[KiddyKatPerson]

Just finished the installation of my AuKey device and it looks and works great. I will state I could not and did not get the little power adapter wires to insert along with the other mirror wires. There just was not enough room to get them to fit. I had to tap in to the black and pink and it worked OK. With the power wires almost out of sight the installation looks good.
Thanks Stop-Eject for some good info on this great add on to my Blue Monster.
.
KKP

 

[popcanguy]

Does anyone have any actual experience in removing the D-pillar trim? I read thru the mopar guide uploaded by dotbot (thank you very much BTW), and it was very helpful, but it seems that the illustration didn't include an extra part inside the D-pillar that held on to trim. It could have been related to the airbag so I tried not to yank it too hard. I bend the trim out as much as I could to take a couple of pics, anyone can tell me what that is and how to take it off? See attached pics. They were taken from the back where the seal of the liftgate is.

I'm trying to wire the rear cam of the AUKEY Dual Dash Cam system, and I have to take off that trim. If I am successful, and if anyone is interested, I can write a guide on how to do it. Let me know and thanks in advanced!

 

[dotbot]

Does anyone have any actual experience in removing the D-pillar trim? I read thru the mopar guide uploaded by dotbot (thank you very much BTW), and it was very helpful, but it seems that the illustration didn't include an extra part inside the D-pillar that held on to trim. It could have been related to the airbag so I tried not to yank it too hard. I bend the trim out as much as I could to take a couple of pics, anyone can tell me what that is and how to take it off? See attached pics. They were taken from the back where the seal of the liftgate is.

Nice job taking those photos, BTW.

I might have hit the same snag as you when I tapped into the 12v outlet there for power (to wire hitch tail lights), but I didn't bother trying to remove the entire panel. Though, I was messing with the larger lower trim panel, whereas it looks like you're talking about the smaller upper piece where the seatbelt bolt is. So while you should have enough space to tap the 12v outlet for a separate cam, it seems your system needs to run a 20ft USB cable from the front to back. Is there any way to just wedge the cable into the panel edge? Especially since you've presumably gotten the cable that far?


I really don't know what that assembly thing is right above the seatbelt bolt. Steps 20 and 21 of that guide suggest there shouldn't be anything in particular. Wish I knew the answer here. Sorry. Let us know if you get it off (or break something! ) and can deduce what was causing the holdup.

 

[rhplusa10]

I have manual dimming mirror, not automatic one.
Do I have the 12V connector near the mirror?

Not sure. Just check it. The plastic covers are easy to snap off.

I just have waited until all my parts are arrived.
Now I got everything, and checked my car.

It is 2018 Hybrid Touring L model with manual rear view mirror, not auto-dimming.
I opened the plastic covers and found the connector. (yey!)
I connected my 12-5V converter and dash cam, no power..

I checked the voltage from the connector from the back of the mirror, and found no power on it.


Is there any way to make it up?
I googled fusebox, and it shows F77B is for rearview mirror.
I opened the fusebox on my car and there is no F77B but just F77, and F77 was connected.

 

[dotbot]

@rhplusa10 - My hybrid (limited) has safetyTech and those SOS buttons on the mirror. You're saying your rearview mirror does have cables/harness/12v going in, but there's no power going to them? Is your van turned on?


I suppose it's possible there's no fuse nor power going to the mirror if there are no features associated with it for your van. Odd they'd even run the wires if that's the case. I'd be curious where they run to. Perhaps they're just hanging out near the fuse block?


You may just want to do a different power tap, like OBD.

 

[rhplusa10]

@rhplusa10 - My hybrid (limited) has safetyTech and those SOS buttons on the mirror. You're saying your rearview mirror does have cables/harness/12v going in, but there's no power going to them? Is your van turned on?


I suppose it's possible there's no fuse nor power going to the mirror if there are no features associated with it for your van. Odd they'd even run the wires if that's the case. I'd be curious where they run to. Perhaps they're just hanging out near the fuse block?


You may just want to do a different power tap, like OBD.

My car does not have sos buttons and auto-dimming, just mirror itself.
There still a harness on the back of the mirror and same cables(pink, black, and red on far left) with connector, which is connected back of the mirror.

