2013 Explorer Need help with hardwiring my dashcam

[QCFord]

Hello everyone,
I'm knew here, but I know there were several thread on the hardwiring of dashcams... Sadly I could not find what I needed.

I recently purchased a VIOFO dashcamfront and rear cam for my Ford Explorer 2013 and I'm having trouble finding the right fuse to hardwire it. I've tested with an meter several fuses, but I'm worried about plugging it into an existing and important fuse and potentially causing damage to my vehicle's electrical system. I need one fuse always on for the camera to work on parking mode. Do you know what fuses to use safely? This version of the car is with limited accessories so maybe I have many unused fuses...

I'm now considering using an OBDII cable adapter that has a mini USB male-end so that the camera gets its power. Has anyone here had any experience with wiring their dashcam using this method? If so, can you please share your experience and provide any advice or recommendations? I'm also concerned about the OBDII connector draining my car battery.

Additionally, I'm worried about the airbag blowing out while hiding the wires to the camera along the sides of the windshield and other areas... I'm concerned so I'm thinking about disconnecting the battery while dping it. Would unplugging only negative on the battery suffice? Does anyone have any advice on how to avoid this problem?

Finally, I would appreciate any suggestions on where to find a professional installer in my area who can help me with this installation. I'm located in Quebec, Canada...

Thank you in advance for your help!

I know a thread existed a while ago about this. I'm sorry to revive this topic,

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d tap into the existing accessory circuits, or I’d add a completely new fused wire from the battery, and run it though a relay.

Disconnecting the negative is the safe way to work.

What about Radio d’Auto Mobile? They install cameras and come to you. You could probably get a discount it you do some of the pre work like pulling trim.

 

[J_C]

I need one fuse always on for the camera to work on parking mode. Do you know what fuses to use safely? This version of the car is with limited accessories so maybe I have many unused fuses...

I'm now considering using an OBDII cable adapter... I'm also concerned about the OBDII connector draining my car battery.

You would have the same concern either way. If your OBDII socket has live power so the cams are running when the vehicle is off, you are causing the same drain as having them anywhere else tapped into a different live circuit.

The question then is how long will it be parked without running to recharge the battery, and how much current do the two cams combined use? If the current drain is more than slight, it will wear your battery down over time to have it more deeply discharging.

If you want it on the entire time you are parked, I might consider a different approach to it which is to have a 2nd small sealed lead acid (or other chemistry if you want to pay more for battery and also an additional charging circuit) battery, directly powering the cams, and the vehicle charging system hooked up to it through a relay only activated when the ignition is on, so it disconnects the primary vehicle battery when the vehicle is off/parked. That way you would only potentially run down the cams' battery and that type of battery is both able to survive more, deeper discharge cycles, but also cheaper to replace. For example an ~8Ah battery similar to what is used in many low end computer UPS, costs about $20.

Additionally, I'm worried about the airbag blowing out while hiding the wires to the camera along the sides of the windshield and other areas... I'm concerned so I'm thinking about disconnecting the battery while dping it. Would unplugging only negative on the battery suffice? Does anyone have any advice on how to avoid this problem?

You are very unlikely to blow the airbag while hiding the wires but if it gives you more peace of mind, yes disconnect the battery for a couple minutes before proceeding. Yes you could unplug only the negative but remember that the entire chassis, engine, etc are ground so if that battery ground clamp is resting on or touching anything else metal, it's still completing the circuit enough to potentially keep an airbag charged and ready. For this reason I'd instead disconnect the positive battery clamp.

Finally, I would appreciate any suggestions on where to find a professional installer in my area who can help me with this installation. I'm located in Quebec, Canada...

Thank you in advance for your help!

I know a thread existed a while ago about this. I'm sorry to revive this topic,

If you are going to have someone else do the work, they will likely want to decide what circuit to tap into. Otherwise, I'd think about using a lighter outlet, especially if you have more than one that is going unused, and considering even if they are being used, as long as it's not something high powered like an AC power inverter or a tire inflator, you probably have the (~less than an ) amp of margin to power the cams.

I don't know if your lighter outlets remain powered. If you have more than one, one might stay powered but the other turn off when vehicle is off. You can check that with a multimeter and if neither stay in the state you need, then see the 2014 wiring diagrams download linked in my sig as it will show you which circuits stay live or shut off with the ignition... at least for as much as remained the same between '13 and '14 which is probably quite a lot.

If you really want these always powered, easiest would be just a separate added wire run to the battery, with a fuse added in series at the battery. This will cause the absolute least alteration of the factory wiring possible. Not that altering the factory wiring is necessarily a problem but the quality of the work doing so, determines if it causes problems later on.