Stock Style Garage Door Opener Install

(Copying this from my post on 6gc.net)

I wanted a more stock looking garage door opener for my new 94' Celica GT4, I didn't want to have a remote clipped to my sun visor forever. I discovered online you can wire a normal battery powered garage door opener into a momentary switch and mount that in the car. I went to the local junk yard and searched the mid 90's early 00's Lexus and Toyota and found a switch that would work in the stock "blank" locations under the dash near the steering wheel. (Pic below)

I recommend you bring the blank with you so you can compare while searching. I think it was from a Lexus, but I don't recall the exact vehicle or year range. It is a powered seat memory button with three momentary switches, perfect for what I needed.

I then opened the garage opener and figured out which parts of the circuit board I needed to solder the wires to and which wires did what on the 3 button switch I grabbed. This switch was simple, the white/black wire was the ground, then each of the other three wires went to one of the three buttons on the front.

It was as simple as soldering the white/black to the common ground on the circuit board and then one of each of the other three wires to each pole of the three buttons of the GENIE remote I was using. I like that this switch has 3 buttons so I can use up to 3 garage door/gates in the future.

I have a spare I grabbed at the junk yard and plan to try to repaint the button's on the front. I chose to mount in the blank location next to the fuse panel so that I could get to the battery of the garage remote if needed to change the battery. The GENIE remote is 12v, so I believe I could wire it into the car easily enough, but the battery works for me for now.

Final result:

I think this is pretty clever. Of course, garage door openers have quite the variety, but if you have a pic showing where each of the 4 switch wires was landed on the circuit board on yours, that would be great (especially for anyone looking to do the same on the same version of Genie garage door remote like the one you used).

That is a cool concept. I might have to mess around with that.

That seat memory switch looks to be Toyota P/N 84927-48010, which is unique to the 2000-2003 Lexus RX300. Is that possibly where you found your switch?

It would have been located on an instrument panel cover just left of the steering wheel, which may have also included the vehicle security system red light indicator and the front outside rear view mirrors position control switch.

Thank you all for the feedback, I added a few better pics with the wires soldered to the circuit board.

I think you are correct, lexus RX300. Looked just like this photo which is from a RX300. Seems to be plenty on ebay and cheap.



Here is one for sale on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/99-03-LEXUS-RX ... 0005.m1851

and another (without wires):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-2003-Lexu ... SwRxpcuIb4

You've got me wondering just how many different options there are out there for the standard sized Toyota accessory slots that we could use. I'd like something more OEM looking than toggle switches for my driving lights.

underscore":1p03qano said:

You've got me wondering just how many different options there are out there for the standard sized Toyota accessory slots that we could use. I'd like something more OEM looking than toggle switches for my driving lights.

Click to expand...

Toggle switches for driving lights? On a 1991 Celica (based on your signature, I'm assuming that is what you have)? What do you mean by "driving lights" on a 1991 Celica?

They aren't factory, I have 2 Hella lights mounted above the license plate that are going to be replaced with 4 KC lights on the roof.

If you don't have, or not using, fog lights, then you can use an OEM fog light switch for your driving lights.

I'm going to add fog lights too, but even if I wasn't the fog light switch operates the opposite of how I need them to work. I need the driving lights to only be able to come on when the highbeams are on (and likewise shut off automatically when I shut the highbeams off) according to the local laws and the regulations for the rally events I use the car for. Fog lights can only be on when the low beams are on, and must shut off when the high beams are on according to the local laws.

Wanted to show these ones as well that I found at the junk yard. I ended up using the 3 button switch since I have two garage doors. I like these ones too if you only need one switch. They are from a toyota mini van, probably late 90's early 00's Sienna. They are momentary switches as well (don't toggle on off, spring back when pushed, like the garage remote button) and would work well for the same type of DIY I did with the 3 button one. They are also bigger and easier to find with your hands in the dark, etc..