The one difference I noticed is, on the other people's picture, I see a square metal thing on the top of windshield and some cables are connected.
I do not have that part.

still it is weird there is cable/harness even though they do nothing...

 

[stop-eject]

It is weird indeed. I hoped to install some interior lights absent in my Pachy, but standard on the same trim of the gas model. None of the harnesses were there.

 

[Bitslizer]

Does anyone have any actual experience in removing the D-pillar trim? I read thru the mopar guide uploaded by dotbot (thank you very much BTW), and it was very helpful, but it seems that the illustration didn't include an extra part inside the D-pillar that held on to trim. It could have been related to the airbag so I tried not to yank it too hard. I bend the trim out as much as I could to take a couple of pics, anyone can tell me what that is and how to take it off? See attached pics. They were taken from the back where the seal of the liftgate is.

I'm trying to wire the rear cam of the AUKEY Dual Dash Cam system, and I have to take off that trim. If I am successful, and if anyone is interested, I can write a guide on how to do it. Let me know and thanks in advanced!

Yes please! this is on my to do list. I'm waiting for the hardwire kit for my front cam to be released, then I can use the current frontcam as the rear cam

 

[rhplusa10]

I just have waited until all my parts are arrived.
Now I got everything, and checked my car.

It is 2018 Hybrid Touring L model with manual rear view mirror, not auto-dimming.
I opened the plastic covers and found the connector. (yey!)
I connected my 12-5V converter and dash cam, no power..

I checked the voltage from the connector from the back of the mirror, and found no power on it.


Is there any way to make it up?
I googled fusebox, and it shows F77B is for rearview mirror.
I opened the fusebox on my car and there is no F77B but just F77, and F77 was connected.

It has power on it!
I used posi-tap on the 2 cables and it works!

I assume the lead did not get into the gap on my first try.

Anyways, I confirm manual dimming mirror also has the power cable on it.
I donno why it has it tho, but it works for my dash cam exclusively

 

[pacificat]

There had been some questions on how to remove the plastic mirror cover housing. Here are some photos of the cover after it was removed. You can see how it attaches, which would have helped me to understand how it should come apart.

I have the 2018 Pacifica Touring Plus. I haven't tested to see if the wires behind my rear view mirror are hot. My rear view mirror does not have the SOS or other buttons on it.

 

[pacificat]

I can confirm the wires going into the rear view mirror on the 2018 Touring Plus are hot.

Pink wire: 12 VDC power only when ignition is on.
Red wire: about 9VDC continuous.


2018 Chrysler Pacifica Touring Plus, White

 

[popcanguy]

Yes please! this is on my to do list. I'm waiting for the hardwire kit for my front cam to be released, then I can use the current frontcam as the rear cam

alright..... you all really want to see it? I got the rear cam done, with continuous power and a kill switch too. It's a huge wall of text and pics. BE WARNED! Get your reading glasses ready! :nerd:

 

[stop-eject]

alright..... you all really want to see it? I got the rear cam done, with continuous power and a kill switch too. It's a huge wall of text and pics. BE WARNED! Get your reading glasses ready! :nerd:

I wanted to install the rear dash cam in the liftback door, there is no power source in it. I didn't like all other install methods I could think of. I'm curios about your solution.

 

[Bitslizer]

Yes please! this is on my to do list. I'm waiting for the hardwire kit for my front cam to be released, then I can use the current frontcam as the rear cam

alright..... you all really want to see it? I got the rear cam done, with continuous power and a kill switch too. It's a huge wall of text and pics. BE WARNED! Get your reading glasses ready! /forum/images/PacificaForums/smilies/tango_face_glasses.png

I actually mostly finished my install already. Just got to redo it and tap the 3rd row USB port for the acc power as the low voltage protection kit needed that in addition to the constant on 12v from there trunk 12v socket

 

[Bitslizer]

alright..... you all really want to see it? I got the rear cam done, with continuous power and a kill switch too. It's a huge wall of text and pics. BE WARNED! Get your reading glasses ready! /forum/images/PacificaForums/smilies/tango_face_glasses.png

I wanted to install the rear dash cam in the liftback door, there is no power source in it. I didn't like all other install methods I could think of. I'm curios about your solution.

