DIY: OEM Backup Camera Install With Auto Anytime Camera

[pedro66]

OK so I had some time and wanted to do this upgrade on my 2007 Tundra DC, I believe the 2008 is also the same.

First I must apologize for the dirty truck I live in the desert and often can be found driving in the middle of it.

This process is shows how to install in a prewired truck the OEM camera and flip down monitor plus modify the monitor to turn on the camera when flipped down when not in reverse. I will cover how to install in a non prewired truck if you need me to in a separate post.

I will split this process into 3 posts as follows:

1. Installation Of Camera
2. Installation Of Monitor
3. Anytime Camera Modification

Take notice I do not work for Toyota I am just an amateur any electrical work can be dangerous I am not encouraging you to do any I am just showing you what I did you copy it in part or in its entirety at your own risk.

You should disconnect one terminal completely before continuing, I didn’t but that’s my lookout.

Here is the kit you receive:

1. Flip Down Monitor
2. Camera
3. Tailgate Handle
4. Loom
5. 2x Square Plugs
6. 2x 10mm Bolts
7. Warning Sticker
8. Blank Plugs (Only Used If You Remove Your Tailgate)

Installation Of Tailgate Camera…
Tools You Will Need:

• 10mm & 8mm Sockets
• T30 Torx
• Small Flat Blade Screwdriver
• Wire Coat Hanger (For Wire Fishing)

First lets make sure you have the prewired plugs at the rear of the truck, find yourself something to lie on and get under the rear of the truck on the passenger side. Look up next to the spare wheel and you should see this loom and plug.

If you see that then you are good to go, if not then you need to start running wire and I am not proposing to cover that in this post. You will see there is a dust cap on the plug this needs to be removed, once this is done feed the new loom that you got with the kit from the rear of the truck through the square hole and connect it to the plug.


OK so now your all done under the truck. Open the tailgate and feed the loom up onto the top.

Next you will need the 2 square plastic retainer plugs that came with the kit they look like this.

You will need to unclip them so they open up, these are used to bring the loom from under the truck to inside the tailgate. Clip them onto the loom where the green tape is wrapped its pretty obvious how they go once you have them in hand. Feed the loom into the square hole in the bottom of the tailgate and clip the plugs into the 2 square holes, there is a small cutout on one side of each hole the loom lines up with this. There is also a small hole for the cable clip that is already attached to the loom. You should end up with this.



You now need to remove the access panel on the tailgate you will need your T30 for this, there is 8 screws.

Once the panel is off you need to disconnect the links to the tailgate locks just unclip the 2 plastic clips off the rods that lead to the locks, they are the orange and pink parts in this picture.

You now need to remove the old handle by removing the 2x 8mm bolts one either end of the handle.

Once removed the handle will just pull out there is a small plastic clip at the bottom of the handle that just needs a slight pressure for the handle to drop free.
The lock now needs to be removed as we will be using it in the new camera handle, it is held in with a wire clip use a small screwdriver to remove the clip the lock will then just come out.



I wont bother to go into detail on installing the new handle as it is just the reverse of what you just did, just pop the lock back into the hole in the new handle taking care to make sure the link arm lines up with the stub on the mechanism.
You are now ready to install the camera into the handle it just drops in and is held with 2x 10mm bolts that come in the kit, be careful not to over tighten them as you are just going into plastic.


That done you will now need a wire coat hanger or similar made into a hook to fish the loom from the bottom of the tailgate through this hole.

There is clips already on the loom one can be seen in the previous picture as you feed the loom towards the camera you will see where the other clips go.

Now make the final connection to the camera.

Basically your done in the tailgate other than to refit the access panel, I choose to leave this until last in case I wanted to make adjustments to the camera.
Last thing if you choose to install the warning sticker warning about disconnecting the camera before removing the tailgate.

To Be Continued In The Next Post

So lets move on to installing the monitor…
If you are doing this straight after installing the camera please make sure to wash your hands. (I learnt this years ago and it cost me a professional detailing)
You should currently have something that looks like this.

We are going to be replacing the front sunglasses holder with the monitor, open both front and rear compartments and using your T20 remove the 4 Torx screws 2 in the front and 2 in the rear.

