Installing OEM backup cam

ticketboy · Oct 6, 2015

Good news. I think I solved the problem. It turns out that it is the tailgate camera harness has a short in the cable! If I bend the cable at a certain angle I have full picture and lines.

R.L.K. · Oct 6, 2015

ticketboy said:
Good news. I think I solved the problem. It turns out that it is the tailgate camera harness has a short in the cable! If I bend the cable at a certain angle I have full picture and lines.

Very nice to hear indeed !
Good Job troubleshooting Sir .

Now just get another harness or fix the one you have ...
Keep post2

BCMark · Oct 6, 2015

R.L.K. said:
The harness Going to the tailgate from the main truck harness has 8 wires ?

Yeah, there's 8 wires going into the tailgate.

R.L.K. · Oct 6, 2015

BCMark said:
Yeah, there's 8 wires going into the tailgate.

And 8 wires going to the front of the truck ?

R.L.K. · Oct 6, 2015

Okay , you have a 2015 .

With that said , mine is a 2014 .

To me knowledge, there's no diff between 14 &15 .
So if you have 8 wires heading fwd of the tailgate harness , then answer me this sir ,
1) what Radio do you have ?

2) did you have a back up cam already ? Display in the rearview mirror ?

BCMark · Oct 6, 2015

R.L.K. said:
And 8 wires going to the front of the truck ?

I just did a quick check at the tailgate connection for wires going into the tailgate and saw 8, didn't open up anymore than that or check anywhere else on the truck. Where else would I check for the 8 wires, at the same connection or at the front of the truck somewhere?

BCMark · Oct 6, 2015

R.L.K. said:
Okay , you have a 2015 .

With that said , mine is a 2014 .

To me knowledge, there's no diff between 14 &15 .
So if you have 8 wires heading fwd of the tailgate harness , then answer me this sir ,
1) what Radio do you have ?

2) did you have a back up cam already ? Display in the rearview mirror ?

I'll check what I have going from that tailgate connection forward and see what's there. It's the 8.4a radio and never had a camera nor a display in the mirror.

R.L.K. · Oct 6, 2015

BCMark said:
I just did a quick check at the tailgate connection for wires going into the tailgate and saw 8, didn't open up anymore than that or check anywhere else on the truck. Where else would I check for the 8 wires, at the same connection or at the front of the truck somewhere?

If the connector that looks like this .

At the back of your tailgate heading FWD to the front of the truck has 8 wires already then you do have a prewired for BU Cam truck .

Mpgrimm2 · Oct 7, 2015

@BCMark,
Does your truck have a tailgate extension connector at the chassis harness? Is your truck a 2500+? This may make it look like you have all 8 wires when you don't.
See my links in post 10 (very helpful) and/or go to post 25 to see what I mean.

The factory chassis harness' 5 camera wires (6th is frame ground at left rear wheel) will go from the i550 tailgate connector to the C322 chassis connector behind the left front wheel well. Posted some pictures of the connector previously and will dig more tomorrow.

Edit: see my post #250 to MTGTS'S about this and details of that wheel well connector.
http://www.ramforum.com/showthread.php?p=1086312

PS: pm me your VIN and I will check your factory wiring and verify what you have. May take a bit to dig through it, may not.

BCMark · Oct 7, 2015

Thanks guys, opened it all up further last night and only have 2 wires running from the tailgate connector forward so not prewired

. Saw the 8 wires going into the tailgate and got excited lol.

E.mccarthy7018 · Oct 7, 2015

Mpgrimm2 said:
Good work on the pictures.
Especially the PDC power wire and explanation. I think the directions intend for that power wire to be cut through, both ends stripped, slide the heat shrink over one end and the new wire, then twist, crimp and solder all 3 back together and heat shrink the new joint. Personally, I hate breaking a perfectly good conductor If I can help it and your solution with the liquid tape is a solid alternative.

I can't say for sure since my install with Jeepguy's Custom harnesses was slightly different but from reading the Official Kit's directions I 'believe' that you shouldn't have had to cut any wires at the back near the tailgate like that to change pins from male to female unless it is to extend those wires because of the modified bumper you have. If you are at the correct "body side tailgate connector", you should have had female pins.

Instead, the new chassis/Camera harness gets the original 2 female lock solenoid pins added to it at pins 7 & 8 (i550) which in turn plugs into that 6 inch tailgate extension, which goes to the bottom connector of the tailgate/harness.

Honestly, I never realized the extension was there at all since it and the main tailgate harness were already in my truck's tailgate (likely because of the existing power tailgate lock). If I may ask, what is your Trim Level and vin to hunt for your Tech Authority schematics? (maybe its a 2014 thing or the factory messed up the harness and the extension was their fix).

The i550 connector should be one end of that extension and should have been originally secured at one end near the spare tire. I would imagine the purpose of the extension is to serve as a wear and tear item, taking the abuse of the tailgate opening and closing so that it is cheaper to replace that extension than the tailgate or chassis harness on either side.