Here's how I did mine, the other end tap the wires behind the 12v socket

 

[popcanguy]

Installing rear dash cam, and tapping always-on 12V battery power part1/4

Finally, I got some time to install my dual channel dash cam. I took some pictures along the way, hopefully some of you would find this useful and can help you install your own dashcam without taking it to a shop. This write up is kinda long and I have to chop it into 4 parts to fit into each post. Sorry about that.

First, I want to give a bit of prelude. My goal has always been installing a dashcam system that has dual cameras, both front and back. My two requirements were that the system has to be hardwired (wireless is too prone to interferences), and that the rear cam would be powered by the main unit which is the front cam, so no power tapping in the back is needed. Also, I want it to be always on, so it can take video if someone hit my pachy while it's parked, BUT, I also want the ability to turn it off easily when it's safely parked in my garage. Finally, I want everything to look nice and well fit together, so no exposed wire. With those things in mind, I decided on the Aukey dual dashcam system. It's main advantage is that it's simple, and the video quality is excellent (to me anyway), also, it can be powered by any 5V usb port and the hard wire connection between the main front unit and the rear unit is just a single 25ft mini usb cable. I tap the power from the overhead console (where the sun glass storage is located), and the long cable to the rear cam is tugged underneath the liner in the front, then ran along the roof in the liner above the passenger side.

Note 1: The following procedures are only for my requirements, lots of steps aren't really needed if you are only doing the front cam, I strongly advise you to read the whole thing before attempting this fun little DIY project.
Note 2: My procedure involve removing the following interior trim pieces, so make sure you are brave enough to do that, i.e. please don't come after me if your trim breaks, LOL:
passenger side A pillar,
passenger side D pillar,
passenger side - side liftgate trim panel,
upper and lower liftgate trim panels.
Note 3: Once you got your dashcam and converter, test them to make sure they work before install it! Last thing you want is to discover it doesn't work after everything is put back together.

Tools and material you would need and their amazon links:
- dashcam. http://a.co/d/1OY8j1V
- 12V to 5V DC-DC buck converter. http://a.co/d/hXaZsge
- A socket set.
- wire splice connector taps OR soldering iron and solder and shrink tubes. I prefer soldering as I had bad experience with those taps getting loose before.
- an automotive rocker switch (optional) http://a.co/d/4NyesOp
- some scrap wires, or you can use the excess from the buck converter. (optional).
- a torx screw driver set (optional), some people call it the star set, you don't need it if you aren't installing a switch.
- cabling fishing tape (optional), essential tool if you are to do the rear cam, don't need it if you aren't. http://a.co/d/99LTy11
- trim removal tool (optional), or a slot screw driver padded with electrical tape, you don't need neither if you aren't doing the rear cam.
- Drill and drill bit set, 3/4" drill bit. (optional)

Step 1:
Take off the overhead console. I've decided to get my power there because the sensor beside the mirror (not sure what it is, maybe light or rain sensor?) only has 12V from ignition, so no power 15min after the pachy is off. It turns out the overhead console has always on 12V, and I believe it's the closest place we can tap to get that.
1.1 - open the rear observation mirror, and you would see two black screws. See pic 1

.
1.2 - Unscrew them with a 5/8 socket (I think, please let me know if I'm wrong on the size). The console should be loose, and it can be slide out from the front and unhook on the rear. See pic 2

.
1.3 - Unplug the harness, and the whole console can be removed. See pic 3

.

Step 2:
Tapping the 12V. I don't have a lot of experience working on cars, but what I've learnt along the way is that whenever I see red and black wires, usually they are 12V, especially if they are of thicker (lower) gauge. I put my multimeter on it and confirmed that wire 7 and 9 would give me battery power after the car is off.
2.1 - At this point, if all you care about is the always-on 12V, then you just need to unwrap the cloth wrap on the harness, and tap wire 7 and 9, red is plus and black is minus. Connect the buck converter to these two wires, and stick the usb side out of the liner to the front, and that is your power line for the front cam. See pic 4.