Drop down the console and unplug the existing plug

You now need to remove the sunglasses holder just use your small flat blade screwdriver and apply some pressure by each hinge points and it will just pop out.

Next locate the camera loom it should be in the left corner of the opening it’s a white connector, plug in the monitor and test by starting the engine (reconnect the battery if you disconnected it) and selecting reverse, take care not to reverse into or over anything.

The sunglasses console I had requires that you drill a hole for the monitor cable to exit, other versions of the overhead console may be different. I drilled a hole large enough for the plug to pass through and the rubber grommet that is already on the loom to fit.


Feed all the wires through the hole and connect the camera and light connectors and refit the overhead console just reversing the removal instructions the final operation will be to clip the monitor in place.
Congratulations your done.


In my next post I will show you my modification that turns on the camera whenever the monitor is flipped down.

Decided it would be useful to be able to turn on the camera at anytime the ignition is on by just flipping the monitor down.
You will need to go to Radio Shack and buy
275-0016 Switch $2.79

You will also need
Soldering Iron And Solder
Hot Glue Gun Or Epoxy
Dremel Tool Or Files
Drill And Drill Bits
12” 22AWG Wire Any Color Preferably 3 Colors Or Just Use One If You Feel Confident.
I am assuming that you can already remove the monitor and roof console as previously described, and have the tools you used on the install.
So go ahead and remove the monitor and the console and separate the two we will be working on the monitor.
Turn the monitor face down on a soft surface you will see the hinge points you need to grind down the small black tab to allow your switch to fit in the cavity, try to leave some of the tab.

Once done test fit the switch.

You now need to solder on 3 wires to the switch make sure that you know which wire goes to which connection they should be marked NO NC COM

Route the wires under the hinge of the monitor and place the switch in place, you can now test to make sure the position is correct and the switch operates when the monitor is lowered. If your happy you can now use the glue gun or epoxy to fix the switch in place.


Remove the short loom from the monitor it just unplugs and there is one screw holding a cable clamp. I stripped off about another inch of the outer sheath to give me more room to work. You are only interested in the BLUE wire cut this midway between the plug and the outer sheath.

Reinstall the monitor loom onto the monitor then make the following connection from the switch.
NO Connect to blue wire on loom that goes to the plug
COM Connect to blue wire on loom that goes to the monitor
NC This will connect to switched 12v from truck

Basically that’s it your done with the modification you just need to reinstall as before the only extra is that you will need a switched 12v from the truck to feed to the NC connection, I already have this feed for my radar detector but if you need to install it just do a search here on the board there are plenty of threads explaining how.
You may decide that you don’t want your monitor to come on when you select reverse just when you flip down if this is the case you don’t make the connection from NO to the blue wire that goes to the plug just insolate that half of the blue wire.

Hope this helps

[needatundra]

GREAT writeup Pedro. I just did the mod this weekend also but without the flip switch because my monitor doesn't flip down like yours, it's fixed in a certain angle so I couldn't do your mod unfortunately.. All I did was put a switch on the dash to toggle the camera off/on. Works great.

I highly recommend anyone thinking of doing this with the backup camera to go for it, as it serves a great purpose and should have been like this to begin with straight from the factory.

[ponyuk]

Great write up. I am curios as to why you did not use diodes anywhere in your mod? Did you determine this was unnecessary? With the monitor down and the truck in reverse you are effectively connecting the blue 12v monitor feed and the switched 12v on the red wire.
I have the parts on order to mod my monitor, but was going to add diodes to prevent 12v leaking back from the blue wire to the red. I have no idea if this would cause a problem with the ECU and was just being over cautious. Do you think the diodes are unnecessary?

[Henry T]

Great job on the write up!! Nice work.

[dieck]

Great write up! What did it all cost you in parts? I didn't get the backup camera or backup sensors because I thought they were silly, but this thing is a beast and the tail is so high parking is an adventure.

