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Backup camera install guide

43K views 30 replies 9 participants last post by  Ibby 
#1 ·
Hey everyone

Got my back-up camera installed! I found a lot of useful information here in the forums, thanks to y’all, but it was scattered all around, so I’m posting a write-up on what I did, complete with photos, such that everything will be in one place. Hopefully it will be helpful. Disclaimer: I have an LX. You’re on your own for the extra ‘stuff’.

Here are some preliminaries. I got a wired camera, because I heard a lot of negative feedback about the wireless systems. That being said, routing the video cable from the hatch to the front gave me the most grief, and isn’t guaranteed, so do that first or even just fish a pull-wire through. If you’ve got that, you’re golden.

Read this whole thing first, and shop carefully for your camera. Try not to get one with large connectors that you might not get through (or into) tight places, and make sure you have enough video cable. I bought an auto-dimming setup from Rear View Safety through e-trailer. Plan it out before you get started, and you should be fine.

You’ll get this guide in different chapters. Enjoy!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Routing the video cable under the headliner

This is the part that you are not actually guaranteed to succeed with, so you might want to do it first. But if I can do it……
Seriously, this can be tricky. There are directions in the shop manual for removing all of the trim in the cargo area, and for the c-pillar. So you’ll get your cable there. But that is a major PIT arse. Going under the headline is much easier if it works. I ended up going down the driver side because the headliner had a much gentler interior contour, and is also much easier to pull down enough to see.

The hardest part is getting from the c-pillar to the hatch. Start by removing the top rear-center trim piece in the cargo area so you can pull down on the headliner. You’ll be able to pull the d-pillar trim back a bit near the top-rear, but you don’t need to remove it. On the LX, the only thing that comes off first is the cargo area light assembly (pry the lenses out to access the screws). Also pull down the top quarter of the rear driver-side door weather-stripping.

I used a flexible push-rod casing I had laying around (actually, 2 joined together with a nail shaft & some electrical tape), and succeeded in getting from the top-front of the c-pillar to most of the way back. There is no need to remove the c-pillar trim, just pull the headliner down. Start high so you go between the headliner and roof, (not between the side & side trim). Try not to angle towards the center, but keep towards the driver side. The end will go high and likely get trapped behind a structural roof support member. I solved this by attaching a small hook made from coat hanger wire to another semi-flexible rod, and using this to ‘capture’ the incoming push-rod from the hatch side. I had my son slowly pull the push-rod back until it wasn’t trapped anymore, and then I twisted and pulled down just a bit so he could push it forward again without it getting trapped. See picture of where it came out.

The breakthrough for me came when I pulled off the plastic trim piece that you latch the end of the 3rd-row center shoulder belt into when not in use. This allowed me to pull the headliner a lot farther down without damaging it.
Once you have your flexible rod all the way through, use it to pull some auto wire through, and then use the auto wire to pull the video cable through to approximately the right length (leave the extra near the hatch).

Once you’ve gotten this far, pull down the top quarter of the front driver-side door weather-stripping, and simply push the cable down between the top of the b-pillar trim and the headliner until it is behind both, then route towards the a-pillar.
 

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#3 · (Edited)
Remove tailgate trim

Chapter one: How to get the tailgate trim off

For starters, refer to pg. of the Pilot SM. (2010-12-22_044434_12-21-2010_8-40-40_pm.png that I got from https://www.justanswer.com/honda/4d9kp-2010-honda-pilot-need-remove-rear-chrome-garnish-plate.html). This has the official Honda instructions, and was helpful to me. I will mostly add comments and some pictures regarding removing the large trim piece at the bottom.


  • Near the joints, like where the bottom of the side trim meets the top of the big bottom piece, pull the edges outward to disengage, like you’re opening a ‘C’ even wider.
  • Some posters have questioned the need to remove the rear-window seal. In my experience, it is not absolutely required, but it does help make it easier to remove this piece, as it prevents tools from damaging it, and provides a better surface against which to put the trim removal tools.
  • Speaking of which, I bought the Harbor Fright trim removal toolset sku # 69668. It’s indispensable, unless you are fine with damaged paint or trim.
  • I couldn’t remove the hand-pocket the way they said in step 4.1, but ended up using a tool to push the inside hooks of the hand pocket by going directly between the pocket and the trim. See the picture for where the tab thingys are.
  • The reason for first detaching the clips (B) beside the tailgate latch is because these are aligned up-down (when the hatch is closed), vs. in-out for the other clips. See what tool I used there.
  • Using the pry tool, remove the clip about half-way down one side, as shown in the next photo. After that, use the forked fish-tail looking tool end between the clip and metal to pry the next one down. Careful here, this is the only place I had some slight damage to the trim (picture). Now repeat these two on the opposite side.
  • Pull the trim down by hand on either side of the latch, and work your way outwards towards the bottom corners.
  • There is a clip hiding in an area opposite to where the pull-strap was screwed in, only a little deeper in. Get that one next using the fish-tail tool. Finally, using your hands, work towards the glass-latch near the top from both sides. The trim should be hanging as shown.
  • Gently close the hatch, and lift the trim piece up over the latch and away.

Ya done did it!
 

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#4 · (Edited)
Remove the rear garnish

Follow the directions in this file to remove the rear garnish:
2010-12-22_044419_12-21-2010_8-39-59_pm.png (from https://www.justanswer.com/honda/4d9kp-2010-honda-pilot-need-remove-rear-chrome-garnish-plate.html)

The picture I included shows the nut, the connector to detach, the rubber wire grommet to bush back into the garnish, and the pin on one side. I compressed the barbs on this pin and the one on the other side with pliers and pushed them back a little to make it easier to pull the whole thing off. There is a different kind of pin right behind the Honda Logo that I could not pre-loosen.

