Reverse camera set up

[Fivefivezero]

Hi,
i want to add a reverse cam to my stx550. It already has an upgraded china head unit.
i would like to know where i can find the reverse wire and what colour it is and also the steering control wire and its colour.
Also the path to extend the actual cables from head unit to the back of the ute.
I have read a few threads but not quite what im looking for In them.
Cheers

 

[Old.Tony]

If memory serves, the harness behind the dash has a reverse wire as part of the stereo connections already (it should also have parkers and handbrake as well). Standard ISO connector 'A' (the black one, or the one with the guide pin on one side rather than the middle) should have pin 3 as the reversing wire. This is on the row away from the guide pin, and second column from the guide pin.

My head unit uses an RCA female plug to take the camera input. My camera was installed with the video cable run along the chassis (in a protective outer case, cable tied regularly) and in through the firewall near the brake master cylinder then up to the centre console. The power for the camera itself comes directly from the rear - from the reversing light wire and an earth, so it can only come on in reverse.

In the 550 with the Bose system, the wire is labelled "LG" which is Light Green. That's the wire I'd look for in the car's audio harness, because it should be there even if you don't have the Bose system (they often use the one harness, saves effort). Naturally, test it with a multimeter as you put the car into reverse and out (expect a 12V signal on this wire).

 

[GunMentalGrey]

I don’t recall where I picked up my reverse wire, but it’s somewhere in the cab near the head unit. I used the reverse light wire to power the camera so it only ran from the tail light area to the camera.

I ran the camera cable up the passenger side chassis rail, can check tomorrow where it enters the cab.

One additional thing I did was add a switch to power the cam on at any time. I find it handy to check on bike rack etc or when moving back and forth hooking up a trailer so the camera doesn’t keep going on and off. This required running a wire back to the camera (to power it from the cab) alongside the signal cable. I don’t recall details why but I’ve also got a relay hidden in behind the tail light to make it work properly.

 

[Old.Tony]

I don’t recall details why but I’ve also got a relay hidden in behind the tail light to make it work properly.

Most likely because turning the camera on manually would also make your reverse lights come on.

 

[GunMentalGrey]

Most likely because turning the camera on manually would also make your reverse lights come on.

That’d be it!

I had a sticky beak and found I’ve run the wires through a grommet on the firewall in behind the fuse blocks (passenger side) after running them alongside existing wires up on top of the chassis rail.

 

[Fivefivezero]

Thank you old Tony and GMG for your replies.
I had a quick look before i ran out of daylight. The wiring has been modified to suit the new harness for the head unit. Dont know what happened to the aerial. These is one wire there but its not a jack connection.
The reverse camera wire seems to be pink now.
But i thought i could maybe get the reverse light wire in the cabin?
Found this mess of wires in the driver side.
Need to investigate more

 

[GunMentalGrey]

Not 100% sure, but I recall our R51 pathfinder has the reverse light wire run down the passenger side. It also stands to reason that I ran the camera wire down the passenger side of the Navara because that’s where the rear light loom runs.

Maybe trace the wires back from the rear lights into the cab.

 

[Fivefivezero]

Not 100% sure, but I recall our R51 pathfinder has the reverse light wire run down the passenger side. It also stands to reason that I ran the camera wire down the passenger side of the Navara because that’s where the rear light loom runs.

Maybe trace the wires back from the rear lights into the cab.

Yeah i'll do that thanks

 

[Fivefivezero]

Finally got some decent weather so I got this finished now.

For the sake of finalising this thread for others to follow.

After adding the camera to the back of the head unit, I pushed the wires left to the passenger side (I found if you open the glove box and then squeeze in the sides of the tray it opens up further and you can access the dash!)
Was not comfortable drilling a hole anywhere near the front.

So then i traced the wires through the side passenger panel, down below the carpet near the door rubbers, same into back passenger side, then up behind the backseat through a vent? In the cabin wall and out between the cab and tray and under to the rear to finish the connections by tapping into the reverse light red wire.

 

[Phunk]

Finally got some decent weather so I got this finished now.

For the sake of finalising this thread for others to follow.

After adding the camera to the back of the head unit, I pushed the wires left to the passenger side (I found if you open the glove box and then squeeze in the sides of the tray it opens up further and you can access the dash!)
Was not comfortable drilling a hole anywhere near the front.

So then i traced the wires through the side passenger panel, down below the carpet near the door rubbers, same into back passenger side, then up behind the backseat through a vent? In the cabin wall and out between the cab and tray and under to the rear to finish the connections by tapping into the reverse light red wire.

I went out through a grommet under the passenger seat and then cable tied it to the existing loom to the rear