back up camera

[FiveAndDime]

Reading what I wrote, I should have been more clear. Yes, I did verify with my Fluke that there is in fact 12VDC getting to the camera. I checked that after the reset procedure, as I didn't see the 4 red LEDs come on as the user and install manual indicated they would. I was electrically connected to my truck and the lights were on when I checked the power. You can remove the camera without taking down the mounting bracket and still access the wiring, which is nice. You still have to seal it back up, but at least you don't have to re-seal around the mounting bracket flange since you don't have to remove it.

[FiveAndDime]

Originally Posted by MilCop4523

is it a Furrion camera or a Lippert model.
i took my 2021 trailer out last weekend and the Furrion camera was all fogged up - it was like looking out through a glass with dishwater in it. I was 1 week away from my warranty being done.

a new camera is on the way as of yesterday after i sent photos of the camera view and the model and it on the trailer.

lets hope you have the same luck in getting a new unit.

Mine is the Lippert model for sure. Not sure if it was just baked from the sun or perhaps it failed in transit to the dealer. I'm going to call Lippert this morning and see what they say.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by FiveAndDime

Reading what I wrote, I should have been more clear. Yes, I did verify with my Fluke that there is in fact 12VDC getting to the camera. I checked that after the reset procedure, as I didn't see the 4 red LEDs come on as the user and install manual indicated they would. I was electrically connected to my truck and the lights were on when I checked the power. You can remove the camera without taking down the mounting bracket and still access the wiring, which is nice. You still have to seal it back up, but at least you don't have to re-seal around the mounting bracket flange since you don't have to remove it.

Glad to hear it isn't a power/wiring issue, then! Much easier to replace a bad camera.

You're gonna need to either go back to the dealer and have them submit a warranty claim on your behalf to FR, or you're going to have to submit the claim to FR directly. I'm pretty sure Lippert won't be able to help you, even though it is their product.

Just be patient because the warranty claim process can take a couple weeks or longer before they approve it and send out a replacement to you. Good luck!

[FiveAndDime]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

Glad to hear it isn't a power/wiring issue, then! Much easier to replace a bad camera.

You're gonna need to either go back to the dealer and have them submit a warranty claim on your behalf to FR, or you're going to have to submit the claim to FR directly. I'm pretty sure Lippert won't be able to help you, even though it is their product.

Just be patient because the warranty claim process can take a couple weeks or longer before they approve it and send out a replacement to you. Good luck!

I spoke with Lippert just to confirm there wasn't anything that I was missing and they confirmed that all the troubleshooting I had done would be all they would recommend.

Called the dealer's service dept and they want me to bring in the camera for the warranty claim. That's all fine and good, though that leaves a 1/2" hole and two screw holes exposed so I'd need to seal those up in a reasonable way they could be reopened to install the new camera assembly once it arrives. I've got a tube of ProFlex (clear) for sealing up around flanges and fittings and a couple of dabs would probably be fine for the screw holes, but not so much for the 1/2" hole for the wiring. Anyone have any good suggestions? Thought about taking a wine cork and painting it white, then plugging and sealing with the ProFlex in the interim.

[Rhumblefish]

Manufacturers, please: Fit/finish/form factor of Furrion with the performance/price/practicality of Haloview?

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by FiveAndDime

I spoke with Lippert just to confirm there wasn't anything that I was missing and they confirmed that all the troubleshooting I had done would be all they would recommend.

Called the dealer's service dept and they want me to bring in the camera for the warranty claim. That's all fine and good, though that leaves a 1/2" hole and two screw holes exposed so I'd need to seal those up in a reasonable way they could be reopened to install the new camera assembly once it arrives. I've got a tube of ProFlex (clear) for sealing up around flanges and fittings and a couple of dabs would probably be fine for the screw holes, but not so much for the 1/2" hole for the wiring. Anyone have any good suggestions? Thought about taking a wine cork and painting it white, then plugging and sealing with the ProFlex in the interim.

Ok, here's what I'd do if this were me. Take the camera to the dealer for the warranty claim and replacement. When you get there, they may have on hand blank Furrion brackets that are shipped with RV's from the factory with backup camera prep, but no camera installed. They probably have a few of 'em on hand after removing from another RV where it was prepped, and the owners had the dealer install a Furrion backup camera. I'd be happy to send you mine and it would fit and cover all the holes, but when I went to replace mine with a Furrion camera, it was cracked, plus I'm pretty sure I threw it away.