I found that it takes quite a bit of effort to pull the trim off, and when it does come off, you go flying back. But the piece itself was undamaged, except the center pin did break.
 

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#5 ·
Install the camera

So you’ve got the tailgate trim & rear garnish off, & fished the video cable from the front to the back. I drilled a small hole near the center-back of the bottom of the rear garnish, such that when I put a larger bit into my drill, it broke through the back. Then I used a Dremel to smooth the hole into a u-shape. This way the camera cable goes between the garnish and the hatch metal, and I don’t need to drill any holes in metal.

I mounted the camera with double-stick servo-mount tape, the kind that has a bit of foam between the sticky sides. I mounted it too far to the rear, and it ended up interfering with the license plate frame, so now I have to move it forward a bit. Anyway, thread the camera cable through the rubber boot that the rest of the wires go through (you’ll have to undo some original electrical tape) so that it will end up in the hatch area when the garnish is back on. Use plenty of small cable ties or electrical tape to keep things neat and together.
 

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#6 ·
Hatch to Body

At some point you have to get the video cable from the body to the hatch. I actually did it the other way around, but it doesn’t much matter. Pull the rubber boot off of both the body and the hatch, and get through first with a coat hanger. Pull some auto-wire through, and then use that to pull the cable through. My connectors were pretty big, so I had to help it along, kind of how my mom taught me long ago to thread a new drawstring through swimming trunks or a sweatshirt hoodie by attaching a safety clip and then pulling that through little by little from the outside. You get the picture. If you have a higher trim level, you might have more wire already in there, and more trouble getting through.
 

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#7 ·
The reverse signal

The reverse signal wire is under the passenger-side kick panel. Pull up the sill by hand from the front inside corner to about ½ ways to the back, just enough to pull out the kick panel by hand, starting at the lower-front corner.

There is a blue connector, with an orange wire coming out of it towards the front (mine was hiding behind other wires). Don’t confuse it with another orange wire coming out of the white connector piggy-backing on top of the blue one. This orange wire only has power when the shift selector is in reverse (and the ignition is in ‘run’). Tap into it like I did in the picture.

I tapped in with a length of auto wire, and then fished the wire up and behind the center console, tying it down every so often with cable ties to keep everything neat. It came out on the driver side near the gas pedal ready to connect when you finish the job.
 

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#8 ·
Putting it all together

Once you have the rear garnish back on and the video cable through the body-to-hatch rubber-boot, adjust the cable length such that there are no connectors inside the hatch until you get to the big open bottom part. To make sure you get the trim back on, secure the cable to ON TOP OF the existing wire bundles as you go down the sides of the hatch, at every place where the bundles are secured to the body. Inside the hatch, secure any extra cabling and connectors BEHIND the existing wire bundles.

Loop any excess video cabling together near the rear hatch and tuck it under the headliner, center.

In the front, remove the A-pillar trim by first removing the screw behind the tab near the top, and then just pulling up and in. There is plenty of space there for all the wires etc.

Use a fuse tap in the accessory fuse position (number 35) for any power wire, connect the reverse-signal wires, and connect the ground to one of the bolts on the gas-pedal mount.

Don’t put any trim etc. back together until you’re sure it all works. Enjoy!
 

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#12 ·
Excellent question.... I knew I was taking something for granted!

As mentioned, I have an LX.

This is a system which replaces the rear-view mirror with a new one that has a display on one side that only lights up when the car is in reverse. Its nice cause that way you look up, not down. There are a number of systems out there. Google RVS-776718-D to see what I have, and take it from there. BTW, installing the new mirror was the easiest part, that's probably why it didn't show up in my write-up.

As requested.. a picture. Sorry, its night & dark, so not a great pic, but you get the idea. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
 

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#15 ·
look around



It sure is.... now! I bought it for about 179.00 from e-trailer, but that price is gone from there too now. I wonder if they made a mistake & I just got lucky.

But look around. That one had auto dimming, which you don't really need. Costco has one for 169.00 (google 'OEM Style Rear View Mirror Back Up Camera System by Rear View Safety'). Best Buy also has one which is probably made by RVS for a similar price, and there is plenty of stuff on Amazon as well for decent prices.
 
#28 ·
The 06 is possibly a bit different. I ran my wire from the camera up through the hatch & had it go through the rubber hatch-to-body boot that all the other electrical goes through. Then I ran the main cabling from just in front of the b-pillar to the back to meet the wire coming up from the camera, & joined them there. Not sure if this helps, as I think I covered it in the main write-up. Let me know.
 
#29 ·
Using this as a guide I was able to install a Auto Vox M1 in my 06 Honda Pilot. I drilled a hole to route the wire for the camera through the back towards the backup light panel. From there hooked up the wires to the backup light for power and connected the camera. Then the fun starts. Took the side and top panel off around to get it from the door to the cabin. From there I was able to pull down the headliner. From there I went to the passenger side door and pulled down the headliner and used fish tape to push it to the back, tape the camera wire to it and pull it through. From there it was a matter of tucking it above the window, across the beam between front and back seat then over to the driver side. I can certainly see why a wireless backup camera would be way easier to install but with this I don't have to worry about interference or a separate power plug.
 

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