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Wed Oct 27, 2021 2:33 pm

Buying a touchscreen stereo with front and rear camera inputs. It seems like most people manually turn the camera on and off as needed. Does anyone know the wire for reverse to turn the camera on automatically when backing up?

Wed Oct 27, 2021 3:06 pm

scwright99 wrote: Buying a touchscreen stereo with front and rear camera inputs. It seems like most people manually turn the camera on and off as needed. Does anyone know the wire for reverse to turn the camera on automatically when backing up?

Tie it into the reverse light circuit (or switch on the transaxle).

Wed Oct 27, 2021 6:58 pm

khughes wrote:
Tie it into the reverse light circuit (or switch on the transaxle).

scwright99, To tie it into the reverse light circuit the easiest way would be to use a tap-in connector.

With the brake master cyl right under the gauge cluster, you could probably tap in right there instead of going all the way to the reverse lights in the rear?

Wed Oct 27, 2021 8:44 pm

I assume the brake light circuit has a fuse or something in that area.

Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:45 am

khughes wrote: scwright99 wrote: Buying a touchscreen stereo with front and rear camera inputs. It seems like most people manually turn the camera on and off as needed. Does anyone know the wire for reverse to turn the camera on automatically when backing up?

Tie it into the reverse light circuit (or switch on the transaxle).
This.^^^^^^
Ignore posts about the brake lights circuit. You want the camera to operate when in reverse right?

Thu Oct 28, 2021 10:14 am

I've had a couple of rear cameras in different vehicles and all have a separate wire to tap into the backup light wire so it will work in reverse only. On all of these units that wire was shorter than the cable that ran up front. This meant about the only way you could wire it was to tap into the reverse wire as it wasn't long enough to get yp front.

I also have a dash cam with a rear camera as well that displays all the time and when in reverse the parking grid comes on. Uses the same type of wire. For some time in the Land Rover I used a wireless camera unit that saved me from running all the cable.

Does that answer the question, or did you mean something else?

Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:26 pm

Ultimately wanted to locate the back up camera wire / location I need to tap into so it works when I throw it in reverse. And worn have to manually access the rear camera prior to backing up. I have to run an aid to camera anyway some I’m not concerned with running another power with it.

Thu Oct 28, 2021 5:11 pm

Tap the backup light at the bulb.(what I did). :-k

Thu Oct 28, 2021 9:22 pm

Red Ryder wrote: Ignore posts about the brake lights circuit. You want the camera to operate when in reverse right?
Yes! Ignore my dumb post about the brake light circuit ](*,)
Thank you Red Ryder.

Fri Apr 21, 2023 12:17 pm

Captain Pike wrote: Tap the backup light at the bulb.(what I did). :-k

I just got a back up camera and the reverse light wires are near the reverse light end of the wire.

My rear light assembly is wired differently than what is shown in the Bentley. I tried to use a tester (set at 12v) to figure out which wire is what but no current showed on any of the wires. What am I doing wrong?

Also the connections are paddle connectors. Can I just jam the wire in there?

I decided to buy a back up camera in order to back my van into our narrow driveway after a rash of catalytic convertor thefts in our neighborhood. I just got mine replace and noticed how visible it is parked on the street.

Fri Apr 21, 2023 2:59 pm

llilibel03 wrote: Captain Pike wrote: Tap the backup light at the bulb.(what I did). :-k

I just got a back up camera and the reverse light wires are near the reverse light end of the wire.

My rear light assembly is wired differently than what is shown in the Bentley. I tried to use a tester (set at 12v) to figure out which wire is what but no current showed on any of the wires. What am I doing wrong?

Also the connections are paddle connectors. Can I just jam the wire in there?

I decided to buy a back up camera in order to back my van into our narrow driveway after a rash of catalytic convertor thefts in our neighborhood. I just got mine replace and noticed how visible it is parked on the street.

So this is what I was doing. I got no signal from any of the wires, both when I had the lights on and when I had it in reverse.

My wiring is different. I realize that the Bentley is showing the left assembly (driver's side) and I and looking at the right, but the wires are arranged vertically so top the bottom they should be the same but are not.

Any tips for what I'm doing wrong?

Fri Apr 21, 2023 3:50 pm

If your tester ground is good, you should gets volts when touching the positive lead to one of the terminals. Try unplugging the taillight connector and placing your probe on the open end of the terminals.

Sun Apr 23, 2023 8:18 pm

Automatic or Manual?

Switch is bad if manual, the contact point are worn if automatic?

Mon Apr 24, 2023 8:21 pm

^^^ Yep. Do your reverse lights work? If so, there's got to be volts going to them. I discovered that my reverse light switch broke when my back-up camera stopped working.

Tue Apr 25, 2023 3:47 pm

jimf909 wrote: ^^^ Yep. Do your reverse lights work? If so, there's got to be volts going to them. I discovered that my reverse light switch broke when my back-up camera stopped working.
Ah yes, Step 1… :lol:

Sat May 10, 2025 7:38 pm

llilibel03 wrote: llilibel03 wrote: Captain Pike wrote: Tap the backup light at the bulb.(what I did). :-k

I just got a back up camera and the reverse light wires are near the reverse light end of the wire.

My rear light assembly is wired differently than what is shown in the Bentley. I tried to use a tester (set at 12v) to figure out which wire is what but no current showed on any of the wires. What am I doing wrong?

Also the connections are paddle connectors. Can I just jam the wire in there?

I decided to buy a back up camera in order to back my van into our narrow driveway after a rash of catalytic convertor thefts in our neighborhood. I just got mine replace and noticed how visible it is parked on the street.

So this is what I was doing. I got no signal from any of the wires, both when I had the lights on and when I had it in reverse.

My wiring is different. I realize that the Bentley is showing the left assembly (driver's side) and I and looking at the right, but the wires are arranged vertically so top the bottom they should be the same but are not.

Any tips for what I'm doing wrong?

Hi thanks for the post. I thought I was losing my mind. I ordered a new Bentley manual which shows on my 1990 Vanagon it should be #4 But when I tested it is live at #2. I tapped into the wire, the backup camera worked immediately. But when I reassembled the camera is still working but in the dashboard I am getting a quick flashing as if I have a problem with a relay? Any help would be greatly appreciated. :?

Sun May 11, 2025 9:15 am

What is flashing? The screen or something else? Could be normal for your particular set-up.

Sun May 11, 2025 9:24 am

Red Ryder wrote: What is flashing? The screen or something else? Could be normal for your particular set-up.

I get no back up light and if I try my signal for the right side I get a quick flashing Indicator light in the dash? Where as the left side does not. :roll:

Tue May 13, 2025 6:42 pm

Sorry to say, Alley…your descriptions are very hard to understand.

Slow down, describe everything as specifically as possible and focus on one thing at a time. There’s always a way this makes sense, but we’re not there yet.

- Dave

Tue May 13, 2025 7:07 pm

I tested the terminals in my right backup light with my new multi tester. In the book it shows 7#4. When I trested on my 1990 Vanagon I found it to be #2 not 4. I tapped into the wire on 2. I put my manual transmission in reverse and the camera works right away. But the backup light on the right side does not but the left does. Am I to assume the left parking light is using 6 volts and the right should as well but because the right park8ng light has the backup camera drawing power the brake light doesn't have enough voltage to run the right parking light? On another note if I put my left signal light on it flashes normally on the dash but if I switch it to the right signal light the indicator on the dash flashes at twice the speed. I have seen that in my 1956 Chev when I had a bad relay? I am not sure how else to describe it. I currently have a torn rotator cuff so it's a bitch to type.