[needatundra]

Great write up. I am curios as to why you did not use diodes anywhere in your mod? Did you determine this was unnecessary? With the monitor down and the truck in reverse you are effectively connecting the blue 12v monitor feed and the switched 12v on the red wire.
I have the parts on order to mod my monitor, but was going to add diodes to prevent 12v leaking back from the blue wire to the red. I have no idea if this would cause a problem with the ECU and was just being over cautious. Do you think the diodes are unnecessary?

Hey ponyuk, the version of the mod I did this weekend, I purchased the diodes, but did not use them at all.
There is no issue with the 12V going back down the wire. I'm not sure why, but it works, so I'm not too worried. Just make sure you solder the correct wires to each other else you'll get the x-mas tree display (trust me ).

BTW, I didn't do the flip switch like Pedro did either.

[Targamond]

What is the difference between this camera and the rearview version - as far as location. It seems that this is more of a pinhole camera - the FOV is limited to just the trailer hitch. However, the other one is like a fisheye lens - displays a wide-angle view of everything = a true backup cam.

OR, do I need to wait until I get home, take a few shots of Tequila and THEN look at the monitor image Pedro posted? On this crappy work computer it looks like it is aimed straight down at the ball hitch.

[needatundra]

What is the difference between this camera and the rearview version - as far as location. It seems that this is more of a pinhole camera - the FOV is limited to just the trailer hitch. However, the other one is like a fisheye lens - displays a wide-angle view of everything = a true backup cam.

OR, do I need to wait until I get home, take a few shots of Tequila and THEN look at the monitor image Pedro posted? On this crappy work computer it looks like it is aimed straight down at the ball hitch.

Mine is like you described Taramond, the wide FOV (fish-eye). I think Pedro's shot looks like that because he had the tailgate in the down position if I'm not mistaken.
But certainly enjoy the Tequila.

[pedro66]

Yes sorry the picture is misleading as my tailgate was open, here is the view the picture is actually far better it just the camera I use shows the lines on the monitor.



You could if you wanted adjust the factory camera up or down by adding a washer between the camera and the handle on the mount bolt to shim the camera up or down.

As for the diodes they are not required as the switch makes a physical disconnection of the blue wire.

You will find kits on eBay for around $400 to $500.

[needatundra]

Yes sorry the picture is misleading as my tailgate was open, here is the view the picture is actually far better it just the camera I use shows the lines on the monitor.



You could if you wanted adjust the factory camera up or down by adding a washer between the camera and the handle on the mount bolt to shim the camera up or down.

As for the diodes they are not required as the switch makes a physical disconnection of the blue wire.

You will find kits on eBay for around $400 to $500.

Hey Pedro, was that backup kit that you got a Factory Toyota kit?
The reason I'm asking is because it looks different in design compared to mine. I got mine from the dealer when I picked up the truck.
Mine doesn't swivel at all...it's affixed (molded) on an angle.

Does anyone else have this type? Just curious.

Here's a quick shot of mine.

[bertbear]

There are two different designs of toyota screens. They are both available.

[pedro66]

The guy selling this item on eBay normally has the flip down monitors starting the auction at $120 with no reserve.

eBay Motors: TOYOTA TUNDRA 07-08 BACKUP CAMERA KIT/LCD MONITOR (item 320242663586 end time Apr-27-08 22:05:05 PDT)

[needatundra]

There are two different designs of toyota screens. They are both available.

Gotcha....

Thanks

[ponyuk]

Toyota replaced the fixed model with the drop down model. Some favor the old style and some the new. They are both genuine Toyota parts.

Mine doesn't swivel at all...it's affixed (molded) on an angle.

Great! Thanks.

Hey ponyuk, the version of the mod I did this weekend, I purchased the diodes, but did not use them at all.
There is no issue with the 12V going back down the wire. I'm not sure why, but it works, so I'm not too worried. Just make sure you solder the correct wires to each other else you'll get the x-mas tree display (trust me ).

BTW, I didn't do the flip switch like Pedro did either.

[Targamond]

Thanks for the clarification guys and the addition picture (Pedro). That is the view I would consider 'functional' for a rear-view cam.

It seems like the flip-down monitor would get to be a pain - having the extra process of flipping it down when you are backing. For those who have had this option for awhile, do you find the flip-down annoying and wish you had the fixed mount?