Mercedes x164 2007 backup camera stopped working.
I performed the following tests:
1. I did voltage supply to backup camera test. Power Supply Camera Module provides 6.75 volts when transmission is rear gear position. I think it is OK.
2. I did multimeter continuity test for video cable from Power Supply Camera Module to Comand. It looks good.
3. Left backup light properly works and sends 12v to the Power Supply Camera Module.
4. I checked the backup camera configuration settings with Xentry/Das. Settings are good. I see no errors at all.
5. Rear SAM seems to be working since the display turns black on tranny rear position.
Based on these basic tests, it should work in majority of the cases. Is 6.75 volts coming from Power Supply Camera Module Normal? I am not sure how to test video signal. Is that possible that the issue is with the Comand itself by not accepting the video signal? Maybe, there is some sort of reset for that?
Basically, I am puzzled now and not sure what else can be tested. Please share any ideas on what else can be done to fix this issue and what else can be tested. Any advice is highly appreciated.
My Command (NTG 2.5) has on a few (less than 5) occasions displayed the backup camera image with horizontal streaking lines. On two occasions the camera image was black. So very intermittent for me. On the second occasion of the black screen, I changed gears to P, then R to see if that would fix it. I also turned the car off/on and changed to from P to R. Neither made a difference either. I stepped out of the vehicle (after changing gear to P!) and tapped the camera on the liftgate semi forcefully, then changed gear to R and had a clear image displayed. That led me to believe that I might have a loose connection between the harness and the camera. I had taken the inside panels off to fix the liftgate actuator and may have inadvertently affected the harness/camera connection. After disconnecting the harness, I have doubts that it was the harness/camera, but that does not jive with my tap on the camera fixing the reverse camera picture. I am somewhat leaning towards the Command now but have not investigated that further. Once I get the current issue fixed (rust on the liftgate where the handle is located and long license plate bolts damaging the paint - thanks to the dealer for using 2 mile long bolts for a quarter inch job!) I will have a closer look at the Command.
I will measure voltage tomorrow since I currently have the panels off and post the numbers.
Here are the measurements I came up with:
Y x 6.85 6.85 6.85
BL1 x 4.90 3.70
BL2 x 1.10
BR x
Edit: the formatting above gets all screwed up when I post so below is a plain version.
Y/BL1 6.85V
Y/BL2 6.85
Y/BR 6.85
BL1/BL2 4.90V
BL1/BR 3.70V
BL2/BR 1.10V
I am not sure which wires are from the power supply camera module. I tested with both the Command on and off and got the same readings. I was not paying enough attention to the +/- in front of the values, although I think the BL2/BR was the only value with a negative. That said, I may have inadvertently switched the multimeter posts when measuring.
Edit #2: Measurement were taken while the transmission was in Reverse, motor was off, key was in position 3 (dash was lit up). I measured at the harness end which connects to the reverse camera N66/10. See diagram (PDF) in a subsequent post #7 in this thread.
Last edited by expl0rer; Aug 23, 2021 at 12:34 PM.
Here are the measurements I came up with:
Y x 6.85 6.85 6.85
BL1 x 4.90 3.70
BL2 x 1.10
BR x
Edit: the formatting above gets all screwed up when I post so below is a plain version.
Y/BL1 6.85V
Y/BL2 6.85
Y/BR 6.85
BL1/BL2 4.90V
BL1/BR 3.70V
BL2/BR 1.10V
I am not sure which wires are from the power supply camera module. I tested with both the Command on and off and got the same readings. I was not paying enough attention to the +/- in front of the values, although I think the BL2/BR was the only value with a negative. That said, I may have inadvertently switched the multimeter posts when measuring.
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I forgot to mention this in my post above. Thanks for pointing it out. I'll update the post.
BTW, thanks for uploading the diagram.
