[yonah]

Sorry for your troubles. As a matter of fact, my SGII - before and after the upgrade - does not want to go to sleep when the ignition is off. Obviously, this is an important aspect to watch.There is a warning in the manual
"there is a small risk that the vehicle’s ECU and ScanGauge will stay on and drain the battery. You must be sure the ScanGauge goes to sleep properly when the engine is turned off. "
Thus, I always disconnected it and never left it running overnight. The manufacturer is slowly trying to trouble shoot it with no success so far. So, for both of us, the actual risk is not that small.

Can you confirm that the RMD function was addressed when you sent you ScanGauge back to Linear Logic for its latest software flash?

I ask as I have not encountered this issue at all.

 

[kolkh]

Can you confirm that the RMD function was addressed when you sent you ScanGauge back to Linear Logic for its latest software flash?

I ask as I have not encountered this issue at all.

I have upgraded two SGII to the latest firmware version, see below.

Tested them on '23 Sienna and '23 RAV4- no night sleeping! Upgrades were done by ScanGuageCanada in my presence. The guy told me to call HQ in case of any troubles.
Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[yonah]

WeBoost Drive Reach Cellular Signal Booster install (Part #1):

When on the road and in remote areas with the family, it’s important to be connected to the outside world in the event of an emergency. To improve the ability to do this, I installed a WeBoost cellular signal booster a couple of weeks ago. The specific model is the Drive Reach 470154, which is designed for sedans, trucks, and SUVs.

Here’s a simplified diagram from WeBoost that explains how their cellular signal booster functions within an automobile. There are three main components:

1. External antenna/receiver (mounts on the roof)
2. Booster (amplifier) unit (mounts inside vehicle)
3. Interior antenna (mounts inside the vehicle).

Product info:

Drive Reach Cell Phone Signal Booster - weBoost

Drive Reach is our most powerful, in-vehicle cell signal booster yet. It can reach the farthest cell towers in remote areas. Learn more here!

www.weboost.com

I was lucky to snag this unit NIB, sealed packaging, via eBay auction for about a 50% discount after shipping. Definitely a bargain.

For the install, I was really limited in where I could mount the booster unit. This limitation was mainly due to the length of the interior, but mainly the exterior, antenna cables. In the end, I settled for the passenger footwell area. specifically, I mounted the booster unit upside down on the underside of the kick trim piece via two countersunk stainless Allen head bolts with corresponding fender washers and nylock nuts. I added plenty of 3M molding tape to spread the weight of the unit across the trim piece.

EDIT - I noticed, after a few months post install, that the amplifier unit’s weight was deflecting the plastic lower dash trim piece/cover. To address this issue, I reinforced the cover with some aluminum flat stock. Details here:

https://www.siennachat.com/threads/traveler-the-family-hauler-roadtrip-van.72969/post-461174

EDIT - I also discovered a better routing path for the antenna cable with a cleaner entrance into the interior of the vehicle (by way of a rubber firewall pass thru grommet). Details here:

https://www.siennachat.com/posts/475843/

I then mounted the exterior magnetic antenna on the roof adjacent the front foot of the OEM roof rails. This was the best location I could find with the limited antenna cable length. You want the exterior and interior antennas to be about 5’ apart to prevent oscillation and degraded boosting performance - though sheet metal roof can shorten this distance somewhat as it acts as a barrier between the two antennas.

The magnetic antenna was buffered with 2” foam 3M disc to protect the paint finish on the roof. I then covered the exposed antenna cable with a generic XM satellite antenna cable cover sold by a CB radio retailer on eBay.

This isn’t my preferred location for the external antenna, but it will work for now. I like to eventually fabricate a mount that integrates into the OEM roof rail to raise the antenna higher and prevent any physical contact with the roof.

 

[yonah]

WeBoost Drive Reach Cellular Signal Booster install (Part #2):

The remaining antenna cable was routed under the roof weatherstripping and down the edge of the windshield (passenger side) and also concealed under the weatherstripping/windshield trim.

I removed the triangular trim piece in front of the passenger door and routed the cable between the front fender and a-pillar sheet metal, then under the triangular trim cover, securing it with a ziptie. From there it was tucked under the door weatherstripping (leaving an u-shaped drip turn to discourage water from running along the cable); I found a notch in the pinchweld in the door jam (under the weatherstripping) and used that specific location to minimize the cable’s interference with the weatherstrip. Then it was a matter of simply routing the cable under the kick panel to the booster unit.

