Ever since seeing this install for the VLine, I have been curious if it could be done with a pre-2011 model.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/bui...l#post10964508

Background - in 2011, Lexus integrated the skid control ECU into the brake actuator under the hood. Previously, it was mounted underneath the HVAC blower motor on a separate sheet metal mount held in by three screws. So the 2014 in the build thread didn't have anything underneath the HVAC blower. All 2010 and earlier have a skid control ECU mounted there.

Today, I was pissed off for the last time with the VLine coming off the inside of the glovebox and bouncing around causing bluetooth glitches and display glitches. No matter what anyone says, the unit needs to be firmly mounted and the cables secured. They're not your typical automotive connectors, they're only slightly better than most home audio connections and do not tolerate vibration well at all. So, I removed the skid control ECU to see if it can be moved easily, and indeed, it can. It can be mounted right next to the junction box, between the HVAC housing and the JB once you remove it from the mounting bracket (which is easily reused to mount the VLine securely under the HVAC fan). I know JT2MA71 mounted his VLine with automotive double sided trim tape, but since I have a metal bracket, I'll use that. The skid control ECU will get the same tape JT2MA71 used along with an extra large/long zip tie to prevent it from moving around under high g's.

Pics to follow. I am looking forward to both better cooling AND a stable display from my VLine going forward. Bonus would be the bluetooth staying connected to my MX+ OBD tool so I can monitor KFV and KCLV in real time.

 

Here are the pics and a little explanation.

First, surveying the potential relocation site. Between the junction block and the HVAC main housing. Looking pretty promising.



Next a test fit. Yes, this definitely can work, but I'll need to trim the clip off of the side where it contacts the junction block.



Here's the skid control ECU removed from the factory mount. I plan to reuse the mount after relocating the skid control ECU.



I used a tape similar to JT2MA71's install to hold the skid control ECU against the junction block. I also used a very large zip tie to augment the tape. The zip tie mount in this picture came off the skid control wiring and gets repurposed later in the project.



Here's the skid control ECU in its new home!



If you look closely, you can see the large zip tie I used to secure the skid control ECU just below the unit.



I used more tape to secure the VLine to the OEM bracket for the skid control ECU. Originally I expected to need a zip tie like the skid control ECU, but after bolting everything up, the VLine is very snugly held against the bottom of the HVAC blower motor housing.



Here's what the VLine looks like in its new home. It is VERY tightly gripped, and if you look at the picture above and compare it to the original picture with the ECU removed from the bracket, you can see where I removed material to give access and clearance to the VLine wiring/connectors.



Here's the final look before buttoning up. The black zip tie mount is being used to hold the VLine wiring now, and the white zip tie mount for the blower motor has been moved from the dash to the HVAC unit.



One quick shot before hiding the wiring behind the dash rail. I just used 3 small zip ties to hold the wires together. It takes up the excess and makes it easy to hide it behind the plastic bar on the dashboard. Once the lower kick panel is installed, the wires aren't going anywhere.



And that's the long and short of it in pictures. Of course when all this is done, the glove box, airbag, kick panel and side panel get put back in place. I had no issues getting everything to line up and connect up. Now if I can just have stable BT connectivity!

I'll know more tomorrow morning for sure.

 

Awesome. Clean, secure install - looks factory. Not having the VLine myself, does it or the junction block it's mounted next to generate any heat?

 

The VLine gets warm for sure, but the skid control ECU doesn't generally get warm at all. The enclosure is plastic, so I really doubt it will get hot enough to impact anything. The VLine is directly under the HVAC blower motor, so any heat it generates will be dissipated by the metal mount and exhausted by the blower motor.

 

Great job on the install! Although I’ve never had an issue with just the double sided tape, I’ve since added a bracket to secure the unit. I just used some leftover aluminum mesh that I had laying around.

 

Follow up on the improvement: not one single glitch this morning on a drive where the last few days I've been disconnected from the MX+ every 5 minutes on an hour and a half drive. Only one issue, the unit lost time sync, and LOTS of apps break when your clock is off by hours and days. I set the time back to automatic, and all is well again. If I were making a troubleshooting guide, I would say check the date/time FIRST if you can't install an app or play music via YouTube Music.

 

Mine has crashed and froze once and couldn’t get it to reboot even after disconnecting the main (black) connector. It was stuck in a screen where the touch screen was not working. Couldn’t switch back to factory mode. The only thing that fixed it was connecting a mouse to it. I have since kept a mini wireless USB mouse in the car and left the receiver plugged in. It’s never crashed again after that one time. But the mouse comes in handy when setting up new apps, and whatnot. Much easier than swiping up and down on the screen.

 

This is the level of car nerd that I love! Thank you - this is too funny and super educational. I've had my unit flicker on a few rough roads and always wondered if my video cable is loose, but it has always come back on. Connection issues are no where near as frequent for me as you describe, so I will keep this in my back pocket for when the time is right. Currently the unit is sitting on a microfiber towel inside my glovebox as I realized I can't keep it secured with 3M velcro to the top of the box.

p.s.: Are you still on Android 8.1 and if you upgraded to Android 12, have you noticed any performance issue afterwards? I'm in the boat of - if it's working perfectly, don't mess with it. Currently on factory 8.1 OS and an older firmware they sent me for troubleshooting.

 

Mine started with some flickering, then blacking out from heat, then disconnecting bluetooth to the MX+ frequently while flickering, but not blacking out. It started as slightly annoying but turned into unmanageable. It's been flawless today with one exception - it won't keep time correctly and when the time goes into left field, YouTube Music refuses to play.

 

If you need to get access to it, is it a case of pulling down the bottom panel or whole glovebox out?

 

Just the bottom panel. No screws at all. I popped it off today to make sure the antenna was pointed away from the metal and fully tightened. It was easy.

To remove it, you just need to take out the three screws and it drops away into the footwell, only held by the wiring.

 

Wow that sounds like a very frustrating experience, sorry to hear that. I haven’t had nearly the headache you’ve had to deal with and I have two of them.

What climate are you in that you’re seeing heat issues? I’m in the northeast.

Is it possible you have a bad unit?

 

No, it works perfectly now. It just didn't like being in the glovebox held by unreliable velcro. Now that it is stable, I have none of the previous issues.