Adding a Backup Camera to a 2013 Ford F150 Sync1 4" Screen

I am back again with another "Macs How To Tip".  This time it is about upgrading my 2013 F150 with a backup camera.  There are many videos and forums I spent countless hours researching but none seem to work, or be about other vehicle types and years.  I found most of the material being about 2015 vehicles and later with Sync2-4 systems!

You can watch the video here!

Here is what you need:

Forescan for windows

4Dtech.com - Rear Camera Harness for Sync1 4” screen - $60

Videosystem Compatible Emblem Backup Camera for F150 F250 F350 F450 F550 Year 2004-2016 - $80

Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner Auto OBD II Diagnostic Scan Tool for iOS & Android, Bluetooth

Installing the Camera on the Tailgate:

You first must remove your existing emblem.  I used a heat gun to slowly heat the emblem.  It is held on by glue.  Slowly heat up the emblem and wedge a plastic putty knife behind it.  Slowly start to pry it off.  Once you have enough room, I was able to stick a metal hook behind it and pull it off.  

You will not use this again so don’t worry about the emblem.   Worry about peeling the paint if you use to hot of heat!

Once off, heat the glue and continue to scrap it off with the plastic putty knife.

Again – don’t use to much heat.  Start at a low temp.

The camera kit came with regular bolts and nuts.  Thinking I could access the back of the emblem area from the tailgate access hatch to mount it – NOPE!

Now What????? 

You will either have to go find some snap in nuts or come up with a different idea.   I did not have snap in nuts!

I Had an Idea!!!!!!!!

I used my hot glue gun to fasten the nuts to the square holes.   It took me a few times to get the nut to stick as it would break loose trying to get the bolt out.   But only took three attempts.

Use a good glob of glue on the nut!!!!!!

Carefully mount the backup camera.   I just snugged the bolts hand tight until I knew everything was connected and working.  Just in case I needed to disassemble the tailgate camera for some reason.

The cameras cable routes down the tailgate, out the hole, and under the bed of the truck.

Follow the directions to connect the Av and power cable to the switch and  move the slider on the switch to the position desired – line / no lines.

Remove the drivers side rear light assembly.

Under the truck, you can run the camera power cable up along the light cable in to the light assembly.

I later changed my power connection to the camera – rather than connecting to the reverse light as shown here, I connected to the parking light wire that is switched on due to the forscan mod to enable day time running lights.

I did not run the cables yet through the truck but just left them on the ground for testing.  Once I had everything working, I ran them along the cable assembly to the drivers side rear door, up through a rubber grommet, and under the plastic runners to the front.

Accessing the Sync 1 Display:

This is the hardest part of the install!

1. Remove the three airbag screws by dropping out the glove box.  Then you can pop out the airbag to reveal the top screw holding in the air condition panel.
2. Pop open the right air condition panel.  This will reveal several more screws that hold in the display.
3. Remove the top dash board cover, remove the two screws holding in the panel.  Remove the cover.  There are two screws holding the main panel.
4. Pop open the left air-con panel.  You cant remove it but lift it open to remove the last two screws holding in the main panel.  

Once the main panel is popped off, remove the two connecters – one at the top, one at the bottom.

The top connector is a bit tricky, it has a small clip you press open with your finger nail to get it to release.

There are four screws to remove the display.

Once removed, remove the connector in the back of the display.

This is a good time to check the compatibility of your Sync1 display.

Using the 4DTech harness, connect one side to the display.

Connect the other to the factory harness.

You must open the lock connector on the cable all the way or it won’t push down into the display.

There is a video on the 4DTech site to illustrate this.   

My factory cable did not have the lock handle so this was a bit tricky, but is does fit!

The camera extension cable was not long enough so I added a 4 foot extension using a male-to-male adaptor.  

Plug the camera RCA into the harness RCA female connector.

Programing the Truck So it Knows There is a Camera

Download forscan and apply for an extended trial license.   There are instructions on the forscan site and many videos on YouTube on how to use it. 

Connect the Veepeak OBDCheck to you OBD port and connect it to forescan.

THIS IS THE TRICK – PAY NO ATTENTION TO ALL THE OTHER VIDEOS TURNING ON CAM OPTIONS IN OTHER MODULES.  THOSE ARE FOR SYNC2 AND ABOVE!

Open the forscan tool programming icon and pick the FCDIM module and play.

This is what worked on my 2013 F150.

Change the 2nd digit from 0 to a 2 or add 2

7A5-01-01 x2xxx-xxxx-xxxx

So in my example :   2221 9008 0087      then write it and hopefully – you will have a backup camera!

Now I have a backup camera on my F150!  The nice thing is it stays on once in drive until you reach 5mph.  Then it switches back to it's normal view!

Until next time - Happy Road Trip!!!!!