Hey all, I am looking to add an OEM backup camera to my gf's car for her birthday. I have been doing a bunch of research and Google searches on what it will take, but the info is all over the place. The car is a US model 2015 Mazda3 iSport Hatchback that was made in Japan. This seems to be important because models sold in other countries are different, the US models that are made in Mexico are different from the ones made in Japan, the hatchback wiring is different from the sedan, and the hatchback submodels have different wiring harnesses from each other.
Therefore, I am appealing to the collective who may have knowledge of such things to help me identify the correct OEM p/ns that it will take.
My understanding is that if I replace the Rear No.2 Harness (C16) with the correct one that has a plug for the camera, I should be all set. I have disassembled the rear hatch plastics and taken a look at the rear harness which appears to have the 4 wires necessary for the camera coming through from the body of the car. None of those wires are connected at C16 and there are no unused 4-pin connectors hanging out near where the camera would be. With the car running, I tried testing pins C and E with a multimeter but got no reading at all. I was expecting to see 6VDC there. It is possible that in this car the wires exist in the rear harness but aren't connected all the way through to the head unit.
Pic of the wiring harness, I believe the yellow, red, and two black wires are pins C, E, G, and I in the shop manual which should correspond to camera power -/+ and video signal wires: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tCFvKTFypYQHPhAZ9
It would certainly be easier to just pick up an aftermarket camera and wire it to 12VDC and the head unit but I wanted it to be as close as possible to a factory install for her car.
Thanks!
It looks like you have most of the information already. You may not have seen voltage because the car wasn't in reverse. Beyond the actual wires and camera, do you need more wires to the headunit, a new headunit, and/or switching a setting in the headunit to enable the backup camera function?
Your plan just might work. I've added a rear hatch release to a Saturn station wagon by simply adding in the trunk release switch from a sedan. All the wiring was there. It just wasn't installed from the factory for liability issues (risk of exhaust fumes circulating into the cabin).
I'd say buy the harness and camera, plug it in, and see if it works. Good luck.
Ha, I didn't think about putting it in reverse, good idea!
By all accounts, once you connect a camera, the infotainment will recognize it after a reboot (disconnect battery or give it the Mute+Nav+Back nerve pinch for 10 seconds).
Small update: the pinout I found on an Internet forum turned out to be wrong so I had been testing the wrong wires. Once I got the right pins identified, I was able to verify 6V where it needed to be, but as suggested, only when the car was in reverse. I'm confident that everything is connected all the way to the head unit. Now I just need to figure out what harness and camera P/Ns will actually work for this car. I'm actually tempted to go the car-part.com route and try and get a complete set of matching bits from a yard.
Just to close the loop on this in case this ever comes up again in the future: I ordered the following parts that are intended for Mexico-built hatchbacks:
- BHN9-67-RC0A Rear Camera
- BJT7-67-060 Harness No.2 Rear
They turned out to be a direct fit for the Japan-built iSport, however the pin-configuration for the rear wiper was different so I had to swap pins around in the plug. I also had to open up a hole in the outer trim for the camera to pass through but the correct mounting tabs in the internal metal structure were already in place. Other than those two small things, it was a plug-and-play affair.
Nice! I want to do this on my Volt and need to do similar research. Unfortunately for me I think I need to do some programming to get it working. Glad to hear yours worked out.
Thanks for the great post! I took your advise on the hardware and install for my 2015 Mazda 3 hatchback. Everything went well, but I have same issue you described of the rear wiper not working. Which plugs did you switch around? Was it at the connection with the wiper? Otherwise camera turned just as described and everything works like before. Thanks!
lostnfound said:
Thanks for the great post! I took your advise on the hardware and install for my 2015 Mazda 3 hatchback. Everything went well, but I have same issue you described of the rear wiper not working. Which plugs did you switch around? Was it at the connection with the wiper? Otherwise camera turned just as described and everything works like before. Thanks!
Glad it helped someone! I don't remember off the top of my head, but if you look at your old harness it should be immediate evident which two pins provide power/ground to the wiper motor and they will be in different spots in the 4-wire connector that dangles off the rear wiper motor. Just switch the two pins in the connector to match your old one and you should be good to go! Having the proper terminal removal tool will save you some frustration, ask me how I know :P
Right on. That did it. Rear wiper is working! All three wires needed to be switched. It was a 180 degree rotation of the terminals. Rear camera upgrade is now a complete success!
