GM fullsize AWD Van Info thread

Demp223

New member
For those of you that have installed a backup camera into your chevy AWD (mine is a 2007) where did you tap into a reverse line to make your monitor turn on when the car is put into reverse? I have had the camera installed for about a year but am about to do some stereo upgrades and would like to add this function. Its simple enough to navigate to the camera on my head unit but having it turn on automatically would be real nice...

Here's what I did.
My backup camera is part of 3rd brake light.
Not the normal way to wire but more efficient. Normal way is headdeck reverse lead connection under dash.
Rca video plug with piggyback wire sends power from headdeck back to camera. Second lead on camera is power/ground. Signal wire in rca provides power to that lead and ground usually just get screws to body
This results in an always powered on camera even when not in reverse. Not ideal for IR emitters to always be on.
You can add a relay in line and have the reverse signal trigger the relay to power camera only when in reverse.
Space under dash with Scosche accessory retention kit becomes tight so I put the relay in the back of van by the camera.
At the drivers rear corner you have the factory wire bundle for tow trailer. As well as reverse lead to the tailight assembly all together.
There is a convenient factory power and ground plug.
Send constant power to relay. Combine ground to relay with ground from camera lead.
Send two wires from Reverse lead off tailight, one to trigger the relay to power it on and thus the camera and also to the rca lead which naturally goes back to head deck to be connected to reverse input line.
It's a simpler way to wire the reverse lead signal wire and provides full power to IR emitters and camera via relay power as the reverse light itself doesn't and isn't recommend to use for direct camera power.
I tapped into the leads by cuttting back wire insulation to expose wire, soldering in the new wires and recoating and re wrapping wire.
Works perfect.
 
Last edited:

Roamin' Chariot

New member
Random question, getting a 2011 Savana AWD but haven't take delivery yet. Can the blank accessory switch panels in the center dash adjacent to the cigarette lighter be removed without removing the dash?

I said it was a random question, go easy I'm a first time poster.
 

TeleSteve

Adventurer
Random question, getting a 2011 Savana AWD but haven't take delivery yet. Can the blank accessory switch panels in the center dash adjacent to the cigarette lighter be removed without removing the dash?

I said it was a random question, go easy I'm a first time poster.
Yes, they just snap in place and can be removed easily.
 

SARguru

Observer
I looked but did not find, is there a similar thread for full size 2500 or 3500 GM/Chev vans ie not AWD??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Mat Mobile

Adventurer
I looked but did not find, is there a similar thread for full size 2500 or 3500 GM/Chev vans ie not AWD??

There isn't one to my knowledge. We should start a new one. Because combining them would lead to confusion. Of course editing the first post of this thread with a link to the non-AWD thread would be useful and vice-versa.
 

boardrider247

Weekend warrior anarchist
There isn't one to my knowledge. We should start a new one. Because combining them would lead to confusion. Of course editing the first post of this thread with a link to the non-AWD thread would be useful and vice-versa.
Start the new thread and I would be happy to link it in the first post of this one.
 

Accrete

Explorer
A few months ago i mentioned my wife and i were having the BOR Rear Handling Kit installed in our rig. Finally, after a few hiccups it is in and drives like a new-upgraded Van.

Hiccup number 1) BOR accidentally sent wrong rear shocks with the kit. So a month later we had the correct ones (Bilstein)
Hiccup number 2) With the new shocks we discovered our ~7yr old stock 3 leaf springs were shot. So we sourced and found a set of GM 3+1 rear leaf springs as suggested by BOR

So what was the result?
Near Bliss for my wife after her first commute to work over the ~10mile round trip on a country road we both take into town.
But no long road trip experience until yesterday. . .

She and i drove the van to Portland Oregon via hwy 26 ~200 mile round trip (her there, me home). I have to say i too am impressed with the handling. It is a different rig. Very smooth and i no longer sense the mild effort it took before-install to recover from pot holes and bad roadway (common along that highway). The rig is now easily driven with one hand lightly on the wheel and in mentally relaxed mode. < < Not saying that is how i drive : ) but you get the idea.

Cheers,
Thom
 

TheEL

Observer
A few months ago i mentioned my wife and i were having the BOR Rear Handling Kit installed in our rig. Finally, after a few hiccups it is in and drives like a new-upgraded Van.

Hiccup number 1) BOR accidentally sent wrong rear shocks with the kit. So a month later we had the correct ones (Bilstein)
Hiccup number 2) With the new shocks we discovered our ~7yr old stock 3 leaf springs were shot. So we sourced and found a set of GM 3+1 rear leaf springs as suggested by BOR

So what was the result?
Near Bliss for my wife after her first commute to work over the ~10mile round trip on a country road we both take into town.
But no long road trip experience until yesterday. . .

