Community Forums

jestal · 05-27-2021, 10:56 PM

Ok, so the mouse chewed my rear view camera cable under the dash. chewed it through in 3 spots. took out the rear view camera as well. The camera will not work even when removed from its installed position and plugged directly into the voyager panel leads.

So, new 65 foot cable and new camera in hand. Obviously the cable has to be run "underneath" the coach to the rear cap. I have the part about getting the cable outside the dash, past the generator inside the frame rail and past the fuel tank and into the main cargo bay. Followed inside the frame rails to the rear most compartment where the inverters are located no prob.

Now.....how do I get the cable from the rear bay inside the frame rails past the axles to the engine compartment? Real hands on experience from someone that has done this is desirable. I've heard the story of using a piece of pex to fish past the rear axles and force it thru the foam sealing that area. I just have not heard specifics from someone who has actually done it. All the stories of how easy it is are hearsay. It is NOT easy and I have spent considerable time trying to accomplish this with no success and I am not a dummy. PJ Clanton makes it sound like a piece of cake....wish he would return my phone calls and give me the details as all the rumors of how easy this is seem to originate with him.

Anybody with hands on experience of this project ??? I am all ears.

One nice piece of info is that my OEM camera with tilt/pan capability is no longer available and not serviced. However, the guys at RV Cams, Inc. have sourced the tilting camera themselves to it IS available just not thru AMA who does the camera systems for Entegra. Real shout out to them for recognizing a need and stepping up and sourcing an identical replacement cam so I can keep the tilt function. RV Cams 877.378.2267.

Nowabeachbum · 05-28-2021, 07:19 AM

First a comment. Why do mice like camera wire so much! I had a mouse in my attic and the only thing it ate was the wiring for all of my security cameras and it ate a lot of it!
On your camera issue, I ran the wire in the wheel well. I’m sure if it was on a lift I could have figured out a better way but... I ended up coming out of the last cargo bay on the passenger side up high, in the wheel well. Then there is a ridge all along the inside of the painted fiberglass fender skirt. I tucked the wire in there and siliconed it in place. Be careful as there are a lot of fiberglass shards but the wire tucked in pretty nicely. Then I went into the chassis battery and def compartment avoiding the exhaust and up the back cap. That last part was the biggest pain! Just needed longer arms! Then foamed the the holes I drilled. That is the only way I could think of to avoid by a lot any moving components or heat.

mymyst · 05-28-2021, 07:51 AM

Just an FYI to Gary's question of why do mice like wiring so much.....it has to do with the wire sheath being manufactured from a soy based material....most new cars have soy based wire insulation as well. Had $2500 damage to the wife's BMW from mice damage to the underhood wiring harness due to the issue......I guess the soy based insulation was supposed to be a "green" insulation compared to old school wire...go figure.

J Gunter · 05-28-2021, 09:24 AM

I haven’t done it, but it might be easier to run it in the A/C duct, at least you’d be cool while doing it.

Nowabeachbum · 05-28-2021, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mymyst

Just an FYI to Gary's question of why do mice like wiring so much.....it has to do with the wire sheath being manufactured from a soy based material....most new cars have soy based wire insulation as well. Had $2500 damage to the wife's BMW from mice damage to the underhood wiring harness due to the issue......I guess the soy based insulation was supposed to be a "green" insulation compared to old school wire...go figure.

Interesting!

Cruzer · 05-28-2021, 12:19 PM

When I installed my Total Vision camera system I went up through the back cap. The secret was to go into the rear wardrobe and remove the access panel. Then I went into the engine bay an drilled a hole in the horizontal divider panel above the rear opening to push the wire up to where the camera was. I had no success with the wire because my fishtape was too flexible so I shoved a piece of Pex tubing up there so that I could grab it from the wardrobe access hole. Then I attached a fish wire and pulled it down to attach to the cable so that I could pull it up.

jmorse1 · 05-28-2021, 06:16 PM

Cruser

Did you run the new wire on the inside of the rear closet? Then out to the camera at the top? Did you use the pex tube as a conduit?

John
2015 Aspire 44b

96 Wideglide · 05-28-2021, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mymyst

.most new cars have soy based wire insulation as well. Had $2500 damage to the wife's BMW from mice damage to the underhood wiring harness due to the issue......

They did a number on my brothers X5 as well!

Cruzer · 05-28-2021, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmorse1

Cruser

Did you run the new wire on the inside of the rear closet? Then out to the camera at the top? Did you use the pex tube as a conduit?

John
2015 Aspire 44b

No, the wire ran behind the closet up through the cavity between it and the rear cap. I just used the Pex to fish up through the hole in the horizontal heat baffle in the engine bay. The fishtape just flopped around and I couldn't grab the end from the closet's access panel so the rigid Pex pipe worked well. Then I removed the Pex and just ran the wire once I tied a string to it.

lo-tek · 05-29-2021, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mymyst

Just an FYI to Gary's question of why do mice like wiring so much.....it has to do with the wire sheath being manufactured from a soy based material....most new cars have soy based wire insulation as well. Had $2500 damage to the wife's BMW from mice damage to the underhood wiring harness due to the issue......I guess the soy based insulation was supposed to be a "green" insulation compared to old school wire...go figure.

Green means it tastes good i suppose.

jestal · 05-29-2021, 07:38 PM

What happened to the rest of the comments on this thread. several more were here this morning and now the thread ends. What happened?

Cruzer, I don't have an issue getting up to the camera thru the rear cap. My problem is fishing the camera cable from the vacinity of the inverters to the engine compartment by running between the frame rails. How did you get the cable thru there?

I have run several electrical lines to the rear by using the groove behind the rear wheel skirts as mentioned earlier. I came out of the rear compartment and along the edge of he wheel skirt using tie wraps to the mounting screws to hold it in place. This route is the last resort as I would like to keep it inside instead of thru the wheel well out side.

To try the new camera out I mounted it, ran the pigtail into the rear closet thru the access panel Cruzer mentioned. The main cable temporarily runs to the front of the coach in the aisle. laying on the floor. Everything works so I just need to route the cable out of the way back thru the chassis underneath the floor.