Back-Up Camera - It Lives!

I think I posted over on the other board some time back about my back up camera being on the rag. Well I finally tore the whole thing apart this afternoon and fixed it.

I originally thought it was the protective glass cover that was gooped up as it worked well until it tangled with a power washer. Not being a glass guy, I had to figure out that the rubber seal holding the glass has a joint in it not unlike a zip lock bag. When I got that undone with a small screwdriver, a larger screwdriver helped slip the true sealing lip away from the glass and out it popped exposing the little camera.

One look at the camera told the story. The moisture had gotten into the camera and messed up the protective camera housing and the camera lens. I decided to remove the camera which was no small chore as the hole is quite small and I have defensive lineman sized hands. Some needle nosed pliars twisted the allen head screws out and the camera was free.

Now I had to go borrow some metric allen wrenches for the second time in a week. I will own a set of these by the end of the week.

The camera was disassembled and the lens cleaned along with the clear housing. I put it all together and started to reinstall it. This is where you need to make sure which side is "UP" on the camera. :D After a serious dexterity test, the mounting screws were also started and tightened up.

Now comes that tricky rubber thing that holds the glass in. But I prevailed and it was reinstalled and the gap was sealed with silicone.

The H3 will be much clearer in the monitor now. :)

Save your money on the metric Allen wrenches. I have 2 sets and you can have one gratis. Can you wait for the Geek Rally or should I send them to you now?:D

Jerry, I wish my story is that simple, on the Marathon access to the camera is very easy from inside the rear closet. My camera will work great at times and then have very bad vision at other times. I think it is the auto focus on the camera. I am going to test this next time I take a trip with a borrowed camera and see if it works any better before spending the money for a new one.
Kevin

Lew,

To get some wrenches from you, I can hang on till the rally :D

My camera is not near as sophisticated as most. It doesn't tilt down so you can see your hitch and it doens't move or do anything trick. It just blankly stares out the back watching the world go by. :(

But it works and there is nothing worse than an intermittant problem so I feel your pain Kevin. :confused:

Yeah, I look 10lbs heavier in my camera! But the " Cooking with Mango " comes in clear as a bell on the food channel.:p