Either that, or you can order a replacement bracket for $15 from eBay. May even be able to find one for less elsewhere.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12420347813...QAAOSw8ltez-4D

[FiveAndDime]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

Ok, here's what I'd do if this were me. Take the camera to the dealer for the warranty claim and replacement. When you get there, they may have on hand blank Furrion brackets that are shipped with RV's from the factory with backup camera prep, but no camera installed. They probably have a few of 'em on hand after removing from another RV where it was prepped, and the owners had the dealer install a Furrion backup camera. I'd be happy to send you mine and it would fit and cover all the holes, but when I went to replace mine with a Furrion camera, it was cracked, plus I'm pretty sure I threw it away.

Either that, or you can order a replacement bracket for $15 from eBay. May even be able to find one for less elsewhere.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12420347813...QAAOSw8ltez-4D

Great suggestion and certainly easy enough. I am sure one of those could be had for little to nothing and worst case, I order an extra bracket. I'll call the dealer in the morning and ask them before I pull it. If they have one they will part with, then I can take them the camera tomorrow. If not, I'll order the bracket and take the camera when the bracket arrives. Thanks much!

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by FiveAndDime

Great suggestion and certainly easy enough. I am sure one of those could be had for little to nothing and worst case, I order an extra bracket. I'll call the dealer in the morning and ask them before I pull it. If they have one they will part with, then I can take them the camera tomorrow. If not, I'll order the bracket and take the camera when the bracket arrives. Thanks much!

Hey man, just glad to help out. I know having three holes, one pretty sizable too, in a side wall could be a big problem with water intrusion. I wouldn't feel comfortable using caulking and a wine cork to keep the water out of a brand new 5'er like that. If it only costs a phone call to the dealer for something they probably have sitting in a junk pile, or having to spend a few bucks to get the right part that'll fit and is designed to keep out the water, all the better! Good luck getting all that fixed up!

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by FiveAndDime

Great suggestion and certainly easy enough. I am sure one of those could be had for little to nothing and worst case, I order an extra bracket. I'll call the dealer in the morning and ask them before I pull it. If they have one they will part with, then I can take them the camera tomorrow. If not, I'll order the bracket and take the camera when the bracket arrives. Thanks much!

Stephen, you know I just thought that this is easier than you or I are thinking about. You don't need to buy a new bracket, nor do you need to get a previously used one from the dealer. There should be a disconnect plug from your camera to the Sabre's sidewall wiring. Just unplug it, and unscrew the camera from the mounting bracket and give that to the dealer for the warranty claim, but leave the bracket in place on your BHQ. Done!

[FiveAndDime]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

Stephen, you know I just thought that this is easier than you or I are thinking about. You don't need to buy a new bracket, nor do you need to get a previously used one from the dealer. There should be a disconnect plug from your camera to the Sabre's sidewall wiring. Just unplug it, and unscrew the camera from the mounting bracket and give that to the dealer for the warranty claim, but leave the bracket in place on your BHQ. Done!

I thought about this, but there is a complication. The weather sealing for the wiring on these cameras is on the back plate of the actual camera. There is a hole in the center of the bracket for the power wires that does not have any weather sealing except some of the readjustable silicone putty that is put in place for weather sealing. Further the hole is cut in the sidewall right over a crippler for the back window, and the power wires run through a small space between the crippler and the sidewall. I can pull some wire through, but I eventually get some pretty strong resistance as the connectors get close. So my choice there is to expand the hole to provide relief for the connectors or snip the wires, which is probably the route that I will go. I'll have to splice the new camera wires in place, but that's not a big deal.

Thinking through this a bit more as I type this, I'm thinking I may do as you suggest and remove just the camera assembly, cut the wires (insulate the ends of course) and see if I can find a rubber grommet at the hardware store that I can plug the 1/2" hole and then seal with Pro Flex. Then I don't have to deal with acquiring another bracket and I still seal up the feed-through hole.

Any holes that you can think of to punch in that plan? Seems that it might be the best route in terms of efficiency and effectiveness at this point.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by FiveAndDime

I thought about this, but there is a complication. The weather sealing for the wiring on these cameras is on the back plate of the actual camera. There is a hole in the center of the bracket for the power wires that does not have any weather sealing except some of the readjustable silicone putty that is put in place for weather sealing. Further the hole is cut in the sidewall right over a crippler for the back window, and the power wires run through a small space between the crippler and the sidewall. I can pull some wire through, but I eventually get some pretty strong resistance as the connectors get close. So my choice there is to expand the hole to provide relief for the connectors or snip the wires, which is probably the route that I will go. I'll have to splice the new camera wires in place, but that's not a big deal.