Edit: I have to make a correction after looking at the diagram more carefully. N66/10 is the voltage supply module. Based on the wiring colours from the diagram, the harness where I measured the voltage connects to another wire which leads to the voltage supply.
Downstream from that connector, I only have one piece of hardware, which is a plastic cube containing the backup camera. I am making an assumption that the voltage supply and camera are sharing the same plastic cube case. This case is mounted on the liftgate.
Last edited by expl0rer; Aug 23, 2021 at 12:56 PM.
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I forgot to mention this in my post above. Thanks for pointing it out. I'll update the post.
BTW, thanks for uploading the diagram.
Edit: I have to make a correction after looking at the diagram more carefully. N66/10 is the voltage supply module. Based on the wiring colours from the diagram, the harness where I measured the voltage connects to another wire which leads to the voltage supply.
Downstream from that connector, I only have one piece of hardware, which is a plastic cube containing the backup camera. I am making an assumption that the voltage supply and camera are sharing the same plastic cube case. This case is mounted on the liftgate.
I'll measure again this evening, this time with the transmission in P and R. That should give a baseline for the video wire voltages.
I'll measure again this evening, this time with the transmission in P and R. That should give a baseline for the video wire voltages.
"There is only two option ntg2 comand hardware damage or the fbas cable is the problem. I would say the comand is damaged swap the cable first just plug in fbas (video)in module and directly put it in comand after that when its not working the comand system is damaged. Last hope is to update the ntg2 system to last software with the last navigation dvd it will also update the firmware.Its the only way. Never had such a error in plenty years. Regards"
I believe this is the only remaining option we can have. Please share if you will be able to find the latest firmware system update.
"There is only two option ntg2 comand hardware damage or the fbas cable is the problem. I would say the comand is damaged swap the cable first just plug in fbas (video)in module and directly put it in comand after that when its not working the comand system is damaged. Last hope is to update the ntg2 system to last software with the last navigation dvd it will also update the firmware.Its the only way. Never had such a error in plenty years. Regards"
I believe this is the only remaining option we can have. Please share if you will be able to find the latest firmware system update.
You can make the decision if it is worth spending anything to get 10+ yr old hardware working and have outdated 5 year old maps, at best. I realize you're not after the maps and those would be updated as a "bonus". You may already have the latest firmware and maps too. If that were the case, I'm unsure if your Comand will reload the firmware, or just confirm that it's current/up-to-date compared to the DVD version and exit the process.
It might be a better solution to invest in a contemporary head unit with navigation. You'll probably spend quite a bit more $, though, plus time in research mode. There are several options out there, from Chinese units to Kenwood/Pioneer/Alpine/etc. There was another discussion recently about aftrrmarket units either here or the ML W164 forum with a few examples/pics and feedback from others who have replaced their Comand. Post purchase/install support for DIY seems to be a key ingredient in deciding where to buy.
Car off, trans in P
Y/BL1 0V
Y/BL2 6.85V
Y/BR 6.85V
All other wire colour combinations were 0V
Key in position 3 (dash lights on), trans in R
The previous measurements were replicated.
I also realized that I could disconnect the clip from the liftgate and measure with the harness connected to the voltage supply. Wire colours are Red (R), Black (BL1), Yellow (Y), Black (BL2). See diagram earlier to correlate the two sets of wire colours. The last sentence is for future readers who skip the earlier posts in this thread.
Car off, trans in P
R/BL1 6.8V
R/Y 6.8V
R/BL2 6.8V
BL1/BL2 .2V
All other wire combinations were 0V
Key in position 3 (dash lights on), trans in R
R/BL1 6.8V
R/Y 6.8V
R/BL2 6.8V
BL1/Y 3.0V
Y/BL2 3.0V
BL1/BL2 12.0V (unsure of the accuracy of this value. The MM varied wildly, but seemed to hover around 12V, so I recorded it as that. Advice to take it with a grain of salt)
All other wire combinations were 0V.
