Furrion pre-wire and 2017 245BHS

blueowlbc · 08-22-2017, 12:06 AM

I purchased a Furrion FOS48TA-BL in June and can still not get it to work on my 2017 245BHS. The trailer is pre-wired, however no power to camera when I plugged it in. I brought the trailer into the dealer and they concurred the cable had no power and said they fixed the issue. However they added that the wire for the camera is brought to the front of trailer and that it would only work when my truck was in backup gear and that my tow truck may still be an issue.

Well first off this means I wasted the extra money on the observation camera and can no longer return. However I still can not get the camera to power on. I tow with a 2015 Sequoia and when in reverse still nothing. To assist troubleshooting I hooked the trailer to my 2013 Ridgeline 7 point harness and still no power to the camera.

Since the two TT I owned do not have backup lights, is it possible this is something not standard in a 7 point harness. Before I get back to the dealer, just curious if anyone knew?

Mainframe · 08-22-2017, 05:52 AM

As far as I know, the camera should be wired to the parking/headlight switch, when you go down the road you need to turn on your running lights. Did you try that on both vehicles? Other than that you just need to get a volt meter and start testing the wires to see what is going on.

rjshiflet · 08-22-2017, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainframe

As far as I know, the camera should be wired to the parking/headlight switch, when you go down the road you need to turn on your running lights. Did you try that on both vehicles? Other than that you just need to get a volt meter and start testing the wires to see what is going on.

When I first installed mine, I was frustrated then had that "aha moment" when I realized the headlights/running lights have to be on. Turned them on, and it works.

Wish I could help you further - but that was my only issue and when I realized that...we were good.

GalsofEscape · 08-22-2017, 06:23 AM

my camper came prewired for the camera and it is powered off the running lights. I just have to tow with my headlights on and the camera is on all the time. Like it alot.

Did the dealer just replace the wire or did they rewire it to the backup lights? I would be very unhappy if they rewired mine to the backup lights as I wanted my camera to be on all the time, not just when I backed up.
I would think if the trailer has backup lights, and the backup lights come on when you put the truck in reverse, then the 7pin harness is not the issue. If your camper does not have backup lights, what backup lights did they rewire to?

PenJoe · 08-22-2017, 06:06 PM

The Furion you have is a "wireless" unit, so there is no video cable, only a power cable with two wires. The monitor may have an on/off switch as-well as the power cord and the switch may be required to be turned on each time. Pre-wired should mean the Furion is drawing power from the running lights-not the backup lights. As others have said, the running lights have to be on, or the camera won't work. The other consideration is that the camera also has to have a ground as-well-as the 12 volt source. Otherwise, it is an incomplete circuit. Because the TT is fiberglass, the running lights must also have a +/- wire.

If each of your TVs has the same 7-pin schematic, which they should, the camera will work, no matter which TV you have-provided the TT running light are on.

Assuming your running lights are working and the camera has a proper ground, you need to look at the camera. Is it installed or can you check it with any 12 volt supply? If you can,one wire to positive and one wire to negative and you should have a picture. If not and provided it was tested with the correct polarity, the camera may be defective.

Not real clear on what the dealer is talking about. The TT has no backup lights. It would be the monitor that would have to draw power from the TV backup light circuit for the system to work only in reverse. And if the monitor is powered by an accessory plug on the dash, it just ain't so.

Trying to cover the basics. I believe the system will work if it has power and a ground.

blueowlbc · 08-22-2017, 07:55 PM

I knew the headlights had to be on, I have auto, on and off. Tried in each setting, plus in drive and reverse. I get nothing on the screen and the monitor cannot find the camera. If I attach the camera to the auxiliary cable that comes off the monitor power cable, it works no problem. I saw on line that when the camera is powered their should be a blue light on the camera itself. I contacted furrion and they confirmed that was correct.

When the dealer looked at it they said it was working no problem and could be my truck. I had 13 other things fixed and did not read the report fully as we were heading out of town. now that I am home I read their full report. They could not get it to work either, no power at the camera. The report says they had to trace the power cable to the front of the trailer (from the back). The report then says the power will only be activated with TV attached and in reverse. The report then says the TV would require backup lights capability to trailer for the camera to work. With this comment I wonder if 7 pin connectors do no this as a standard.

