My rear camera just started working intermittently today. We've had freezing rain, so no idea if this is a factor. Once the screen was all black, another time it was fine and the third time it was acteing like an old 50s TV with lines going through the image!

How does on ascertain if it's a bad camera vs bad camera ECU? If bad camera, are there any aftermarket cameras that are compatible or am I stuck with Lexus camera?

TIA for your help.

 

Did you clean it ?

 

Did I clean what? The camera? The camera is crystal clear clean.

 

My ct200 had no screen after getting iced on

After cleaning it worked
Thus was suggesting to clean as first step

 

Check the wire harness connections to the camera ECU, especially with the weather conditions noted.

 

I did that today. Everything seems tight and as it should be.

Any other ideas? Anyone know how to diagnose bad camera vs bad ECU?

 

My camera went out on the previous owner and replaced under his extended warranty. The camera would be my guess.

 

Piggybacking onto what Tom mentioned earlier & checking harnesses. That's what I was going to suggest as an easy first step.

Checking would mean more than just pushing or pulling on wiring harness connections to make sure they're tight. I would literally disconnect and reconnect all the harnesses to the ECU several times. Who knows what sorts of oxidation etc the metal connectors have developed over the years. Hopefully that disconnect/reconnect friction action will clear any connectivity problems? It can't hurt (unless you break off a tab or piece of the brittle plastic connector, so be gentle!

If you're wondering physically WHERE the ECU is, don't ask me I'm sure others can disclose the location of it though!?...........

Here's another suggestion that I just brainstormed with!!!! What happens if you get a lovely assistant similar to Vanna White (lol), and they opened & almost closed the trunk while you had the car in reverse (and your foot on the BRAKE!), and observing the screen? If the screen fades in and out like a 1950's tv as you described, then goes black or blank or something STEADY when the trunk is fully closed, I would bet on a wiring HARNESS issue or even a wire? Which leads me to my next question/comment for those who know. How is the video captured/transmitted on the NAV screen----via copper wires/wiring harness or via fiber optic cable?

I know...lots of questions I have but not a whole lot of answers.

 

There was just one connection, and I unplugged it. Then plugged it back in. As I said..seemed tight and didn't see any corrosion.

I have not tried the "helper" yet. Though I might do that.

Still wondering if there's a test to determine bad ecu vs bad camera?

 

The connection to the headend unit is likely a 75 ohm standard video cable (like those RCA audio cables). If this is the case, the signal is an NTSC signal, and you can connect a monitor / small TV with the NTSC input and put the car in reverse. The camera is likely to receive 12V supply derived from the reverse light supply. If you do not see any steady image, it is either the cabling / connectors or the flaky camera.

You said you checked the connection at the headend (ecu as you call it) but have you checked the connection at the camera end?

 

There is definitely no RCA cable. At least on the camera. Nor was there an RCA cable that I could see, though I don't discount that there is one..somewhere. It's just a single white plug directly off the camera that goes into a wiring loom. It looks like the following:

 

I suppose it is a 4 pin connector ? 12V (reverse)- Ground- VC+ and VC- (composite video) ?

 

I found this...though it seems incomplete

 

Which connector you had removed and reconnected ? The one at the camera end or this T25 ?

I agree it is not complete, it only is a connector for camera power ?. There must be a separate connector video ?

 

No...T25 is the camera plug. And it plugs into the ECU. In the ECU, there is a large plug with many pins in it. There is no separate video connection in the ECU. There is no separate video/RCA plug in the back of the navigation screen either.