Assistance using stock Back Up Camera with new head unit

[HaulsBike]

Hi all -

So I recently purchased a new Pioneer head unit from Crutchfield to replace my factory JBL (with nav and backup camera). I plan on keeping the JBL amp for now. Most of the install seems pretty straight forward, but the backup camera part is confusing me.

My confusion surrounds using the integrated backup camera that my 2005 limited already has installed. The camera is 6v and most modern HU are 12v. I did read THIS THREAD but I still have some confusion.

I bought THIS 12v - 6v step down module, but I am confused on how to wire it all up.

The wires in question are:
Camera ground (pin 21, white)
Camera positive (pin 24, red)
Vehicle reverse signal (pin 5, red/yellow)
HU reverse wire (coming from the HU)

Can anyone explain which wires I need to hook up and where on my step down module to get this to work? I would appreciate the much smarter than me hive mind of the community help me out before I go cutting into my harness.

I will obviously post picture when done so others may be able to follow this at a later date.

Thanks

 

[HaulsBike]

OK, well I got it all figured out this weekend.

Despite not getting any responses, I figured I would post my results so that anyone trying to do this later might have some assistance.

So it turns out that a 2005 4runner Limited with Nav and Backup actually has different connections in the back of the head unit than any of the pictures I have found. The Backup camera wires are NOT located in the 26-pin harness as most threads state (maybe that started in 2006?) but in their own separate connector which contained only 4 wires. My car does not actually have that 26 pin harness at all. I assume this is because 2005 was early enough that backup video was a bit of an afterthought. In any case, I was not able to find any other threads that showed the separate connector so I figured I would post here in case it helps someone in the future.

In any case - that separate back up camera connector has 4 wires.
Black - Video Positive
Grey - Video Negative (Listed as brown in some manuals, but mine was definitely grey)
Red - Camera Positive
White - Camera Negative

I also used the Reverse wire from the other connector as the reverse signal wire.

I used THIS step down module. I wired the new head unit's reverse wire as well as the trucks reverse signal wire together to the 12v positive on the step down module, and connected the negative to the harness ground.

On the other side of the step down module I connected the camera positive and negative identified in the separate connector described above.

Lastly, I cut on old RCA cable open and wired up the video feed wires (black to the center wire and grey to the shielding wire).

I personally soldered everything rather than connectors because some of the wires (the RCA in particular) are very flimsy. Everything worked well, and the camera operates as intended with my new pioneer head unit. I got to keep the stock integrated camera instead of running a new 12v one.

Results:

I would like to give credit to this thread which was very helpful. The key differences were that my back up wires were in a different location, and I used a commercial step down module instead of a custom created one. I like the idea of the step down module being enclosed in a rigid plastic case, especially since it is pretty tight back there.

 

[bagelsjustbagels]

OK, well I got it all figured out this weekend.

Despite not getting any responses, I figured I would post my results so that anyone trying to do this later might have some assistance.

So it turns out that a 2005 4runner Limited with Nav and Backup actually has different connections in the back of the head unit than any of the pictures I have found. The Backup camera wires are NOT located in the 26-pin harness as most threads state (maybe that started in 2006?) but in their own separate connector which contained only 4 wires. My car does not actually have that 26 pin harness at all. I assume this is because 2005 was early enough that backup video was a bit of an afterthought. In any case, I was not able to find any other threads that showed the separate connector so I figured I would post here in case it helps someone in the future.

In any case - that separate back up camera connector has 4 wires.
Black - Video Positive
Grey - Video Negative (Listed as brown in some manuals, but mine was definitely grey)
Red - Camera Positive
White - Camera Negative

I also used the Reverse wire from the other connector as the reverse signal wire.

I used THIS step down module. I wired the new head unit's reverse wire as well as the trucks reverse signal wire together to the 12v positive on the step down module, and connected the negative to the harness ground.

On the other side of the step down module I connected the camera positive and negative identified in the separate connector described above.

Lastly, I cut on old RCA cable open and wired up the video feed wires (black to the center wire and grey to the shielding wire).

I personally soldered everything rather than connectors because some of the wires (the RCA in particular) are very flimsy. Everything worked well, and the camera operates as intended with my new pioneer head unit. I got to keep the stock integrated camera instead of running a new 12v one.

Results:

I would like to give credit to this thread which was very helpful. The key differences were that my back up wires were in a different location, and I used a commercial step down module instead of a custom created one. I like the idea of the step down module being enclosed in a rigid plastic case, especially since it is pretty tight back there.

Sorry i didn't see this earlier! Here was my troubleshooting

 

[jmama22]

So glad i found this but had some questions. I too was using information based on a 24-pin wiring harness where our 2005 backup camera is on a different connector. my question is when you stripped down your RCA cable that connects to the backup of the new head unit. for example there's the inner wire of the yellow video cable, and outer. which one goes to what on the jack? i have the step down as well, so i should be ready for that. thx for your time in putting this together.

 

[HaulsBike]

So glad i found this but had some questions. I too was using information based on a 24-pin wiring harness where our 2005 backup camera is on a different connector. my question is when you stripped down your RCA cable that connects to the backup of the new head unit. for example there's the inner wire of the yellow video cable, and outer. which one goes to what on the jack? i have the step down as well, so i should be ready for that. thx for your time in putting this together.

Sorry for the VERY late response. Somehow my notifications got turned off.

Take the yellow RCA wire and strip it down. You will see essentially 2 sets of "wires" inside - a center wire and then a bunch of fine shielding wires that is around the outside. I connected the center wire of the RCA to the black video wire in the 4runner. Then I took the shielding wire and essentially twisted it into its own wire and connected that the grey wire in the 4runner.

I highly highly recommend soldering all these wires. They are pretty delicate and who wants to be dealing with taking everything apart in a few months when they come loose from the crappy cheap connectors. Just solder it and be done.