She and i drove the van to Portland Oregon via hwy 26 ~200 mile round trip (her there, me home). I have to say i too am impressed with the handling. It is a different rig. Very smooth and i no longer sense the mild effort it took before-install to recover from pot holes and bad roadway (common along that highway). The rig is now easily driven with one hand lightly on the wheel and in mentally relaxed mode. < < Not saying that is how i drive : ) but you get the idea.

Cheers,
Thom

Im curious to find out more details about this. I have a 2007 awd express.

We just got back from 2 weeks in baja and definitely felt some wobble when recovering from potholes. I dont know much about car suspensions and what-not but Im looking for something that'll handle washboard roads a little bit better and definitely some improvement from the pothole recovery. Was a little white knuckling on some of the roads down there!
 

Accrete

Explorer
Im curious to find out more details about this. I have a 2007 awd express...Im looking for something that'll handle washboard roads a little bit better..
I would actually start (knowing what i know now!) by taking your van into someplace you trust to take a look at the _health_ of your rear leaf springs. They may be able to find you a set of GM 3+1 to swap yours out for and you could be on your way to a solution. IF you did that and still felt the need for a bit more tweaking then upgrade your shocks. Since i know little about vehicles, and have always simply taken the word of mechanics and what research i find, i went the route (expensive!) that i did with the BOR kit (that we are happy with). Others on this thread have had the know-how to piece together their solutions for ~1/2 of what i put into ours. But i don't mind as (this sounds crazy) money has never been the deciding factor in my reason to do this or that in life.

YMMV,
Thom
 

Mat Mobile

Adventurer
I would actually start (knowing what i know now!) by taking your van into someplace you trust to take a look at the _health_ of your rear leaf springs. They may be able to find you a set of GM 3+1 to swap yours out for and you could be on your way to a solution. IF you did that and still felt the need for a bit more tweaking then upgrade your shocks. Since i know little about vehicles, and have always simply taken the word of mechanics and what research i find, i went the route (expensive!) that i did with the BOR kit (that we are happy with). Others on this thread have had the know-how to piece together their solutions for ~1/2 of what i put into ours. But i don't mind as (this sounds crazy) money has never been the deciding factor in my reason to do this or that in life.

YMMV,
Thom

Hi Thom! Do you have a link to this BOR kit you are talking about? I can't find anything about it.
 

wjeeper

Active member
Accrete: How many miles did you have on your suspension when you swapped them out? I was never impressed with the springs in my van, but I figured they had almost 200,000 miles and they were probably just shot. My stock springs were very soft, bottomed out easily and felt unsettled on washboard roads.

I dont know much about car suspensions and what-not but Im looking for something that'll handle washboard roads a little bit better
If your spending time in Baja on nasty roads I would strongly recommend some springs from Jeremy @ Weldtec Designs. They weren't exactly cheap, but they were absolutely worth every penny! I am almost able to keep up with my friends race ready prerunner! Give him a call and tell him I sent you and he will be able to get you set up with some awesome springs.
 

Accrete

Explorer
Greetings, happy to help.

Hi Thom! Do you have a link to this BOR kit you are talking about? I can't find anything about it.
Here is the page-link at the BOR - Boulder Off Road Vans website. If you look on the right side of page there is a "Rear Handling Kit" mentioned. That is what we put on in addition to the GM 3+1 leaf springs. We do have their 2" (worked out to be closer to 3") lift kit also.

Accrete: How many miles did you have on your suspension when you swapped them out?...
Our van has ~44K on now, and went into the shop with ~43K on original leaf springs. The mechanic said they looked shot.

Thom
 

straker101

Observer
Random question, getting a 2011 Savana AWD but haven't take delivery yet. Can the blank accessory switch panels in the center dash adjacent to the cigarette lighter be removed without removing the dash?

I said it was a random question, go easy I'm a first time poster.

They're super easy to pop out dude. I installed my fog lights and a usb flush mount for my stereo in about 20 minutes!
 

straker101

Observer
For those of you that have installed a backup camera into your chevy AWD (mine is a 2007) where did you tap into a reverse line to make your monitor turn on when the car is put into reverse? I have had the camera installed for about a year but am about to do some stereo upgrades and would like to add this function. Its simple enough to navigate to the camera on my head unit but having it turn on automatically would be real nice...

I installed a Kenwood DDX and it automatically switches the reverse camera on when shifting into R. I think most decent decks will do it automatically.
 

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