2025 Winnebago Sunstar 34R Backup Camera Works Once Then Fails

[LakeOscawana]

I have a 2025 Winnebago Sunstar 34R. The backup camera didn’t work when I picked it up new. The dealer replaced it several weeks later and it worked as I drove away and then the next week it didn’t work. When the unit sets and I start it up and put it in reverse it works and then if I try a second time, it doesn’t work. Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

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I have a 2025 Winnebago Sunstar 34R. The backup camera didn’t work when I picked it up new. The dealer replaced it several weeks later and it worked as I drove away and then the next week it didn’t work. When the unit sets and I start it up and put it in reverse it works and then if I try a second time, it doesn’t work. Any suggestions? Thank you.

I have a 2023 Adventurer 35f. We had a similar problem. The dealer replaced camera and later the video module. The problem persisted. They ended up replacing the video cable from the camera in the rear to the front display. Problem solved. They didn’t want to do it because it was a lot of work.

 

[creativepart]

Does the rear camera work consistently when you turn on the emergency flashers?

I ask because besides a camera and a video control box there might be some kind of reverse transmission sensor. So that sensor could be something to consider.

I’m not positive on your model but older Adventurers had a reverse position sensor and it connected to a video control box behind the monitor. This is what told the controller to activate the rear camera. It’s just a suggestion to consider.

 

[Morich]

This is part of the reason many do their best to never take an RV to a dealer for repair!
They tend to not have very good techs and just start with what "might" be wrong?
Anybody who has ever got close to working with coax can tell you what they seem to have done wrong! If the coax was bad but they didn't get around to changing it until the third try, it sounds pretty likely they have little idea about what they are doing as coax are semi-famous for getting bad connections at the ends!
Coax fittings are kind of funky and it is easy to get a bad one put together, but it is just a simple test to sort out where the problem is and put a new end on the coax.
The problem is not that the cable is bad but that the ends are often somewhat dificult to do correctly if you are in a hurry! It is really easy for a couple strands of the metal mesh around the center to get out of place and cause trouble.
For a system that is intermittent, I would first verify that the coax is not the problem that moves and bounces around as we drive!
Changing out a coax because it has a bad end? YUP! I can see a dealer repair doing that!

 

[Morich]

The thing about coax is how really simple they are when we get down to testing. They are made different than the regular extension cord but still the same testing works for most trouble we would have with them as they are two forms of wire, one inner and one outer. The inside is just a single small gauge wire in many cases. The outer acts as both a conductor to ground and also as a shield to keep stray interference in the air from getting into the picture.
If a dealer wanted to know if the coax is good, it is just like we would do on any two conductor cord. With both ends clear/disconnected we can test for continuity to make sure both wires get from one end to the other. Check for shorts between inner and outer wire and that is about as hard as it gets!
The problem is often the little fine wires that make up the outer braid as they have to be spread out kind of carefully to fit in the connectors we use at the ends. While we are spreading them out to fit in the connector, it is really easy for one strand to get out of place and create a short! Especially easy if you are the hammer head type that is always in a rush!
Since we can't see that one little strand in the wrong place, it is semi-common practice to just cut the end off and put a new one on that you can trust, assuming you DO trust your own work!
But if it was 30 or more feet of coax and lots of taking things apart, I sure favor testing the coax for opens or shorts before replacing! The part running along the top of the RV under that cove molding is not very likely to get damaged but the end hanging out in the weather? Yes, it takes a beating!

 

[LakeOscawana]

Thank you for the suggestions. I ended up having to replace the camera and entire cable. I had no help from the Dealer, even though it was under warranty after trying to work with them for months, I went to someone else. The RV repair station ran the cable down the inside of the exterior corner rear panel and underneath the rig and then back up through the engine compartment to the dash. No exterior panels had to be removed and they foamed the entry into the engine compartment. It cost a $1,000 for the camera the cable and installation. It was done in two days. I couldn’t be happier.