It sounds like you will be able to get it all worked out, but I went ahead and pulled these pictures from Jeepguy's DIY Camera (Custom Harness) thread OP to show the location of i550 connector I am talking about with the 2 female lock solenoid pins from the existing chassis harness that must be moved to the new camera chassis harness' connector.
Hopefully it will help clarify the directions further.

I might be wrong, but that's my understanding since cptwing didn't mention having to do that with the same kit. I may have to go take a look under my truck again if I get up before the snow gets here today and double check. Hmm.

8/1/15 Edit: Added i550 tailgate extension note/picture.

Sent from my "Up All Night Sleep All Day" Nexus 5!

Hey i went about it a little differant, let me know what you think.
I am new to the forums but i own a 2015 ram 2500 bighorn.
I simply left the jumper harness plugged into the harness with just the two wires, and removed the female wires out of the other end of the jumper or "harness extension" and hooked them into the kit harness A, which i then plugged into the D harness that goes into the tailgate and upbto the handle.

Just let me know what you think please? Thanks

Mpgrimm2 · Oct 7, 2015

E.mccarthy7018 said:
Hey i went about it a little differant, let me know what you think.
I am new to the forums but i own a 2015 ram 2500 bighorn.
I simply left the jumper harness plugged into the harness with just the two wires, and removed the female wires out of the other end of the jumper or "harness extension" and hooked them into the kit harness A, which i then plugged into the D harness that goes into the tailgate and upbto the handle.

Just let me know what you think please? Thanks

That will work fine. You must have had to tape back the other part of the tailgate extension cable and its housing then.
Comes down to a finished product preference I guess on whether you want to move the 2 lock wires from the extension to the Camera Harness A or move the 6 camera wires into the tailgate extension cable (which can't be fully removed anyway).

Does it work? Yes= good!

PS: I'm just glad you looked at that post.

Sent from my LG G4 on Tapatalk.

R.L.K. · Oct 7, 2015

ticketboy said:
Good news. I think I solved the problem. It turns out that it is the tailgate camera harness has a short in the cable! If I bend the cable at a certain angle I have full picture and lines.

Did you get your camera harness fixed ?

You can probably remove the tape from that litle short camera harness , find the problem and fix it yourself ...

ticketboy · Oct 8, 2015

R.L.K. said:
Did you get your camera harness fixed ?

You can probably remove the tape from that litle short camera harness , find the problem and fix it yourself ...

Not yet, sent the harness back to vendor, getting a replacement. Will update when I get the new harness.

Still can not believe I did not have to get the flash.

R.L.K. · Oct 16, 2015

ticketboy said:
Not yet, sent the harness back to vendor, getting a replacement. Will update when I get the new harness.

Still can not believe I did not have to get the flash.

Did you get it done sir ?

ticketboy · Oct 24, 2015

All done and working! Turned out to be a bent pin in the harness inside the tailgate. No flash was needed for some reason. Maybe because the radio came from a truck that already had the backup camera installed?

Thanks for everyone's help!!

R.L.K. · Oct 24, 2015

Not the radio .
Not sure why no flash required

hokiecb · Dec 24, 2015

I am having trouble getting the 2 pins 7 and 8 out of the i550 to move to the new one. Can somebody give me some pointers on how to do this?

Mpgrimm2 · Dec 25, 2015

hokiecb said:
I am having trouble getting the 2 pins 7 and 8 out of the i550 to move to the new one. Can somebody give me some pointers on how to do this?

I don't recall exactly but there is a TPA (terminal position assurance) lock on the front of the pins that may need to be removed before the pins will come out.
Someone has posted some extra notes somewhere in this thread for getting it apart beyond what is neediness in the Mopar directions. I'm not sure where it is of hand.

This may help. It's an early version of jeepguy1980's custom harness directions (no longer available) that I believe had some info on getting the connectors apart.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/u3jb4oh863jaq2g/JpGuy_2013_DIY_add_Ram_OEM_Camera_w_Video.pdf

Sent from my LG G4 on Tapatalk.

R.L.K. · Dec 25, 2015

hokiecb said:
I am having trouble getting the 2 pins 7 and 8 out of the i550 to move to the new one. Can somebody give me some pointers on how to do this?

If you take a pick or 90° scribe and remove the rubber weather seal from the front side it gives you better acess to the connectors pins .
Once the rubber is off take a tiny jewelers flat tip screwdriver and insert it from the front of the connector on the top of the pin ( maybe bottom) to release the small delicate lock while gently pulling on the wire from the backside and it will pull right out from the rear .
Hope this helps ! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

EDIT : If there's a red piece on the back of the connector pull it AFT this releases the locks . Can't remember but some of the connectors have this feature and some don't .

Found this old picture , it's not sockets 7 or 8 but it's the same type lock . Actually if you look at the end of your long body Harness this is the purple wire that the instructions say to put it in the BCM C-5 socket 45 Orange and dark blue . I cut this end off and soldered to the Or & Db wire .

Installing OEM backup cam

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