XM Antenna Install now water leaking inside
 

I installed the enclosed antenna with my roady 2 kit on top of the roof and sent the cable antenna wire though the third brake light and now the edge of the headliner were the third brake light is water is leaking in. I don't know if its because i installed the antenna while it was raining or if it left a gap in it.

thanks and happy holidays

Probably not the best idea to put it through there considering how prone they are to leaking without a wire going through the gasket.

XM antennas don't have to be on the outside of the car to work. I have mine right in the center of the dash up near the windshield and it works perfect. Run it up through the tray up there in the top of the dash and it works fine. You might want to think about doing something like that to solve the issue.

allright because i was freaking out when i found that water in there lol can u show me a pic of where u put ur antenna at please?

I have my antenna running through the third brake light with no leaks. I just ran the wire out through the bottom of the third brake light instead of out the top, yes you see alittle more wire, but mine doesn't leak so it doesn't bother me....

im gona try to put it inside the truck any good ideas of where to put it on the inside?

do a search, there are plenty of threads with other locations, on top of the dash in front of the top tray, even under the tray on the metal U-shaped bracket behind the radio so i hear will also work.

Yeah I have mine stuck on the very front of my dash in front of the little black tray. It works flawlessly and never have any problems getting signal. Just use a double sided sticky thing to keep it from wiggling around.

Running it out the top of the 3rd brake light is fine and will give you the best reception. Even if you move it inside you are going to have to reseal your brake light up.

You need to install some weatherstrip to make it leak proof. The foam on the bottom side of the light that Ford installs compresses down and does not make a great seal when it is reinstalled with the wire under it.

I went to Home Depot and bought "Door and Window High Density Foam Tape Weatherstrip, 3/16" Thick, 3/8" wide x 17' long for a few dollars. I attached it to the metal of the truck where it would be lined up to the foam on the underside of the light assembly and no more leaks. Just run it all the way around the rectangular opening and then tighten the screws down to seal it up.

The one that I bought was Item # 02253 http://www.mdteam.com/products.php?category=221

I did this 3 years ago and no leaks in rainy Florida.

Third brake light is the best place for XM and SIR antennas. Just add something to seal afterwards.

Running it out the third brakelight is fine, But you need to make sure you notch out the seal to fit the wire and then follow that up with some sealant. I use "The Right Stuff" From Nappa. Great Product. Made by Loctite.

I will never understand the need for a sealant. What happens when your 3rd brake light or dome lights burn out? You then have to cut the sealant, scrape it off of everything and seal it up again.

Just use a foam tape on the metal of your truck and on the bottom side of the brake lights. Run the wire through the foam tape like a sandwich. No leaks and when I have to replace a bulb it takes me 2 minutes.

The sealant guarantees that there isn't a leak. It fills in the little gaps between the foam and your wire. There isn't a need however to seal the entire light. Just the .250 of an inch or so where your wire is and .125 or so each way. Personally, Taking an extra 5 min to make sure it will never leak the one time a year you change bulbs is worth not having to replace the headliner or seats do to water intrusion.

On a more personal note Blueflareside, You have such good luck because your wire is on the bottom of the housing. Where this works great for you, and gravity is on your side, this is not one of the more common ways to run wires thru a Hi-Mount stop light. Sorry if this makes me sound like a jerk, No offence was intended. Too many years of writing technical reports i suppose.

No problem. I think others are sealing the entire light, though. That is what I understand, at least. My wire runs out of the top through the factory notch in the 3rd brake light. That was bucky919 who said he ran it out the bottom.

Here is mine:
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...us-antenna.jpg

i rerouted mine so its inside the cab and well when i went out today there was no more leakage inside so i got lucky

I use pooky.