Thinking through this a bit more as I type this, I'm thinking I may do as you suggest and remove just the camera assembly, cut the wires (insulate the ends of course) and see if I can find a rubber grommet at the hardware store that I can plug the 1/2" hole and then seal with Pro Flex. Then I don't have to deal with acquiring another bracket and I still seal up the feed-through hole.

Any holes that you can think of to punch in that plan? Seems that it might be the best route in terms of efficiency and effectiveness at this point.

Yeah, I think that sounds like a solid plan. Not knowing how much extra wire behind that back wall is the only thing to watch out for, but I wouldn't make that hole any bigger and just cut the wires, like you said.

I had to clip the wires in the back wall of my Sabre because, even though it was prepped for a Furrion camera, the connector that came from the factory in the wall didn't match the Furrion camera connector I got from an after-market retailer. I had maybe a foot of extra cable when I pulled it as far as it could come out and it made butt connecting the wires more difficult than what it should've been.

When you go to splice the wires back with the replacement camera, do yourself a favor to make it easier. Pull the wires out as far as possible, then duct tape them to the sidewall of your Sabre to keep them from possibly slipping back into the hole. This helped me greatly as I didn't have an extra set of helping hands while standing on a ladder.

I would think you should be easily able to find a rubber grommet if you go to Lowes or Home Depot and search through their specialty fasteners and accessories. Even if you find one that is a bit larger than the hole, you can cut some of the excess away with a utility knife and should be all set.

[FiveAndDime]

UPDATE:

I removed the camera and bracket yesterday after finding a nylon cap that would fit into the hole that's behind the bracket. Took a couple pics to show what it looks like. Put the two screws back in place and then used some clear Pro Flex to seal everything up.

Took both to the dealer yesterday. I did ask about another bracket just in case. They didn't have any Lippert brackets. They did have Furrion brackets, but said they do not surface mount like the Lippert does. I didn't verify that, but didn't sweat it because I had a good solution already.

Dealer called me just a bit ago and said they had warranty claim approval and a new camera was being shipped out and they would call me when it came in. Was pleasantly surprised and I may even have my new camera by mid-week next week! If not, still was much faster than I expected!

[NJKris]

Not impressed with Furrion products. My 'stereo' is not even stereo, it is MONO (DV7200). Their camera systems are double price of good competitors. +1 for Haloview.

[FiveAndDime]

New camera came in and I had a chance to test it today and it's working as it should. Minor annoyance with my Android phone I discovered. After the camera is configured, when you sleect it in the app while connected to another WiFi network the app tries to connect to the cameras SSID. Since the WiFi connection isn't secure, Android or a security app doesn't ike that and won't connect. I can go into WiFi settings and connect and all works well. Will have to try and solve it, but it's really just an annoyance more than anything.

Having pulled trailers and campers for more than 25 years it's not a huge deal to have the camera - it was more about getting something fixed that is supposed to be working. It will come in handy when taking your rig back to storage by myself however!

[FiveAndDime]

Went out to the Sabre yesterday to install the new camera. Connected it up, connected the 7-way to the truck with it running and turned on the lights. Camera would not initialize. Disconnected the camera and connected it to my jump pack and it fired right up. Still had 12.5 VDC at the wiring for the camera coming from the coach. So I had to dig a bit deeper. Turned the lights off and measured between 0.06 and 0.1 VDC on the wiring from the coach. Thought that it might have been a poor connection where the wires were spliced into the clearance light wiring, so opened up a hole and got access to the wiring. Removed the crimp connectors to isolate the wires. Had one pair (green/white & white) that measured 12.5 VDC with the lights on. With lights off, I could measure 1.1 VDC. Called Sabre and they wouldn't go into much over the phone, and recommending taking to the dealer. The wires that the camera are wired to are spliced into the wires that power the center three clearance and the left clearance light (facing the back of the coach). With all those wires disconnected the right clearance light stays on, connecting them brings on the center three and the left. It would seem that there is something amiss and although all the lights work, there is something not right or the camera is loading that circuit and dragging the voltage down such that it won't power up. There isn't a super convenient way to get another 12V circuit wired up there, but I might just schedule to bring it into the dealer over the winter to have them fix it.

