S60 55reg Fuse box diagram in the boot
 

Hi,

I purchased a reversing camera kit and initially bridged the camera with the reverse light ,however that didn't work due to not sufficient power. So I decided to use a fuse adapter and plugged it into fuse box in the boot.

I have used fuse number 14 (just randomly), but it is a live fuse, so the camera is switched on even without the ignition turned on.
I tried to check in the manual what is it responsible for, and according to manual, there should be no fuse at all. I went on google to get more info, but it actually also seems that there should be no fuse in this socket. It is bit awkward, but I wonder if you also have a fuse there and perhaps know what is it for?

In the end I used fuse no 20 as it powers on only with the key in, so it won't drain the battery. I checked the manual what is the fuse no 20 for and it says it's the towing wiring (Even though the car doesn't have a towing bar?).

Thanks for any help

The Electrical Wiring Diagram DVD shows l4/58 Rear Electronic Module (REM) lists fuse number 14 as
F14
16/79 Bass speaker - 15A
6/76 Climate control system, rear XC90 - 15A
16/79 Subwoofer Module (SUB), XC90 -15A
whilst fuse 20 lists as
F20
17/38 7-pin outlet, tow hitch cable harness - 20A
17/39 13-pin outlet, tow hitch cable harness - 20A

As yours is an S60 it must be for a bass speaker; if there is no bass speaker fitted a previous owner either removed it or had something else connected there for a constant live, it is sometimes used to connect an aftermarket boot mounted CD player which only becomes live when the ignition is turned on even though the player is "live" it doesn't draw current until the circuit is completed by the head unit being turned on.

Thanks for your reply.

There are speakers in the boot, but I guess they are factory fitted. It is a constant live ,just like the amplifier fuse (where I hardwired dash cam). I've noticed that as once I looked through the window at nighttime and there was a light at the back of my car. Firstly I thought it is the reg plate light, but I realized that it has not happened before ,so it is most likely the night-vision of the reverse camera that was triggered.

I took the multi-meter to find a switched fuse and I picked F20 (towing bar wiring ,according to my manual). Is it normal that I got this fuse even though the car was not fitted with towing bar by the manufacturer?

I may open another thread regarding the dash cam hardwire kit, but perhaps you could help me out with it?
I bough a dash cam and the hardwire kit from Amazon. The kit came obviously with that low voltage protection device and I used an amplifier fuse (F11, live) in the compartment closest to the driver. It should pretend the battery voltage to drop below 11.6V (according to the manufacturer of the device - Iiway), but if I don't use the car for couple of days, it may not start. It happened to me twice already. At the moment ,I simply unplug the dash cam, but it is not a solution. I could use a switched fuse, but that's the not point either. The kit comes with adapters and spare fuses (one per size). F11 fuse is 30amps ,so I had to use their fuse to match the size ,but it's only 3amps ,and for some reason it didn't work. So I used my spare 30amps fuse along with the original one and both, amplifier and dashcam work ok, but it still drains the battery.

The question is, is it because I used a 30amps fuse instead of 3amps that came with the kit? or that protection device is faulty and perhaps their fuse is faulty too?

I've no idea if the F20 is always fitted, I would think not as saving 15p on a fuse at manufacture multiplied by a run of say 300,000 cars saves the manufacturer £45,000.

Re the hardwired to a permanent live, if your camera is set to record when the car is bumped you may find it is on almost all of the time - even the slight vibration from a phone in the car is enough to trigger the camera, in which case even if you a parked on a drive the vibration from passing traffic is enough to start the camera recording - even though it is low current it is till enough to drain the battery in a few days.

Unless you specifically want it permanently live I would connect it to an ignition guarded fuse, mine are hard wired using "piggyback" fuses which came with the camera kits - the rears are wireless so only record when the reversing light or brake lights are triggered - OK overkill but would show why you got rammed on heavy braking :omg_smile:

That's awkward then. I haven't got a towing bar, but there is a fuse assigned to it. and there is a fuse (F14) which is not shown in my manual hmm..Something seems to be messed up.