Edit: forgot the link to the nav update site. It is for NA coverage. If you are in another part of the world, this will not be helpful.
https://mb.navigation.com/home/en_US/MBNA/USD
Last edited by expl0rer; Aug 25, 2021 at 04:39 PM.
Car off, trans in P
Y/BL1 0V
Y/BL2 6.85V
Y/BR 6.85V
All other wire colour combinations were 0V
Key in position 3 (dash lights on), trans in R
The previous measurements were replicated.
I also realized that I could disconnect the clip from the liftgate and measure with the harness connected to the voltage supply. Wire colours are Red (R), Black (BL1), Yellow (Y), Black (BL2). See diagram earlier to correlate the two sets of wire colours. The last sentence is for future readers who skip the earlier posts in this thread.
Car off, trans in P
R/BL1 6.8V
R/Y 6.8V
R/BL2 6.8V
BL1/BL2 .2V
All other wire combinations were 0V
Key in position 3 (dash lights on), trans in R
it got too dark for me to see well enough to measure these voltages. I'll complete in the am and update here.
Edit: forgot the link to the nav update site. It is for NA coverage. If you are in another part of the world, this will not be helpful.
https://mb.navigation.com/home/en_US/MBNA/USD
Based on these latest values, I think the video is transmitted via one of the two black wires coming out of the camera. Y/BL1 and Y/BL2 produced 3.0V with the transmission in R. I think BL1 (between R and Y) is ground. R seems to always be positive. The values for Y/BL1 and Y/BL2 were 0V when the car was in park and the key was in position #1. That leaves Y/BL2 as the video signal. IMHO. Maybe others with more electrical savvy will correct me if I have made a mistake in interpreting the diagram and voltages.
Take the BL1/BL2 12V measurement with a grain of salt. The MM was fluctuating wildly with a tendency to hover shortly around 12V, which is why I recorded it at that. I think I will put a disclaimer beside that value for future readers.
My Command (NTG 2.5) has on a few (less than 5) occasions displayed the backup camera image with horizontal streaking lines. On two occasions the camera image was black. So very intermittent for me. On the second occasion of the black screen, I changed gears to P, then R to see if that would fix it. I also turned the car off/on and changed to from P to R. Neither made a difference either. I stepped out of the vehicle (after changing gear to P!) and tapped the camera on the liftgate semi forcefully, then changed gear to R and had a clear image displayed. That led me to believe that I might have a loose connection between the harness and the camera. I had taken the inside panels off to fix the liftgate actuator and may have inadvertently affected the harness/camera connection. After disconnecting the harness, I have doubts that it was the harness/camera, but that does not jive with my tap on the camera fixing the reverse camera picture. I am somewhat leaning towards the Command now but have not investigated that further. Once I get the current issue fixed (rust on the liftgate where the handle is located and long license plate bolts damaging the paint - thanks to the dealer for using 2 mile long bolts for a quarter inch job!) I will have a closer look at the Command.
I will measure voltage tomorrow since I currently have the panels off and post the numbers.
Based on these latest values, I think the video is transmitted via one of the two black wires coming out of the camera. Y/BL1 and Y/BL2 produced 3.0V with the transmission in R. I think BL1 (between R and Y) is ground. R seems to always be positive. The values for Y/BL1 and Y/BL2 were 0V when the car was in park and the key was in position #1. That leaves Y/BL2 as the video signal. IMHO. Maybe others with more electrical savvy will correct me if I have made a mistake in interpreting the diagram and voltages.
Take the BL1/BL2 12V measurement with a grain of salt. The MM was fluctuating wildly with a tendency to hover shortly around 12V, which is why I recorded it at that. I think I will put a disclaimer beside that value for future readers.
BTW, here what I can confirm regarding wires at backup camera:
Red: Positive 6.75V
Black1: Ground
Yellow: Video
Black2: Ground
Last edited by vladc77; Aug 25, 2021 at 07:56 PM.