Finally, I mounted the interior antenna behind the rearview mirror mounted vertically (facing down) to the plastic trim piece behind the mirror. The antenna was secured in place with 3M heavy duty velcro-like tape. The cable was routed under the headliner lip along the windshield. Down and behind the passenger a-pillar trim and plugged into the booster unit. Bad photo, but it gives you an idea of the orientation.

I did modify the supplied 12v cigarette outlet power supply by cutting off the cigarette outlet plug and simply extending the cable about 12’ to reach the passenger rear corner of the vehicle - specifically the previously installed Painless 12v ignition hot fuse panel. I crimped on a Weatherpack pin and plugged it into the preexisting connector and grounded the harness directly to the battery via the BlueSea negative busbar on the battery’s negative terminal.

Installed and running - the unit powers up whenever the ignition is on. The green light means it is functioning and boosting the received cell signal without issue. A red light would indicate oscillation. In retrospect, I like this footwell location as the indicator LED reflects down onto the floor mat, so I can easily see the booster’s status (green or red light). If the booster unit were mounted under the seat or inside a trim panel, this kind of observation would not be possible from the drivers seat.

The photos make the booster unit appear to be more exposed than it really is. It’s pretty tucked up in the footwell and it’s actually quite hard to touch it with your foot, at least accidentally. This area is also good as it gets plenty of airflow to keep the unit cool.

Im happy the install and increased cell performance. The WeBoost generally adds 1-2 bars to the cell signal of any cellular devices in the front driver/passenger area (within roughly 36” of the interior antenna). The booster will not create a cell signal where one is not present, but it certainly improves what signal is already there. I’ve tested it in a few notorious cell dead zones in my area with great results; I can now send/receive texts and make calls in areas that were previously a no-go.

The booster will be a welcomed upgrade on some of our longer, more remote stretches of pavement. It definitely adds convenience and some peace-of-mind.

 

[yonah]

I have upgraded two SGII to the latest firmware version, see below.
View attachment 62642
View attachment 62649
Tested them on '23 Sienna and '23 RAV4- no night sleeping! Upgrades were done by ScanGuageCanada in my presence. The guy told me to call HQ in case of any troubles.
Any suggestions are welcome.

When you state “no sleeping”, I assume the LCD screen stays on and backlight illuminated - as if the vehicle ignition were still on / vehicle running?

 

[kolkh]

When you state “no sleeping”, I assume the LCD screen stays on and backlight illuminated - as if the vehicle ignition were still on / vehicle running?

I am happy to report that CG Customer Service managed to solved my problem by directing me to an option, which is not documented in the Manual. Assuming that it might help somebody else in a similar situation, here is the description:

Go to MORE<SETUP< scroll to ADVANCED SETTINGS<EDIT<scroll to SLEEP EVENT and select VOLT.

Thank you @yonah for you info and photos of ScanGuage in your minivan -- when I found them I already gave up on my SG, but I decided to try again (before the updrade) ... and again (the updrage!) ... Finally -success!

 

[yonah]

4-pin Trailer Light Wire Harness Extension and Bumper Mount

When I installed the Torklift EcoHitch, I didn’t really know where to mount the 4-pin trailer light wire harness. Nothing seemed really clean and OEM in appearance, so I ziptied it behind the bumper in the meantime.

And then I stumbled upon this fold-over mounting bracket from Hopkins. Simple and affordable (at about $5). I really like how this mount has a channel molded into it to secure the corresponding dust cover boot for the plug. Very well thought out design.

Product info:
https://a.co/d/83BkKf8

All I needed to do was extend the OEM trailer wire harness by about 12” to give myself plenty of wire To maneuver and work with - so I spliced in a 12” 4-wire trailer wire harness extension into the middle of the OEM harness with (crimped, soldered, and marine-heat shrinked connections). Then wrapped the whole thing in corrugated tubing and electrical tape - just like the OEM harness.