Seems weird they would run a wire all the way to the front of the trailer instead of just tapping power off of the rear external light. Therefore avoiding the need for reverse. I have another appointment for the trailer in 2 weeks, but just trying educate myself as this should not be too difficult. I have had a lot of issues since I bought the trailer in May, current count is 15 unique repairs of all sizes and shapes. So it would not surprise me if Surveyor wired the camera in an unusual way. They put the queen bed base together with glue and staples, you can guess how long that lasted before it fell apart. Have they not heard of a screw?

PenJoe · 08-22-2017, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueowlbc

I knew the headlights had to be on, I have auto, on and off. Tried in each setting, plus in drive and reverse. I get nothing on the screen and the monitor cannot find the camera. If I attach the camera to the auxiliary cable that comes off the monitor power cable, it works no problem. I saw on line that when the camera is powered their should be a blue light on the camera itself. I contacted furrion and they confirmed that was correct.

When the dealer looked at it they said it was working no problem and could be my truck. I had 13 other things fixed and did not read the report fully as we were heading out of town. now that I am home I read their full report. They could not get it to work either, no power at the camera. The report says they had to trace the power cable to the front of the trailer (from the back). The report then says the power will only be activated with TV attached and in reverse. The report then says the TV would require backup lights capability to trailer for the camera to work. With this comment I wonder if 7 pin connectors do no this as a standard.

Seems weird they would run a wire all the way to the front of the trailer instead of just tapping power off of the rear external light. Therefore avoiding the need for reverse. I have another appointment for the trailer in 2 weeks, but just trying educate myself as this should not be too difficult. I have had a lot of issues since I bought the trailer in May, current count is 15 unique repairs of all sizes and shapes. So it would not surprise me if Surveyor wired the camera in an unusual way. They put the queen bed base together with glue and staples, you can guess how long that lasted before it fell apart. Have they not heard of a screw?

See attached diagram:
http://www.countrytrailer.com/uploads/7wayplug.pdf.

The center "A" terminal can be used for backup lights if applicable. In other instances it is auxiliary. If the camera wire is connected to "A", it needs to be connected to "TM" on the TT side. If you try this yourself, just remember that you are looking at the back of the connector, so it is reverse. This shows the wire terminal side.
Trailer Wiring Diagram light plug brakes hitch 7 pin way wire brake lights connector utility boat

The TV 7-pin plug is actually wired separately from the TV light system (yes, both referring to the tow vehicle). They are even fused separately. If the 7-pin was not intended for backup lights, that terminal would not be fused-so no camera power. I sincerely believe this will solve your problem.

Here is the diagram showing pin 7 (in the center of the circle) being used as the trailer backup light terminal.
7 Wire Trailer Wiring Diagram Backup Lights On 7. Wiring Diagram Schematics

That's probably the diagram they used thinking it would work. If that pin had a fuse in the fuse block, the camera would work in reverse-but that's not what you are asking for. Probably their first job on their first day. As a side note, dealerships are hard pressed for trained help. So they bring in someone whom can talk the talk, but can not walk the walk.

Open and make a copy of each schematic and it should start becoming a little more clear. If you want a little piece of mind over the next 2 weeks, you can do this yourself and have a sense of accomplishment. Hopefully, I have explained it so that you can follow the thought pattern. I have no clue why they wired it that way other than being totally inept. Hope this helps.

I ran into a similar problem when I had a head unit installed in our PU. The installed said he could not determine why the camera would not work. The camera and the head unit were not the same brand. While discussing it with the camera mfg tech support, I happened to mention a pigtail linking the two. It was determined that their pigtail had proprietary wiring. They sent me the conversion and imagine that-perfect picture.

blueowlbc · 08-22-2017, 11:06 PM

Those diagrams and your information are very informative, I will check them out this week

Jbrowland · 01-07-2018, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueowlbc

I purchased a Furrion FOS48TA-BL in June and can still not get it to work on my 2017 245BHS. The trailer is pre-wired, however no power to camera when I plugged it in. I brought the trailer into the dealer and they concurred the cable had no power and said they fixed the issue. However they added that the wire for the camera is brought to the front of trailer and that it would only work when my truck was in backup gear and that my tow truck may still be an issue.