 

[popcanguy]

Installing rear dash cam, and tapping always-on 12V battery power part2/4

Step 3: (optional)
Installing the switch. I want the ability to turn off the dashcam when it's parked at home, so I want a switch and I want it to look nice. You don't need this at all. I'm just anal .
3.1 - Open up the console, there are 12 screws to the back cover of the overhead console. See red arrows in pic 5

. Unscrew all of them to expose the circuit boards inside. See pic 6.

3.2 - Solder two scrap wires to pin 7 and 9 of the port. See pic 7.

Make sure the wires don't touch any other part on the board. See pic 8 and pic 9.

3.3 - Take out the rear observation mirror. You'll have to take out the front circuit board first, but everything inside the console just snap together, this should be pretty easy.
3.4 - Unclip the shinny mirror half from that mirror unit. It's hollow inside. See pic 11.

3.5 - Drill a 3/4 inch right in the center of the non-shinny side and shove in the switch. This really depends on which switch you use. See pic 12.

3.6 - Solder the cable from the port to the switch, and also the buck converter. Check the specs on the switch you pick to see which wire goes where. Ask me if you need more info. See pic 13.

3.7 - Close the rear observation mirror unit back up with the two cables stick out from the gap on the top, see pic 14.

3.8 - Put the mirror unit and the circuit board back to their original places; make sure they are snapped back together nicely. See pic 15.

3.9 - Route the buck converter cable out of the back cover of the overhead console. There is a hole on the back cover already and I just use that instead of drilling another hole. See the green arrow on pic 5.

Close the back cover up and tighten back all the screws.
3.10- Thread the usb end of the buck converter to the front where the mirror is.

 

[popcanguy]

Installing rear dash cam, and tapping always-on 12V battery power part3/4

Step 4:
Installing the front cam unit. By now, you should have a powered mini usb cable dangling from the front of the liner. I stick my front cam to the left of the mirror, simply because it looks more symmetrical and made the camera looks more inconspicuous. The disadvantage is that the mirror arm blocks some of the view of the camera. You decide on where you want to install yours.
4.1 - Tug the buck converter cable inside one of the many empty spaces above the liner. Plug the harness back to the overhead console, slide the entire console (rear hook first) back into the liner, then tighten up the two screws in the rear observation mirror. If you aren't installing the rear cam, then you are done! Your dashcam is now running on constant 12V battery even when the car is not started, and if you have gone thru step 3, then you would also have a switch to turn it on/off if needed.

Step 5:
Trim removal. This is the step where we have to start taking off all the trim panels. Take care when you pull them out as you may damage the clips. I picked the passenger side because I wasn't able to take off the driver side A-pillar trim, otherwise, all steps should be the same for either side.
5.1 - Remove the A-pillar trim. First use a trim removal tool/screw driver to pop off the cover behind the grab handle, then use your socket set to unscrew the two bolts. Lift the whole trim upward to remove it from the dash. See pic 17.

5.2 - Remove the D-pillar trim. This was the hardest step for me and the manual wasn't very helpful. First, yank out the seatbelt cover by hand and use a trim tool to release the clips at the rear and top of the panel. Second, use the trim tool to pry out the clip on the bottom and detach it from the bottom quarter trim panel. Third, pull at the front to release the clip. You should now have the trim piece still attached in the center to the metal chassis. Grab hold of the top and bottom of the trim piece and wiggle it straight out, it's not easy but it will come out, but DON'T yank it too hard as there is still a plastic tether that locks the trim in place in case the airbag is deployed. See pic 18 and 19 for that center plastic piece.

clip 1 goes to hole 1, knob 2 goes to hole 2, clip 4 goes into that metal retainer in 4, the part that got me was that knob 3 actually goes thru hole 3 and snap into the hole in clip 4. See pic 20 and 21 for a close up detail.

Hope my pictures help, but once you remove it, you will know what I meant.
5.3 - Remove the liftgate trims. This step seems to be the most redundant. You would think removing the top trim on the gate is enough, but noooo, the side trim covers up the wiring harness to the gate, and the main big ass trim panel interlock the side trim! Since I want to route the cable through the rubber cable grommet, I'm removing all three pieces.
5.3.1 - Open the liftgate, use the trim tool to pop out the two pull cups, and the small panel in the big trim panel, then start from the edges of the gate, pry with the trim tool to disengage the clips one by one to remove the trim piece. See pic 22 for detail

, and pic 23 for the clip locations in the back.