From there it was a matter of mounting the Hopkins bracket. I used a 90* angle square to line it visually with EcoHitch. I also replaced the self-tapping galvanized screws included with the Hopkins mount with stainless steel Allen head button cap bolts with 3/4” (I think) fender washers and nylock locking stainless nuts on the inside of the bumper. Note that I mounted it directly in front of a bumper skin mounting tab in order to give the harness mount a little added support and rigidity/sturdiness. All bolted up.

The bumper was further notched about 3/4” in a semicircle shape to allow clean routing of the wiring harness. A rubber grommet - trimmed to match the cutout - was then inserted for a clean appearance.

The finished product looks very OEM and subtle - which I like a lot. It’s also tucked high and out of the way, well above the EcoHitch itself, so there’s no real risk of the wire harness or plug snagging on something under the van and damaging the bumper skin.

Simple solutions are sometimes the best way to go.

 

[Gtrain]

Awesome thread. Waiting for my vehicle to be built in the next few months. Definitely stealing some ideas.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

 

[yonah]

Awesome thread. Waiting for my vehicle to be built in the next few months. Definitely stealing some ideas.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

Congrats on the new Sienna! Hopefully it arrives sooner than expected.

Thank you so much for the kind words and feedback. Makes updating this thread and sharing my tinkering a bit more fun 🍻

 

[yonah]

3M Scotchlite 580 reflective safety tape application

I ditched the Ali Express white door reflector decals - the adhesive was junk and each decal started to peel and fall off anyway.

I picked up some 3M Scotchlite 580 (red) 3/4” reflective tape and put a ~3” strip on the inside of each front door to increase visibility at night; especially in parking lots while unloading/loading the van. I also replaced the side door marker light with a red LED variants from Sylvania.

And being that I had 10’ of the 580 tape, I started looking at the rear end of the van. The stock rear bumper reflectors are rather modest. These days, with every other driver on the road distracted by their phone, any measure one can take to increase visibility is a plus. So I decided to run a strip of 580 across the entire width of the rear hatch. I tried to follow the factory body lines and I think it turned out really well. This tape is metallic, but rather flexible, so it can be somewhat bent to follow a slight curve. And being that it’s a 3M product, the adhesion and quality are phenomenal - once it’s applied, it’s on there.

*visible in the above photos are the LED amber turn signal bulbs that I purchased from Amazon awhile back. They are BRIGHT and anti-hyper flash. I’ll try to add a photo of them illuminated at night - definitely eye catching to say the least.

I tested it out last night - parked the van and walked 50’ behind the vehicle with a flashlight. The entire strip glows bright red under direct and even indirect illumination; there’s no denying that it makes the van more visible at night. Which is especially nice when the vehicle is parked and the taillights are not illuminated. Not bad for $10 and I still have some left over. I may apply some tape to the side door sills, we’ll see.

 

[Sienna.Guy]

TRD pinstriping

 

[d3myk]

WeBoost Drive Reach Cellular Signal Booster install (Part #1):

When on the road and in remote areas with the family, it’s important to be connected to the outside world in the event of an emergency. To improve the ability to do this, I installed a WeBoost cellular signal booster a couple of weeks ago. The specific model is the Drive Reach 470154, which is designed for sedans, trucks, and SUVs.

I'm freaking stoked you installed this. It's been on my wishlist for weeks now, and it's awesome to see it installed (and to hear that it works!).

 

[yonah]

TRD pinstriping

Well in that case, it should give me +5 horsepower 🤣

I'm freaking stoked you installed this. It's been on my wishlist for weeks now, and it's awesome to see it installed (and to hear that it works!).

It’s a pretty easy install. I’m still getting oscillation at times, but it’s a rare occurrence. The location of the external antenna is likely to blame - the antenna cable isn’t long enough, so I can’t move it any further to the rear of the car and I couldn’t find a better, more discreet routing path for the cable.

I called WeBoost’s customer service line and the tech I spoke with highly recommended not adding a cable extension, as it would degrade performance. The only other option is to install one of their cylindrical external antennas, which I may do later this summer. They have a longer cable and I should be able to fabricate a mount that attaches it to the OEM roof rails; hopefully towards the rear of the van, but for now, the little shark fin magnetic antenna works.

When you install your WeBoost, do share the details.

 

[yonah]

NoLoss Valve Stem Caps

I install these NoLoss valve stem caps on every vehicle I own and pretty much anything we have with pneumatic tires (strollers, beach wagons, etc.) and I figure this thread is a good place to share another simple piece of gear that makes life a bit easier.

