Hi All,

I have a 2021 F150 XLT 502A that did not come with front parking sensors. For 50K+ I feel that is a bit ridiculous but its fine. I recently bit the bullet and decided to install Rostra Frontzone front parking sensors. I know that on forums this was installed many times in the 13th gen 2018+ models but I havent really seen it posted for the 14th gen 2021+ models and I wanted to write up a bit of a guide for anyone who wants to install it. Will be making a video later. But for now here is the guide

[Materials needed]

1. Rostra Front Zone Sensors: https://amzn.to/47IqoVi
2. Rostra Source PWR +: https://www.genosgarage.com/product/...al-accessories
3. A heat gun (any willl do)
4. Solder heat shrink wire connectors: https://amzn.to/3R6C6Uj
5. Heat shrink wrap: https://amzn.to/3Rh2wmB
6. 16 awg wire: https://amzn.to/3sQWpf0
7. micro II fuse tap: https://amzn.to/3QPX60a
8. micro II 7.5 amp fuses: https://amzn.to/47mFmkf
9. wire stripper with ability to strip 12, 16, 20, 22 awg wires: https://amzn.to/3G9obqa
10. Zip ties: https://amzn.to/3SKAzof
11. ratcheting wire crimper: https://amzn.to/3MTfJPM
12. crimp connector ends assortment: https://amzn.to/3R5hzj4
13. A generic multimeter: https://amzn.to/40M5Bhk
14. 3/4th inch hole saw: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...9658/313347418
15. Rubber grommets: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner-...-AST/202522461

[You may have some of these tools already. There are workarounds that you could use:]

1. Instead of rostra source power, you could tap directly into a fuse tap that isnt on constantly.
2. Instead of solder wire connectors you could solder the wires yourself, or you could crimp connect wires.
3. The kit comes with zip ties, but they are very small and I feel like they would eventually break.
4. Instead of a ratcheting crimp connector, you could just use plier
5. You dont need a multimeter if you do exactly what I say because I already did the multi meter component.

[Caveats before we begin]

1. If you were standing in front of the car directly facing the hood and layed out the long sensor wire that has 4 leads from left to right it would be layed out like this:

Passenger side ------- hood -----driver side

-------- L ------- L1 ------- R1 ------ R------

1. According to the manual, the sensors must be installed like this:

Passenger side ---------- hood ----------driver side

------- R ------ R1 -------- L1 ------ L -----

1. I installed mine like this:

Passenger side ------- hood -------driver side

---- L ------ L1 ------ R1 ------ R-----


Because I installed the wires backwards, when I hooked it up to the main computer module I just rearranged the wires. So it doesnt matter how you install the wires, as long as the sensor/wire are the same, they can always be rearranged at the module to give the correct result.

My installation

Passenger side ------ hood -----driver side

----- L --------- L1 --------- R1 -------- R------[Sensor]
----- L --------- L1 --------- R1 -------- R------[ wire in bumper]
----- R --------- R1 --------- L1 -------- L -----[module inside]

[Sensor/Wire harness Installation process]

1. Start on driver side, open hood
2. look where there is a large rubber grommet going through fire wall close to where the pedals are
3. To the left of that there is a bare metal surface. you need to drill 3/4th inch hole through there
4. On the interior driver side, peel back flooring to expose metal wall behind brake pedal. to the left will be the large rubber grommet, drill directly to the right of it with 3/4th inch hole saw.
5. From engine bay, feed wire harness through hole, remove the existing rubber grommet, replace with one of the rubber grommets from that gardner bender pack from home depot.
6. now run the other side behind air box, and down through wheel well behind felt/plastic to the floor. pull out the long end with 4 wires labeled from left to right L-L1-R1-R
7. Now to drill with the 24mm hole saw the front bumper in these locations: https://www.wheelsjoint.com/wp-conte...ng-sensors.jpg
8. using fishtape or a coat hanger pull the leads up through the bumper.
9. Put rubber grommets in the bumper, pull leads through rubber grommets and connect the sensors
10. Tie the wire harness to the bottom of the truck, make sure you avoid the active airdam.
11. push the sensors in place and at this point the sensors should be in place.