I connected everything, mounted the camera, and sealed everything up so that it's at least in place and watertight. As I've mentioned before, the backup camera isn't a big deal to me - but I will hold Forest River's feet to the fire to make it right. Very small problem in the grand scheme of things however.

[Tonylmiller]

I'm still asking my dealer what they plan to do about my camera not working. No answers yet.

[FiveAndDime]

Originally Posted by Tonylmiller

I'm still asking my dealer what they plan to do about my camera not working. No answers yet.

Sorry to hear that. I've seen where these new LED lights that are being used on rigs can cause issues with vehicle connections because they draw so little current. They will cause newer truck systems to think there is a problem when there isn't. I'm wondering if that LED lights might be related to the camera not working.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by FiveAndDime

Sorry to hear that. I've seen where these new LED lights that are being used on rigs can cause issues with vehicle connections because they draw so little current. They will cause newer truck systems to think there is a problem when there isn't. I'm wondering if that LED lights might be related to the camera not working.

I know I posted in another similar thread that both 2020 and 2021 GMC and Chevy trucks have a known issue that is the cause of many RV backup cameras to not work at all. Apparently the trucks power management system is not generating enough power to the trailer thru the 7-way plug for the cameras to work. The RV marker and tail lights are not affected by the lower power supplied, and likely because just about all newer RV's have LED lights. Older model year GMC and Chevy trucks do not have this problem and its unclear whether Dodge RAM is also affected by this problem. New Ford trucks don't have this problem.

From what I've heard, solutions are out there for those trucks with the problem. I believe it was either an adapter that has to be used, or a kit that has to be installed that boosts the power to the trailer.

[FiveAndDime]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

I know I posted in another similar thread that both 2020 and 2021 GMC and Chevy trucks have a known issue that is the cause of many RV backup cameras to not work at all. Apparently the trucks power management system is not generating enough power to the trailer thru the 7-way plug for the cameras to work. The RV marker and tail lights are not affected by the lower power supplied, and likely because just about all newer RV's have LED lights. Older model year GMC and Chevy trucks do not have this problem and its unclear whether Dodge RAM is also affected by this problem. New Ford trucks don't have this problem.

From what I've heard, solutions are out there for those trucks with the problem. I believe it was either an adapter that has to be used, or a kit that has to be installed that boosts the power to the trailer.

I had seen a 2020 Ford F450 that had this problem with their DRV and it required the adapter to make it work. Wasn't related to the backup camera though - he would just be driving down the road and would get several light faults and then "Trailer Disconnected". Oddly enough, on my '21 Chevy, I get plenty of juice for the slides - they run just as if they are connected to shore power. But the adapter will definitely be worth trying. I do occasionally get a warning to check the left and right turn signals on the trailer but all I have to do is actually turn on the turn signals and I get three quick flashes and then normal and then I get "No Faults Detected".

[FiveAndDime]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

I know I posted in another similar thread that both 2020 and 2021 GMC and Chevy trucks have a known issue that is the cause of many RV backup cameras to not work at all. Apparently the trucks power management system is not generating enough power to the trailer thru the 7-way plug for the cameras to work. The RV marker and tail lights are not affected by the lower power supplied, and likely because just about all newer RV's have LED lights. Older model year GMC and Chevy trucks do not have this problem and its unclear whether Dodge RAM is also affected by this problem. New Ford trucks don't have this problem.

From what I've heard, solutions are out there for those trucks with the problem. I believe it was either an adapter that has to be used, or a kit that has to be installed that boosts the power to the trailer.

Did a little research and I found out some additional details about GM's power that is provided to the 7-way. However, it isn't due to lower power being supplied. Since 2019, GM has used pulse-width modulation (PWM) on their systems. This is what allows them to be able to provide fault monitoring of trailer lights. PWM doesn't play nice with more complex electronics, thus why the cameras won't work. This is the 0.06VDC I was reading when the trailer was connected but lights were turned off. I jumpered my 12VDC + connection on my trailer plug to the park lights connection and low and behold the camera initialized immediately.

ASA electronics makes a solution that wires in line with the black and red wires at the camera and filters out the PWM. ASA owns Voyager, but I've seen reports that it works with Furrion cameras too. $20 from ASA via Amazon. I saw Furrion made a 7-way adapter that would plug into the truck and then subsequently into the trailer plug. It's not currently available but they wanted $85 for it! Consistent with other Furrion products I guess. I'd be curious to see if some of the 7-way LED adapters would make a difference.