Product info:

No Loss Plastic Tire Caps (5 Pack) | Extreme Outback

www.extremeoutback.com

NoLoss caps have gone up in price over the last few years - a set of five used to run about $8, but they’re still worth it, IMO.

Installed on the Sienna:

The benefit of NoLoss caps is they are tethered to the valve stem via a little rigid plastic lanyard and make airing up (or down) your tires a one-handed operation - no need to fumble with the valve cap or risk dropping it and then playing hide-and-go-seek on the side of the road after it bounces/rolls along the pavement. You simply unscrew the cap and it stays put. I’ve even left one of my caps unscrewed once by accident and it was still tethered to the valve stem after thousands of tire rotations on the highway.

NoLoss caps also have an o-ring on the inside that acts not only as a dust/moisture barrier that keeps unwanted contaminants out of your tire, but it also functions as a secondary seal for the valve core within the stem. In the event that the valve core o-ring fails, this additional o-ring in the cap should prevent the tire from deflating, if the cap is screwed on tight.

 

[kolkh]

...
Go to MORE<SETUP< scroll to ADVANCED SETTINGS<EDIT<scroll to SLEEP EVENT and select VOLT.
...

Apparently, I am back to square 1. Sleep event, which is based on voltage as indicated above, is triggered from time to time during driving when sofisticated Sienna computers decide that the 12V buttery does not need charging and, hence, voltage drops from ~14V to below ~12.7V. I am still talking to the vendor to understand whether 'no-sleep bug' can be fixed within the latest official firmware release ( ver. 4.53). However, searching the Internet, I found that the vendor fixed that bug by installing special firmware, see photo below, for some sofisticated cars, such as RAV4 prime.
.

Bottom line for me: waiting. I doubt my local installer from ScanGuageCanada could have done something different.
Bottom line for those who are going to send their SGII to the vendor: specify the model and the fact that it is a Hybrid explicitly! ...due to some reason, the vendor asks that question (Hybrid?) in each e-mail...

 

[Sienna.Guy]

This is what I wrote on the PO…

 

[kolkh]

@yonah ,
out of curiosity: what is firmware version on you SG after the upgrade?
By the way, SGII upgrade is not a software flush, but a board replacement.. that is why you need to send it. I was told that SGIII is remotely upgrade-able....

 

[yonah]

@yonah ,
out of curiosity: what is firmware version on you SG after the upgrade?
By the way, SGII upgrade is not a software flush, but a board replacement.. that is why you need to send it. I was told that SGIII is remotely upgrade-able....

Interesting. I did not know that a board replacement was conducted for all SW updates. I remember reading somewhere that if the ScanGauge unit was older than a certain date, the board replacement was required.

I will verify my current SW firmware and get back to you later today.

See the below message I received from Christina at Linear Logic. She sent the below message after I called and explained the ‘always on’ issue I ran into when I attempted to install my freshly upgraded ScanGauge into our ‘23 Sienna.

—-

Please enter the below XGauge into you unit and let us know what it reports with the engine off. Instructions on how to enter this code can be found on page 40 of your user manual or at the following link

RPM Responding Module (HEX)
TXD: 07DF010C
RXF: 0441150C0000
RXD: 0010
MTH: 000100010000
NAME: RMD

If you have any questions, please let me know.

--
Regards,

Cristina Bollinger
Accounts & Shipping Manager
Linear Logic, LLC
(888) 433-5664

—-

I wrote down the RMD value displayed via that RMD X-Gauge and put the sticky note inside the box when I sent my ScanGauge back for their firmware remedy. Not sure what the code was as I only wrote it down.

I would say if in doubt, call Christina via the desk phone line in the signature block above.

 

[Sienna.Guy]

Just got mine back. Updated to Ver 4.53. Setup: Fuel type to Hybrid and Sleep event to Volt. Normal operating voltage is 14.2. When vehicle shut off, voltage drops to 12.7, once it reaches 12.5, it shuts off within 2 sec.

 

[Sienna.Guy]

Ahhh, took it out for a drive. It didn’t work.

For the prior message above, tsted while parked. Driving is different, voltage starts off at 14+, driving voltage fluctuates and drops to 12.#, it then shuts off. Blasphemy.