5.3.2 - Use the trim tool, or your fingers, to pry loose the top gate trim panel. See pic 24 for detail

, pic 25 on all the clips of that trim piece.

5.3.3 - Remove the side trim using the trim tool. See pic 24.

Sorry I forgot to take a pic of this piece.
5.4 - Detach the wiring harness from the chassis. You may have to use a screw driver to help with it. See pic 26.

5.5 - Use fingers to detach both sides of the wiring sleeve/grommet from the chassis and gate. Don't tear or damage the rubber as this is the area that is exposed to the weather.

 

[popcanguy]

Installing rear dash cam, and tapping always-on 12V battery power part4/4

Step 6:
Finally, cabling and installing the rear cam. All the hard steps are done, and now, on to the tricky step....so yay! This is the step where the fishing tap would be extremely helpful. If you don't want to spend the 30 bucks on this tool, then a super long ridged wire can probably do the same thing. I find the usb plug on the cable can impede cabling across tight space, especially thru the cable sleeve in the rear. I cut the head off and re-attach it after all the cabling is done.
6.1 - Start from the front where the front cam is, tug one end of the mini-usb cable into the liner along the windshield towards the A-pillar. Remember to leave a few inches slack by the mirror so to make sure it can reach wherever you install the front cam. Leave the rest of the cable dangling from the A-pillar.
6.2 - Using the fishing tape, go in from the space behind the air duct and the chassis on the D-pillar. See pic 27.

This is the tricky step. IF you are lucky, it should reach all the way to the A-pillar. If it got stopped 3/4 of the way (happened to me), then you are hitting the LED reading lamp under the rear climate control panel. Try turning the fishing tape 90 degree and lift up about 2 inches to get over the reading lamp. Be patient and you should be able to get over it. If it doesn't work for you, then you'll have to pop off the LED light and I don't recommend doing that at all. I tried it and popping it off is easy enough, but putting it back on is impossible without having some way to affixing the light to the liner first. Ask me if you really can't fish all the way to A-pillar. See pic 28.

Assuming you fish successfully, tape the usb cable to the fishing tape and retract the fishing tape to get the cable all the way back to the D-pillar. Release the usb cable from the fishing tape.
6.3 - Pull down the liner on the rear for about an inch, enough to release the clip. Using the fishing tape, go in from the hole of the cable sleeve/grommet on the chassis side, and fish down and right to the D-pillar. You'll most likely have to stick your hand inside the liner to pull the fishing tape out before it can turn toward the D-pillar. See pic 29 and 30.

Tape and drag the usb cable through. Once successful, release the fishing tape from the cable, and feed the cable into the sleeve/grommet, pull all the slack over and re-install the sleeve back into the chassis.
6.4 - Feed the cable into the cavity of the top of the liftgate, there is plenty of empty space there. Re-install the cable sleeve on the liftgate side.
6.5 - There are a few holes being covered by the liftgate top trim, pick whichever one suits your rear cam location the best and feed it out. At this point, you can choose to drill a hole on the top trim and feed the cable there, but I just leave the cable come out between the top trim and the rear window. See pic 31.

6.6 - Your fishing expedition is done! Stick the rear cam anywhere on the rear window and plug the usb cable in. I picked the closest point to the top trim and center of the window.
6.7 - Test your entire system to make sure it's working. If it is, then reinstall all the trims in reverse order. Make sure all the clips are engaged or it may rattle when the car is moving. Pic 32 shows my cam fully wired and with the switch on.

There we go, that's my little fun DIY project. I have my leaf friend to thank for with the cabling, without his help I would not be able to figure out a lot of the trim pieces! Hope this long ass tutorial didn't turn you off and can give you some insight on how to install your camera.

Cheerio!

 

[PacificaMinivanFan]

Even though I may never actually be doing this project, I could not resist clicking "Like" on all four posts in appreciation for the time and effort that you put into them. Nice job!!