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I have a 2016 GMC Terrain that I like except for one thing. The backup camera works only intermittently. Some days it may work fine. At other times, it may not work at all for a week or two. Then, suddenly, for no apparent reason, it starts working again. I would like it to work ALL THE TIME.
Any suggestions on how to find the source of the problem? Thanks.
You have bad wiring. Bad contact. You need to remove the rear panel and start there. Broken insulation, loose contact. Water likely got into the plug or, even camera itself.
If you don't want to go through all this DIY, there's plethora of inexpensive WIFI well working RV cameras, with minor installation skill requirements. I know, I have one on niece's car.
determine how it is triggered...generally signal to the backup lamps. My uncle put a newer backup capable head unit in his '13 sierra WT before he died and I finished the job with a camera that took a high impedance lookie loo and the rear b/u lamps and sent it forward in the 4 conductor cable.....
The schematic for the factory setup SHOULD be online.
determine how it is triggered...generally signal to the backup lamps. My uncle put a newer backup capable head unit in his '13 sierra WT before he died and I finished the job with a camera that took a high impedance lookie loo and the rear b/u lamps and sent it forward in the 4 conductor cable.....
The schematic for the factory setup SHOULD be online.
On my car, and presumably ALL cars, the backup camera is triggered by moving the gearshift lever into the Reverse position with the motor running and your foot on the brake pedal. Perhaps by shifting the lever from Park to Drive and then back to the Reverse position, that MIGHT make a difference. Thanks. I'll give that a try.
There actually is a GMC terrain forum out there...(that used to be a thing that I thot went by the wayside) anyways the BCM (body control module) sends the signal to the head unit to turn on the camera.
If you have a FOB that unlocks the vehicle (I do not, my 13 is a W/T) then it also turns on the reverse lamps...which they also do at engine off to light your path. people report that tapping the reverse lamps cause this to no longer happen with the BCM
If the head unit has this feature, discover the wire that does it, on the thread in the terrain forum someone showed a picture of the connector into the head unit.
GENERALLY the wire goes hot for camera on, but most aftermarket head units allow you to set the polarity of the signal - I guess some go to ground.
Also, with RAP, since I do not use the BCM, the lighting of the reverse lamps on EOKO also displays the rear of the truck until I open the door and cancel RAP. I guess this is good in case a Boogens or something is hanging out in the shadows behind me.
There actually is a GMC terrain forum out there...
That was my first thought as well. There are also GMC Terrain Facebook groups as well. Car Forums are still somewhat a thing. I moderate a Foxbody forum with some good numbers and active participation.
First thing I would do is browse and see if this is a common failure. Most people on that forum own the particular vehicle you are interested in and therefore your chances of finding folks with the same issue goes way up. Then you can get accurate pinpoint data vs stab in the dark type information. Yes, you might get a few experienced folks here who respond and are helpful, but your numbers go up when you search a forum/group comprised of all owners of similar make/model.
I've had to replace my camera on my Ford when it went out, but after some research I discovered this was a common issue and water would get into the camera over time and cause it to short out. Replaced the camera, had to reinitialize it using software I had and got it working again.
However, that experience may not translate to your vehicle. It might be something like a wiring harness that is notorious for corroding and causing a loose connection. Each vehicle is going to have its own unique quirk which is why targeted forums and FB groups are a much better option.
You have bad wiring. Bad contact. You need to remove the rear panel and start there. Broken insulation, loose contact. Water likely got into the plug or, even camera itself.
If you don't want to go through all this DIY, there's plethora of inexpensive WIFI well working RV cameras, with minor installation skill requirements. I know, I have one on niece's car.
I agree, with one clarification. Look for the area where the wiring goes from the body to the tailgate. That's, IMO, the most likely point of a wire breaking because that would probably be the flex point.
Easy solution:
1) Drive the Terrain to your local Honda or Toyota dealer
2) Trade it in on an Odyssey, Sienna, or, if you prefer nondescript jelly-beans, an SUV.
3) When purchasing vehicles in the future, avoid anything that says GMC or Chevrolet on the back.
Day before yesterday I had a brilliant idea. I told my wife that when backing out of the garage or a parking space to first put the gear shifter into Drive. Then shift into Reverse and back up. She did as instructed and VOILA, the camera worked.
It has continued to work on the several occasions that she has driven the car since then. If it quits working again, I have suggested that she do the same thing.
My theory was/is that some sensor in the shifter mechanism may not sense the SHIFT from Park to Reverse when the car is first started up, but it likely would sense the shift to Reverse if she first put the shifter in Drive and then shifted it to Reverse. So far, so good.
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