Anyway, I had to change F14 to F20 because I didn't want to risk my battery going flat unexpected. I couldn't use the reverse/running light harness to bridge it with camera wiring because there not enough voltage.

The hardwire kit I bought from Amazon for my dash cam also comes with piggy back adapters and fuses.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/iiwey-Hardw...s%2C143&sr=8-3

But as I mentioned, it's either that battery low voltage protection device which is faulty or perhaps there is something wrong with the fuse provided. I couldn't have both, amplifier and dash cam working, so I found that 3amp fuse from the kit useless and used a spare one, but it's 30amps (just like original F11) instead of 3. I'm not sure if that's got something to do with it though. Ohh, and I also set the G sensor to minimum as it was too sensitive. So it is permanent live, but starts to record when a bit stronger force is involved (like smashing the door or stronger gust of wind).

Are your light incandescent bulbs or LEDs?


If the camera is set to record when the car is rocked, then depending upon the make and the spec of the camera is may well draw current all the time but only switch to record when activated, a little like the car's alarm system ie it draws current all the time but only sounds the siren and flashes the lights when activated. The amazon blurb indicates that about half way down the page ie "Once the voltage is lower than 11.4V, it will cut the power supply, leaving enough power to ignite the engine" - possibly true for some cars but at 11.4V an S60 is not going to have enough available energy left to kick the starter over fast enough, especially if it is a diesel.

They are normal bulbs.

I usually unplug the camera when I park my car for the night, so it won't draw any more power. However I work 11,5h shifts ,so once I finish my shift and turn the ignition on, it shows usually something between 11-11,4V on my FM transmitter and I'm still able to start the engine. However, I forgot to unplug two times, and the voltage dropped below 11V ,so obviously I had to use my power bank to give it enough juice. It could be that low voltage protection device that is faulty or/and the piggy back adapter.

I've watched a video on how to hardwire a dash cam yesterday (even though it is pretty straightforward). They said that the spare fuse cannot be of a higher amperage than the original one and they advise to use a 7,5 - 10 amps. I'm not sure if that's the deal, but the amplifier fuse is 30amps and because ,for some reason, it didn't work the 3amps fuse that came with the kit and was the same size ,I used my spare 30 amps fuse.

I contacted Iiwey (or whatever they are called) and they replied that fuses have got nothing to do with the battery drainage, so if they are correct, it seems that the device doesn't protect the voltage at all.

Regarding the fuse box in the boot, I've got a feeling that perhaps somebody replaced it in the past, hence there are two fuses which shouldn't be there ;)

Normal incandescent filament lamps should pull enough power (VA) to trigger the camera so is only protecting the camera and the camera battery which continues to draw current to maintain the charge in the camera's battery until the car battery pd drops < 11.4+/-1.14V - 10% variation is usually spec'd- it does not protect the car battery - the piggy back is just the means to connect to the ign guarded or constant supply.

well, I believe I've got no other devices that could drain the battery. So if the low voltage protection box cuts off the dash cam charging when the battery voltage drops below 11.4V ,it shouldn't go any lower. But it did two times ,so I guess it must be faulty then, as the camera keeps charging all the time.

They sent me another kit because according to them ,the first one is faulty. What I noticed is that the fuse from the previous kit was definitely gone ,but I will be able to tell tomorrow if the low voltage protection works fine on this kit or not.

Nevertheless, I'm still conFUSEd with the fuses in the boot :D

The fuses on the boot are not the problem and have nothing to do with the voltage drop.

Once the battery voltage has dropped to 11.4v and the camera has switched to off mode, other the car's alarm system in operation is enough to drop the voltage to the point where the is insufficient power left in the battery to start the car. Most of the P2 variants with a good full charged battery will power the alarm and other sensors for around 2 or 3 weeks without further charge into the battery before it is too flat.