dull. WD40 will work for this. Just don't let it get too hot and you are good.

This is the left center one:




And a test fitting:


If you are going to finish the wiring right away, go and and carefully add silicone all around the inside of the hole and install the sensor. I too out the angled spacer in the center two.

Here is the rear left sensor. I went ahead and installed it at the same distance down on the bumper as the center sensors. I didn't like the staggered look of the stock sensors. This also worked better for the angled spacers that came with the sensors. The "11" at the top of the tape is not a number. That is where a groove is cut in the plastic on top of the bumper. I lined up the sensor with the center of that groove.

Rear left sensor:



Repeat for the other side of the rear bumper.

I had the center bit bend on me while drilling. It slipped and left a mark. Luckily I caught it before it got bad. I taped it off and used silver spray paint in the groove to cover it up. You can't really notice it once the sensor is in unless you are looking close.




Here are the sensors siliconed in place. There is some extra around the sensor. I let it dry and then cut it out with a sharp tipped pocket knife.



Now the USB cable that runs from the sensor brain to the read out in the truck was too short. I looked in every computer store to find a mini-B extension. None had what I was looking for and the extensions were expensive. So I decided to extend it on my own. After all, it's just six untwisted conductors. So I decided to use the Cat5 for this. Just patched in my own wiring and used heat shrink to cover up the solders.





Wire is extended with plenty to run all the way to the roof console in the truck with a little to spare.

Now I ran the wires under the truck. I used the split loom I installed for the fog lights to run the wire from the front left to the front right.

Then I ran the wire in the loom over the front right tire above the plastic in the wheel well. I ran the wire over the wheel and then added the loom since I wasn't positive that was the final route. Ended up nice. Just had to remove the tabs along the edge of the wheel well and the mud guard.







And the mud guard helped cover it to where the factory split loom is run:


The wire in the loom is run above the frame with the factory wiring all the way down the truck. Most all of it is hard to see. Here's a pic near the spare tire:


About half way down the truck, I had to add my coax patch and power extension. I decided to use a coax wire for the sensor wire extension. I had some old coax wire I pulled out of my car audio install. This is a really good wire for car audio and I thought it would work great for this application. The outer double shield was twisted together and the two center conductors were twisted together. The third solo wire was used to extend the power wire for the sensors.




The brain goes behind the right tail light. All the wiring is run in loom to that point. You can also tap into the reverse light right there.




Here is my tap into the reverse light using a blue splice. No solder needed.


Wire coming into the tail light location:




Sensor brain installed using the sticky velcro that came with the kit.




The USB cable and the power was run in the split loom toward the front sensors. I then went up through one of the factory grommets under the passenger side of the truck. There is a large grommet and a small grommet under the feet of the rear passenger in the CM. I'm sure the DC has something similar. I pulled up the door sills of the truck. I cut an X in the grommet to fit the mini-B connector and power cable through. I reached my hand under the carpet and pulled the wires through and into the factory channel for wires under the sill.

I used the channel to run the wires to the front of the cab. Under the B pillar, the channel raises up a little so I used a stiffer piece of wire to fish the wire underneath.






Removed the overhead console. This is rather easy to do. There are two T20 hex screws above the front compartment, two above the second compartment from the windshield, and two behind the rear cover that is not accessible. You just need to pop this open to get to those screws. Start at the front of the console and work backward or the console will fall on you like it did on me.






When the console is falling on you and your drill is in your lap, the drill can fall and hit the glove compartment. Then you end up with some scars like I did:


I removed the A pillar cover and ran the USB wire up on the window side. This was done without the loom. But I did use a couple of short pieces with zip ties. This allowed me to pull the wire up and down without much problem.





Ran the wire under the headliner. Just pulled the headliner down a little by the door and pulled it out the other side. There is not much room near the front of the windshield, but there is plenty of room a little farther back.



Next, I drilled wide hole in the front edge of the overhead console. The hole has to be pretty big to fit the connector through. But as you can see, the location of my hole can not be seen once the overhead console is replaced. This is shown in the second picture. There is a white sheet behind the console and you can't see the white through the hole.




(continued)

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2007 SR5 Crewmax 5.7L 4x4
Mods: nerf bars, Truxedo tonneau, radar detector power, 3M clear bra, fog lights, black billet grille, rear differential breather, parking sensors, Line-X, power tailgate lock, hood safety latch mod, one off driving lights behind grille, Pioneer NAV w/ OEM camera, Flowmaster 50 SUV dual/dual, blue LED dash lights, Volant CAI, Llumar tint, CompuStar Pro alarm, ProComp 6066 20" wheels, Cooper Zeon LTZ 275/60/20 tires, OME HD coilover lift, Firestone helper air bags, stereo cable lock, Tekonsha P3 brake controller
All mod descriptions and pictures © 2007-2009 by Toxarch. They may be copied only for personal use and the mods may be done for non-profit only.

I then ran the power under the front passenger floor board carpet. I decided to tap into the cigarette lighter for power. But I don't want it to have access to all the power up to the 30 amps or whatever the lighter fuse is. So I added my own fuse. I didn't want to go out just to buy an inline fuse holder. So I did the old trick I used to do when I needed one. I just used a couple of the crimp on disconnects that fit right over the old flat fuses. Here is what I mean:



And pics of the wiring and tap into the cigarette lighter power:



While I had the console down, I went ahead and wired up my radar detector at the top of the windshield:
http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/int...op-window.html

And the final product after everything is put back together:



Thanks again to Blueheadturner for the pics that he posted. They helped a bunch.

Hey Tox, you are welcome for the pics! Very nice write-up, and good illustration! Sorry to see you gained a few "scars" along the way. But you did something most of us would not have done. That was a pretty hefty DIY project you took on. It's also good to see the sunglass holder put to good use!LOL! My Revo's will not fit in it without cramming them in and at their price I refuse! So I use mine for my garage door opener. Congrats on getting the job done!

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wow Tox - what a great post. I appreciate you taking the time to do this and to show us how these were installed! The senors on the bumper look very professional. I assume it is all working now. Does it come in handy? Thanks again for the awesome post!

Excellent write up Tox, and when it comes to taking on major DIY projects with a new truck, "You da' man!" LOL

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2007 Tundra Limited Double Cab 4x4 Super White
Volant CAI
Pioneer AVIC Z-2 (hard drive upgrade to AVIC Z-3)
Key FOB Tailgate Lock (courtesy of Toxarch)
OEM back-up camera w/flip down monitor microswitch mod
Sirius Satellite Radio
WeatherTech Floor Liners
20" OEM alloy wheels
Line-X Bed liner
UWS Black Powdercoat Low Profile Toolbox
DU-HA underseat storage unit
JC Whitney Black Nerf Bars
Lund Interceptor II Bug Shield
Tekonsha Voyager Brake Controller

Great write up Tox, Thanks for sharing!

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Nice job! You're not concerned about the "brains" shaking loose in there? Corrosion damage?

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Dale McLean
aka PS-RagE
House of RagE

Thanks for the write up Tox!

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5.7 Slate Gray DC
4x2 w/Tow package
20" OEM Alloy wheels
Leather Buckets
Gatorhyde liner

Yes it all works, but I still occasionally get false readings from the rear sensors, Haven't figured out why.

I doubt it will shake loose. It's on a big velcro pad so it's not going anywhere. Corrosion damage might be a concern. Not salt corrosion since they only salt the roads about once a year down here. Just common moisture is the only concern. I think I am just going to tie a bag around it to keep any spray from the tire off it. Otherwise, I am not going to worry about it.

Wow. Amazing work!

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2007 Toyota Tundra 4x4 DC SR5 5.7