Switched fuse for dash cam in 2016 Explorer

[Brad C]

There is really no "getting into the wiring" on the mirror. You insert two pins (positive and negative) into the proper wire on the plug on the back of the mirror and you're done. It really is pretty easy and will not harm your mirror or it's wiring at all.

 

[seanmclean]

I tapped into the mirror wiring on my '17 for Dash Cam and Radar Detector. Quite easy to do.

 

[mbushnell]

Problem solved. I'll make a video of what I ended up doing. Of the 29 fuses inside a 2016 Platinum Explorer, only 3 of them are switched.

Hi, I had saved this thread earlier in the year when I was first thinking about installing a dashcam. It appears as though the You Tube videos that you had linked to are no longer attached to the current thread, but I had the links on my saved thread, and it saved me quite a bit of time finding & accessing the fuse box on my 2016 Explorer Sport.
I installed a BlackVue DR650S-2CH in my Sport today. From the grief that you encountered with that one attachment for the panel below the fuse box, I knew what to expect. From looking at your pictures, I identified it as what I have heard called a plastic "Fir Tree", due to its shape. The panel should just pull off of it with a little bit of effort (once the 2 bolts are removed).
However, I was unable to locally find an "Add a Circuit" tap for the "Micro 2" fuses that Ford now uses in the Explorer, so I'm waiting for one to come from Amazon. In the meantime, running the dashcam off of the cigarette lighter, & I've run the power wire to the area of the fuse box, so once I receive the tap, hopefully it will be a quick job.
You also mentioned the difficulty in finding a good ground for your circuit. When I had the driver's door trim removed to run the wires, I discovered a grounding point in the door frame that Ford used for other circuits, so I used that for my ground.
Thanks for your help.
Mark

 

[thefranchise713]

Those Micro2's are a relative son-of-a-pup to acquire for some reason. Even my Ford Dealer, on another occasion, didn't know the fuse type existed.

 

[stuarto]

I have a front & rear dashcam (separate units) and for the front I tapped into the switches beneath the headlamp selector that has Tow, Trunk and something else that I can't remember.

Doing this is both easy and neat.
By opening the drivers door, you can see a triangular shaped panel left of the vent and parallel with the door. This pops off revealing lots of empty space plus the area behind the switches.
Remove the connector of the switches above to give yourself a little more cable to play with, tap into the +ve and you're good to go. From their your dashcam wire can run directly up the pillar then along the top of the windscreen under the liner and it's invisible until it pops out to your dashcam.

For the negative, that's easy too. After popping off the triangular shaped plastic, if you are looking into the hole, to the left is a nut that is bolted to the chassis. Just crimp a circular connector onto your wire, take nut off, slide connector over bolt, replace nut. Voila

Sorry, typing this while not with car and so cannot add pictures. If this description proves to be more confusing than helpful, I can add photos later in the week.

 

[Navman]

I have a front & rear dashcam (separate units) and for the front I tapped into the switches beneath the headlamp selector that has Tow, Trunk and something else that I can't remember.

Doing this is both easy and neat.
By opening the drivers door, you can see a triangular shaped panel left of the vent and parallel with the door. This pops off revealing lots of empty space plus the area behind the switches.
Remove the connector of the switches above to give yourself a little more cable to play with, tap into the +ve and you're good to go. From their your dashcam wire can run directly up the pillar then along the top of the windscreen under the liner and it's invisible until it pops out to your dashcam.

For the negative, that's easy too. After popping off the triangular shaped plastic, if you are looking into the hole, to the left is a nut that is bolted to the chassis. Just crimp a circular connector onto your wire, take nut off, slide connector over bolt, replace nut. Voila

Sorry, typing this while not with car and so cannot add pictures. If this description proves to be more confusing than helpful, I can add photos later in the week.

Thank you stuarto, more options to consider! (and photos never hurt)

The cigarette plug on the end of my dash cam cable is filled with circuit boards so i don't have the option to cut it off.

I did get a fuse box tap but would have to leave the cover off the fuse box.

Will take a look at your suggestion!

 

[stuarto]

The cigarette plug on the end of my dash cam cable is filled with circuit boards so i don't have the option to cut it off.

Don't worry about this too much, I had the same challenge.

What I did was solder my +ve wire directly to the tip of the plug. Then you need to solder your -ve wire to the metal side piece BUT...only one of those metal pieces will actually be the -ve and the other has no electrical connection so make sure you solder to the correct one.

Once soldered, insulated the connections appropriately and then you are ready to connect the other end of your wires!

Easy

 

[thefranchise713]

Honestly, I left the fuse cover off my 14 Taurus's BCM and it was a non issue. The 17 Explorer I own now didn't even bother putting a cover on the BCM this time.