This is a walkthrough on a reverse sensor installation on my 2012 Mazda5.
I purchased this kit on-line for about $25 with four sensors.
The first thing I did was test it with a 12v source on my workbench. The beeping was deafeningly loud!
I took apart the display unit where the beeper lives.
I didn't have a resistor of a suitable size to reduce the volume, so I ended up with a cheap and lazy solution of soldering a green LED inline with the beeper. For those that are wondering, a white LED effectively mutes the beeper - too much resistance. As it turns out the green LED doesn't silence it enough - therefore it will get a simply tape over the top treatment to cut down loudness.
This is also a good time to test the 4 sensors to make sure everything works before installing anything.
I wanted to use connection points that do not cut too much into the existing car wiring. I chose to graft the 12V+ lead for the sensor kit to the reverse light wire at the hatch connector. This is behind the upper plastic cover on the hatch.
You could also cut open the insulation on the blue/white wire anywhere along the harness and splice in the power wire to it.
Since I using the connector location, I had to feed the wires through the rubber boot. It is easier to pull the wires with a thin piece of plastic to fish them through the boot - I used a large ziptie.
Once the 12v+ wire was soldered to the main connector pin, I soldered the ground wire to the existing ground mount.
The wires are then routed through the rear pillar behind the plastic trim to the jack storage compartment. Not shown is the display cable routing from the front dash to the back. This is straightforward enough if you follow the floor trim panels along the door sills.
The display location is a personal matter. I was hoping to place it in the "cathedral peak" above the speedometer. But that location is PERFECTLY useless since it is not visible due to the steering wheel location. So I haven't quite gotten this straightened out. Since the beeper is still crazy loud, I might stuff it behind the dash and forget about looking at the display.
Next up is the bumper itself.
I purchased this kit on-line for about $25 with four sensors.
The first thing I did was test it with a 12v source on my workbench. The beeping was deafeningly loud!
I took apart the display unit where the beeper lives.
I didn't have a resistor of a suitable size to reduce the volume, so I ended up with a cheap and lazy solution of soldering a green LED inline with the beeper. For those that are wondering, a white LED effectively mutes the beeper - too much resistance. As it turns out the green LED doesn't silence it enough - therefore it will get a simply tape over the top treatment to cut down loudness.
This is also a good time to test the 4 sensors to make sure everything works before installing anything.
I wanted to use connection points that do not cut too much into the existing car wiring. I chose to graft the 12V+ lead for the sensor kit to the reverse light wire at the hatch connector. This is behind the upper plastic cover on the hatch.
You could also cut open the insulation on the blue/white wire anywhere along the harness and splice in the power wire to it.
Since I using the connector location, I had to feed the wires through the rubber boot. It is easier to pull the wires with a thin piece of plastic to fish them through the boot - I used a large ziptie.
Once the 12v+ wire was soldered to the main connector pin, I soldered the ground wire to the existing ground mount.
The wires are then routed through the rear pillar behind the plastic trim to the jack storage compartment. Not shown is the display cable routing from the front dash to the back. This is straightforward enough if you follow the floor trim panels along the door sills.
The display location is a personal matter. I was hoping to place it in the "cathedral peak" above the speedometer. But that location is PERFECTLY useless since it is not visible due to the steering wheel location. So I haven't quite gotten this straightened out. Since the beeper is still crazy loud, I might stuff it behind the dash and forget about looking at the display.
Next up is the bumper itself.