I snagged the security one as well incase I get creative. I might try to rig my hands free microphone for my Kenwood head unit into the stock toyota security unit so that I don't have to have an aftermarket mic sitting on top of my steering column for my hands free phone feature. Could also rig the LED into something if I needed some sort of indication, IE a remote fuel cutoff hidden somewhere and when in cutoff that little light is on.. too many ideas.

underscore":qh88mdzi said:

I'm going to add fog lights too, but even if I wasn't the fog light switch operates the opposite of how I need them to work. I need the driving lights to only be able to come on when the highbeams are on (and likewise shut off automatically when I shut the highbeams off) according to the local laws and the regulations for the rally events I use the car for. Fog lights can only be on when the low beams are on, and must shut off when the high beams are on according to the local laws.

Click to expand...

And you can make it work exactly as you describe by determining what power source you use for the fog light relay. The USDM power source is the headlight on power. When I installed fog lights for the first time on a couple of 5th Gen Celica's (and had to provide the fog light relay setup), I opted to power the source power for the running lights, so the fogs could be turned on without headlights. In later years, I opted to provide fused power direct from the battery (non-switched), so I could use the fog lights alone as daytime running lights or whatever. You can do the same by providing switched high beam headlight power to the fog light relay instead. All up to you.

The relay is currently powered via whatever the stock setup was (the car has the relay and all the wiring, I added an OEM button), and since I need that button for foglights and I really don't like cutting into factory wiring unless I have to I don't really see a need to modify the system.

Trash_Panda":14qoi3yf said:

IE a remote fuel cutoff hidden somewhere and when in cutoff that little light is on.. too many ideas.

Click to expand...

I like that idea, it would be a great reminder to switch the fuel back on before getting mad that it won't start :lol:

If you don't like the mic staring at you, I usually run them up the A pillar and clip it onto the top edge of the trim piece where it meets the headliner. No issues with sound quality and it's a lot less visible.

underscore":1ytmafsb said:

I like that idea, it would be a great reminder to switch the fuel back on before getting mad that it won't start :lol:

If you don't like the mic staring at you, I usually run them up the A pillar and clip it onto the top edge of the trim piece where it meets the headliner. No issues with sound quality and it's a lot less visible.

Click to expand...

Ahh thats a good idea, and sounds a lot easier. I think I'll move the mic there for now, shouldn't take long to run that up the A-pillar.

I agree about the light! I like the idea of having something I can check quickly to know the status of the switch, but it would also blend in well and appear a stock item. Now just to figure out where to hide a switch. I've thought in the past of using a button on the HVAC controls (pick one I never used in the first place), but with this car don't want to hack into anything electrical if I can avoid it.

I've been meaning to add a kill switch somewhere like under the drivers seat, tied into the starter signal from the ignition switch. My hope is I could make something plug and play so I don't have to cut any factory wires. I know a fuel pump kill switch is better security but I'm paranoid about accidentally shutting the fuel off at a bad time and blowing the motor.

Trash_Panda":1takl8h0 said:

Wanted to show these ones as well that I found at the junk yard. I ended up using the 3 button switch since I have two garage doors. I like these ones too if you only need one switch. They are from a toyota mini van, probably late 90's early 00's Sienna. They are momentary switches as well (don't toggle on off, spring back when pushed, like the garage remote button) and would work well for the same type of DIY I did with the 3 button one. They are also bigger and easier to find with your hands in the dark, etc..

I snagged the security one as well incase I get creative. I might try to rig my hands free microphone for my Kenwood head unit into the stock toyota security unit so that I don't have to have an aftermarket mic sitting on top of my steering column for my hands free phone feature. Could also rig the LED into something if I needed some sort of indication, IE a remote fuel cutoff hidden somewhere and when in cutoff that little light is on.. too many ideas.

Click to expand...

These are another nice switch option - and they are from 2001-2003 Toyota Sienna's. Some only had the RH switch, some had both. It doesn't look like 2000 and earlier Sienna's utilized this front center dash set of switches. What is nice about these is that they are illuminated - so if you wire them into your dash lighting, these can be seen. I think if someone took the Homelink opener setup from an overhead console, and just used the controller part, then wired in a couple of switches like these and tied in the illumination, that would make for a very nice OEM-looking setup.