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I just added a Thinkware F800 Pro front and rear camera to my 2018 Platinum but cameras are run from a Cellink Battery NEO instead of direct. I hard wired it to the fuse panel in the passenger foot well with a add a fuse to # 37 which is a spare 20 amp.
In my manual #37 is described as "Power distribution box run-start fuses.". While, for example, #9 is clearly described as "Not used (spare).". But probably it is different in 2018...
Now I am puzzled. It seems that the majority of the passenger-side fuses are hot even when the ignition is off. I even tried to leave the truck with the passenger door open (so I do not disturb any sensors) for about 30 minutes - nothing changed. Also the lighter port seems to be powered all the time. Is this normal or I was not patient enough?
Now I am puzzled. It seems that the majority of the passenger-side fuses are hot even when the ignition is off. I even tried to leave the truck with the passenger door open (so I do not disturb any sensors) for about 30 minutes - nothing changed. Also the lighter port seems to be powered all the time. Is this normal or I was not patient enough?
I was not able to find any unused fuses that were key switched. I believe I ended up tapping in to the fuse feeding the panoramic roof. Also, be aware that those add a circuit fuse taps have a right and wrong direction. If you install it backwards you will likely blow the fuse and take out your added circuit as well as the circuit you tapped in to.
This may be the route I go. Right now I have a crative route of wire across the windshiled, down the piller under the dash (Passenger side) then back through to the center console where the secondary DC plug is. Nothing wrong with this, but the camera stays on, as the DC is a constant power source. The camera has trigger for key power and will power up when power is sent, it will go to standby and run battery once the truck is off, which trigger parking mode. So if any bumps/ vibrations of the truck is felt. It powers up and uses battery backup to record if anyone is messing or hitting the truck while parked. But if the power never turns off, it is just an endless loop of parked footage.
did mine same way, same route. Constant hot plug. Just walked to garage and checked and it shut off with battery saver after.....10 to 15 min?. That may be lariat and above trim level?.
In my manual #37 is described as "Power distribution box run-start fuses.". While, for example, #9 is clearly described as "Not used (spare).". But probably it is different in 2018...
For my 2018, fuse #37 is a spare. and I can confirm it is switched only. I used #37 for my radar detector hard wire.
Now I am puzzled. It seems that the majority of the passenger-side fuses are hot even when the ignition is off. I even tried to leave the truck with the passenger door open (so I do not disturb any sensors) for about 30 minutes - nothing changed. Also the lighter port seems to be powered all the time. Is this normal or I was not patient enough?
When I went to install my radar detector, I went to use #5 which is listed as a spare in my 2018. I found the radar detector would always stay on, so this was a constant hot. All the spares shown here were always hot for me, so had to use #37, which is also a spare, for my radar detector and used #5 for my dash cam because I wanted an always on circuit for this.
This is how I installed my Blackvue 750 2 channel dash cam setup on my 2018 Lariat.
Used the Blendmount and got the camera set where I wanted it.
Used braided wire loom and bundled the power and rear camera wires together. Ran those into the headliner, the power going towards the passenger side, the second camera wire heading towards the driver side.
Running the wires along the headliner are sooooo easy! Taking off the A pillars on either side was soooooo easy! Now, you could run the power wire to the fuse box, and for a 2018, use fuse #37 if you want switched power. Use fuse #5 if you want always on. For me, I went with the Blackvue battery pack which I needed to wire in always hot. This is "slightly" bigger than the magic module, but the battery will give me 12 or so hours of life to the camera when the truck is off.
So I ran my power wire all the way down the A pillar, down the trim, and under the passenger side seat where I placed the battery pack. Hard wired the battery pack by running the wires in the same route, under the carper and back to the fuse and used #5. So the battery pack is hardwired in, and the dash cam power wire plugs into the battery pack.
The second camera wire ran under the headliner all the way to the back window. No trim to remove, just tucked under real nice. I put the back camera on the drivers side as the powder back window opens towards the passenger side.
I was not able to find any unused fuses that were key switched. I believe I ended up tapping in to the fuse feeding the panoramic roof. Also, be aware that those add a circuit fuse taps have a right and wrong direction. If you install it backwards you will likely blow the fuse and take out your added circuit as well as the circuit you tapped in to.
I used #23 in the passenger kick panel. It is keyed and my dashcam recognizes the truck shutting off immediately.
Tip: Using an Add-a-Circuit shouldn't blow the fuse to the factory circuit, even if installed backwards, if you size your dashcam fuse properly. Installed properly, you are adding an independent circuit. Installed backwards, power from your added circuit will first pass through the factory fuse. Just be sure your dashcam fuse is as small as possible to guarantee it blowing well before the factory fuse.
Just finished adding in my dash cam. Thanks to all who posted their tips. I decided to go with running down the passenger pillar. Thanks to Kingofwylietx for his details on how to remove the pillar. I spent the most time getting a pull wire down from the dash to the fuse box. I had to pull my connector up from the fuse box. I ended up using a plastic refrigerator tube, but that was not stiff enough, so I pushed a 12 gauge copper wire through the tubing. You can see from the pictures where I found a route. Then I taped my dash cam USB cable to the pull tube, and presto…..It’s very straight forward to run the wire behind the air bag. I used a few plastic ties to be sure it stayed behind the air bag.
I used fuse #37 with the add a fuse that came with my hard wire kit.One important note: Not sure when the fuses went to the MICRO2 size, but for sure in the 2018. Be careful of the hardwire kit you buy, the most common fuse is the MINI, which is larger than the MICRO2. I decided on the Upgraded AUTO-VOX WiFi Dash Cam D6. They had a nice discount during Amazon Prime Deals Day. But I did not pay attention to the fuse end on the Auto-Vox suggested hard wire kit and had to get just the MICRO2 add-a-fuse so I could cut off the MINI add a fuse end and attach the MICRO2 add-a-fuse. I do wish they had black double sided tape, it would blend much nicer than the gray they supply.
Inside look, it's nicely blocked from view by the mirror from both the driver and passenger.
You can see the gray/white tape. I may look for black at some point.
Pillar tab, bolts are under them.
That's the spot where i could push it down to the fuse box. No clue as to why this picture is so large, and I do not seem to be able to shrink it down....
That's the spot where i could push it down to the fuse box.
This is how I installed my Blackvue 750 2 channel dash cam setup on my 2018 Lariat.
Used the Blendmount and got the camera set where I wanted it.
Have you watched any of your recorded video while driving? I bought that mount but no matter how tight I tried it still bounced and vibrated making the image very blurry. I ended up returning it and using the original stick-on mount which makes it very stable and clear. I need to replace my windshield soon so I'm thinking if I got a bad one, maybe I should try again so I don't have to re-stick it on the new glass.
06-06-2018, 04:43 PM
