Roy said:<snip>
There is a law in most states that say's the lower edge of fender can't be higher than center hub/axle. or words to that effect.
Bill Putney said:Three ways to get the wiring info.:
(1) Some dealers will let you look at their FSM's in their facility - used to be that way - I don't know if they still do that.
(2) Buy the FSM (probably more than the approx. $100 they used to be).
(3) If it's worth $25 to you (for a one year subscription), you could get an on-line subscription to alldata.com. Not sure about your van, but for the vehicles I have subscriptions for, they have every single schematic that's in the FSM, and they are all right out of the FSM - none of the aftermarket manual "typical" schematics that may or may not be accurate for your vehicle. With that subscription you would also have access to the complete TSB's applicable to the vehicle - that alone might be worth the cost of the subscription.
(I have no connections with alldata other than being a customer - and to prove it, I'll say that the rest of their vehicle-specific information, though right out of the FSM, is spotty, incomplete, and poorly organized/hard to search. Schematics and TSB's are 100%, and may be worth the cost by itself. Also, they give multiple year/multiple vehicle discounts.)
Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')
Denny said:In my years of towing things, I'm comfortable in knowing the (whatever) is hooked up correctly, safety pins in hitch and\or ball, safety chains installed and watch the mirror. I agree the camera might be nice for hooking up but after that it just looking at a hitch. Believe me, if you would happen to break the ball and your load hits the chains, your butt will know it faster than your eyes looking at a picture when you should be handling the situation.
Denny
Ouch!! That had to suck.ks said:Yep, I broke a class three hitch last year. A guy pulled up along side of me to say it didn't look right (on the freeway) I touched the brake and boom the trailer hit me. Sucks when the safety changs are hooked to the hitch and the hitch brakes free!
Luckly I was on concrete so the tung didn't dig in and polevault. Everything went down and under the bumper and I rode it to a stop. Makes me worry about the safety chain setup as they were still connect to the hitch that broke freefrom the uprites.Denny said:Ouch!! That had to suck.
I guess the biggest reason I have a negative attitude towards this is due to the can-bus system on the van. All modules are on the bus and info flows freely. I'm just supposing here and have no way to know if this is correct so here goes.....You power up the camera when it's not supposed to have power. It puts this info on the bus. Other modules see this info when nothing is supposed to be there and gets confused (for lack of better word) and do something strange. Take the radio for instance, I don't know if the back-up picture will be displayed when it gets the signal or not. The radio my have to have a bus message from the pcm that the van is in reverse before it'll show the screen. I know, this is all kinda far-fetched but I run into this kind of stuff on occasion when people try to modify the electronics on the newer vehicles to get them to work the way they want them to instead of the way they were designed.
Denny (Don't get me started on lock-up converters or remote starts..)
Denny said:You power up the camera when it's
not supposed to have power. It puts this info on the bus. Other modules see this info when nothing is supposed to be there and gets confused (for lack of better word) and do something strange.
in georgia there is still a law on the books from the old hotrodding days. it says that you cannot perform any modifications to your vehicle from its stock configuration. a good attorney could have you for lunch just for running a different brand of tire on the vehicle than it was shipped with. got to be one of the most violated laws on the books. i posted the general law on the subject below but if you go a read each subsection of the code you will find that most vehicle modifications beyond factory and dealer options are illegal.
michael
§ 40-8-7. Driving unsafe or improperly equipped vehicle; punishment for violations of chapter generally; vehicle inspection by law enforcement officer without warrant
(a) No person shall drive or move on any highway any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer, or any combination thereof, unless the equipment upon any and every such vehicle is in good working order and adjustment as required in this chapter and the vehicle is in such safe mechanical condition as not to endanger the driver or other occupant or any person upon the highway.
(b) It is a misdemeanor for any person to drive or move, or for the owner to cause or knowingly permit to be driven or moved, on any street or highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles:
(1) Which is in such unsafe condition as to endanger any person;
(2) Which does not contain those parts or is not at all times equipped with such lights and other equipment in proper condition and adjustment as required in this chapter; or
(3) Which is equipped in any manner in violation of this chapter.
(c) It is also a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required under this chapter.
(d) Any vehicle suspected of being operated in violation of this article may be the subject of an inspection conducted by any law enforcement officer who has reason to believe such violation is occurring, without the necessity of obtaining a warrant to permit such inspection.
Nosey said:Didn't someone mention isolating the power feed with a diode? ;-)
As I interpret the above, there is NO prohibition about modifying a vehicle. All the above states is that the original safety equipment, including lights etc must be in good operating condition. You are reading too much into it.
Doug