[Electrical installation process]

1. On driver side passenger fuse box you need fuse number 4 which is a 20amp circuit.
2. each fuse has two slots, one to the left and one to the right, the right is the "hot" lead

Fuse box orientation (with your face looking directly at the box)

---------------------Top of fuse box
----------------------------|
----------------------------|
Engine Bay ----- fuse box ----- Door
----------------------------|
----------------------------|
------------------------Floor

Fuse slots

-------------------Top of fuse box
-------------------------------|
-------------------------------|
Engine Bay ----- [device] [ hot ] ----- Door
-------------------------------|
-------------------------------|
----------------------------Floor

1. If you put the fuse tap in, the wire should be facing the engine bay
2. If you put the fuse tap in as below, WITHOUT fuses, and put your multimeter to DCV 20, the [hot] should read 12v without the engine being on.
3. YOU MUST CONFIRM AS BELOW, * * * WITHOUT FUSES FIRST * * *

----------------------Top of fuse box
----------------------------------|
----------------------------------|
-----Engine Bay-----[device] [ hot 12v ] ----- Door
-------------------------[device] [ device ]
<-------------------------[Fuse tap wire]
----------------------------------|
----------------------------------|
------------------------------Floor

1. Pull the fuse tap out, cut the crimp off, peel and expose some wire.
2. On the rostra sourse pwr peel and expose some yellow wire.
3. put both ends in a solder tube and solder together.

[Rostra Source PWR] ------ yellow wire ------> [shrink solder tube] < ---------------------fuse tap wire

Optional: [Rostra Source PWR] ------ yellow wire ------> [shrink solder tube] < -----extended yellow wire 16 AWG------> fuse tap wire
* * * Note if the wire is too short, you can extend the rostra source PWR with any length of 16 AWG wire by soldering the ends with a solder tube. Do this before soldering to the fuse tap.

Then proceed with the next steps: These ones have to be extended.

[Rostra Source PWR] ------ Black wire ------> [shrink solder tube] < -----extended black wire 16 AWG------> crimp to ground lead to go under a bolt

[Rostra Source PWR] ------ red wire ------> [shrink solder tube] < -----extended red wire 16 AWG------> orange wire from on/off switch.

The red wire has to be run from passenger side behind center console to driver side. the black has to be grounded on a bolt behind the plastic on the center console.

Wire up the front zone and hide the wires.

1. on the black wire crimp a lead and connect to a ground bolt
2. connect the connectors to the main computer module
3. solder the orange and red wire together

switch ---- orange wire ----- red wire ----center console ---source pwr

1. Plug in OBD II connection

[Last step]
---------------------------------------------------------------Top of fuse box
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------Engine Bay-----20 A Fuse [device] [ hot 12v ]----- Door
----------------------------------------------7.5 A Fuse [device] [ device ]
Rostra source PWR<----[yellow]-[solder]------[Fuse tap wire]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Floor

 

That`s some write up. Thanks for the effort!

 

Thanks, some pictures added now for reference

 

I ran out of space above but I said I would elaborate on why I used fuse #4. In other installations people would tap into fuse 35 which is the 400 watt outlet which is a run/start style switch which is what you need for installation. its a 5amp fuse. I think that in a low voltage situation like this that probably would be fine - but rostra doesnt elborate on the actual amps the device uses, they heavily push this source pwr module though which has a 7.5 amp fuse. Because it is not listed anywhere, I didn't want to use less than 7.5 amp fuse when the manufacturer is pushing that as an accessory to this device. 20amp is more than enough, but the other thing I liked about fuse #4 is that it is constant (meaning I could use the rostra source pwr module there instead of directly on to the battery itself which to me is a much cleaner install) and fuse #4 is listed as being unused. If anything goes wrong with your truck and you're tapped into a fuse slot that is being utilized by something important and you have a short - you are liable for that device because it was never intended for a second device to potentially overload the circuit and kill the device. Using an unused fuse slot gave me the best case scenario.

I did also buy Agate black touch up paint so that the bare metal rings I made in the bumper dont rust out. Didn't apply it yet, but I will.