Well first off this means I wasted the extra money on the observation camera and can no longer return. However I still can not get the camera to power on. I tow with a 2015 Sequoia and when in reverse still nothing. To assist troubleshooting I hooked the trailer to my 2013 Ridgeline 7 point harness and still no power to the camera.

Since the two TT I owned do not have backup lights, is it possible this is something not standard in a 7 point harness. Before I get back to the dealer, just curious if anyone knew?

I’m having a similar issue now. Camera works fine when not plugged into the trailer even when the running lights are on and connect to the truck. I used a multimeter on the wire coming out of the trailer where you attach the camera and it appears that the wire isn’t hot.

PenJoe · 01-07-2018, 06:03 PM

Furrion FOS48TA-BL RV Digital Wireless Observation System (Camera + Monitor). This is an observation system, not a backup system. It appears the dealer has not done their homework.

The wireless system is normally connected to the running lights. So when trying this, did you have the TV connected and the running lights on?

According to the dealer, the power wire going to the front of the TT was wired for a backup camera? There is no terminal on a 7-pin connector for backup lights. But, the center terminal has two alternatives. It can be used for a backup light circuit to the trailer provided the TV is wired that way. But, the TV wiring harness is not wired that way. The center terminal is wired to power the 12V system on the TT.

If the dealer wired it to the center pin, the camera should work when the TV ignition is on. If it is wired to the #3 terminal (brown tail/marker), it should come on with the running lights. Does your TV have a fuse in place for auxiliary power? If not and the dealer wired to that terminal, you will not have power.

When having this type of work done, it is always best to have both units together. Then there is not contradiction.

LFE · 01-22-2018, 10:35 AM

Our 2018 245bhs came prewired for the Jensen wiSight system. Part number wvos43 is what we were looking at. I’m also towing with a 14 Sequoia.
Did the problem ever get solved?
And what kind of fuel economy do you get?

Thanks!!

blueowlbc · 03-31-2018, 12:44 PM

The dealer did get problem solved, the pre-wired was sent to the battery but not connected. Once they connected it worked, but only as a backup camera. Not sure what they did the first two times when they said the problem was solved. But I found service at my dealer to be horrible, verging on incompetence. That would be Fraserway in Abbotsford BC, for those who live in Vancouver area

PenJoe · 04-01-2018, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueowlbc

The dealer did get problem solved, the pre-wired was sent to the battery but not connected. Once they connected it worked, but only as a backup camera. Not sure what they did the first two times when they said the problem was solved. But I found service at my dealer to be horrible, verging on incompetence. That would be Fraserway in Abbotsford BC, for those who live in Vancouver area

The model number you initially gave was for an observation camera, not a backup camera. If that is correct, the monitor is wired to the backup light circuit on the TV. That wire should be to the accessory on the ignition switch.
It would come on when the ignition is on and would be the observation camera you thought you bought.

blueowlbc · 04-01-2018, 05:15 PM

I purchased the observation camera. because the Furrion website said that Forest River trailers were pre-wired for observation. However the install on my 2017 prewire was for backup only. So the wire does not get power until the TV is placed in reverse. I don't know why they would pre-wire this way, but they did. I now need to re-wire the camera to my tail light on the trailer to get observation working, which I plan to do before summer

mawilson · 04-01-2018, 05:25 PM

It might be easier to tap into the clearance lights.

blueowlbc · 04-01-2018, 05:26 PM

Thanks. I mistyped, that's the light I meant. I just got trailer out of storage and starting to get ready for 1st trip in a couple weeks

1.2.C.USA.N.RV · 06-06-2018, 12:02 PM

I purchased a 2018 Surveyor with observation camera pre-wired. The connection from the factory was incorrectly reversed. I took the connection off, reversed the wires to the correct configuration. Now it works great!

Jbrowland · 08-11-2018, 03:08 PM

After a few trips to the dealer and telling them that I checked the pre-wiring with a multimeter with no luck, they finally believed me and decided the polarity was reversed. All too after, RV techs assume user error (perhaps for good reason) and then lie and tell you they checked it when they didn’t. Don’t get me started.

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