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What are these wires in right side compartment of hitch?

DrBad

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First off, sorry my truck is so dirty!

I'm putting on a Furrion wireless rearview camera, since I already have the monitor and a camera on my camper. I plan on splicing in to the hitch power on the left and mounting probably next to the license plate, out of the way of the tailgate when open. I was wondering what's in the compartment to the right of the hitch so I opened it up and found these, an exposed black and red wire. No power to them, at least when the truck is on and everything else seems to have power.

Any ideas?

Rivian R1T R1S What are these wires in right side compartment of hitch? IMG_2591
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captainjp

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First off, sorry my truck is so dirty!

I'm putting on a Furrion wireless rearview camera, since I already have the monitor and a camera on my camper. I plan on splicing in to the hitch power on the left and mounting probably next to the license plate, out of the way of the tailgate when open. I was wondering what's in the compartment to the right of the hitch so I opened it up and found these, an exposed black and red wire. No power to them, at least when the truck is on and everything else seems to have power.

Any ideas?

IMG_2591.jpeg
I believe those are the jumper wires for your 12v system.
 

COdogman

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12v jump wires

Rivian R1T R1S What are these wires in right side compartment of hitch? IMG_0187
 
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DrBad

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Ah, ok, RtMS 😆

Must have some type of diode or circuit in there since I wasn't getting any voltage reading.

And "remove the protective tape from the connectors"... hmmm
 

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First off, sorry my truck is so dirty!

I'm putting on a Furrion wireless rearview camera, since I already have the monitor and a camera on my camper. I plan on splicing in to the hitch power on the left and mounting probably next to the license plate, out of the way of the tailgate when open. I was wondering what's in the compartment to the right of the hitch so I opened it up and found these, an exposed black and red wire. No power to them, at least when the truck is on and everything else seems to have power.

Any ideas?

IMG_2591.jpeg
First off, a dirty truck is a happy truck!!!! 😎
 

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R1Thor

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...I plan on splicing in to the hitch power on the left and ...
Careful with this.

I haven't tried adding accessories myself, but per reports from others, the current draw (load) from the hitch power is what triggers the truck to be in 'towing a trailer' mode. Because of this, if you tap into that power, your truck will disable all of your rear sensors and think you're towing something.

If you find a way around that (or find that reporting is inaccurate), then please share!
 

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Ah, ok, RtMS 😆

Must have some type of diode or circuit in there since I wasn't getting any voltage reading.

And "remove the protective tape from the connectors"... hmmm
Yes, I too was surprised to find those terminals on my Gen 2 R1T as well! At least they were prudent enough to make them different lengths, but still.. I had to access those to trickle charge the 12V battery (per a very good thread on vampire drain..) and that solved my VD issue.
 

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Yes, I too was surprised to find those terminals on my Gen 2 R1T as well! At least they were prudent enough to make them different lengths, but still.. I had to access those to trickle charge the 12V battery (per a very good thread on vampire drain..) and that solved my VD issue.
Please share which battery maintainer you used to trickle charge the 12V system from the rear pigtails. It is my understanding that 1) pigtails are not directly connected to 12V 2) no voltage is detected over the pigtails and 3) 30A for a sustained time is needed to "charge" the 12V from the pigtails. #1-3 might be with regards to a dead 12V, but when I hooked my 4A battery maintainer to the pigtails on my R1S it detected no voltage and I could not charge. I am able to trickle charge the 12V either directly to the battery or via the OBD port with an adapter (up to 3A).
 

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If only there was some sort of assembled writings from the manufacturer that owners could read to learn about the basic items and operations of their vehicles.
 
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DrBad

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Careful with this.

I haven't tried adding accessories myself, but per reports from others, the current draw (load) from the hitch power is what triggers the truck to be in 'towing a trailer' mode. Because of this, if you tap into that power, your truck will disable all of your rear sensors and think you're towing something.

If you find a way around that (or find that reporting is inaccurate), then please share!
Oh, that's a bummer. I might be able to run from the truck bed through the tailgate.

Where I'd really like to mount the camera is on top of spoiler, wonder if there's a way to get a wire out of the front of the truckbed or from the gear tunnel? Looked around and didn't see anything obvious like a lot of previous trucks which will have drain holes in the bed (which always drove me crazy because they let dust get in).
 

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If only there was some sort of assembled writings from the manufacturer that owners could read to learn about the basic items and operations of their vehicles.
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as you claim. For those of us that are off grid frequently, the best process for reviving a dead vehicle is not very transparent in their documentation. Many battery jump packs will not work to revive the vehicle with a dead 12V battery via the rear pigtails. And Rivian has not been very forthcoming with the jump boxes that will work. Furthermore, early generation vehicles had 2 12V batteries and the rear pigtails will not work if the second 12V battery is dead. Also, jump starting from the rear pigtails will likely not allow the vehicle to run normally as it just gives you access to the frunk, charging port, and doors. The length of the threads regarding 12V batteries and vampire drain are proof of the (overcomplicated imo) 12V system in Rivians.
 
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DrBad

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If only there was some sort of assembled writings from the manufacturer that owners could read to learn about the basic items and operations of their vehicles.
Well, yes, hence the RtMS admittance. I have looked through the user's guide but haven't put to memory all of the Troubleshooting section yet, which is where this was found. But there is very little to nothing on how to do these types of off-nominal hookups.
 
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Please share which battery maintainer you used to trickle charge the 12V system from the rear pigtails. It is my understanding that 1) pigtails are not directly connected to 12V 2) no voltage is detected over the pigtails and 3) 30A for a sustained time is needed to "charge" the 12V from the pigtails. #1-3 might be with regards to a dead 12V, but when I hooked my 4A battery maintainer to the pigtails on my R1S it detected no voltage and I could not charge. I am able to trickle charge the 12V either directly to the battery or via the OBD port with an adapter (up to 3A).
As far as amperage to charge from the pigtails, this is not for topping up the 12V battery, you're correct that it's to recover from a totally dead one. I use a Nexpeak NC201 but for trickle charging pretty much anything is OK, but a smart charger is the better choice. On the no voltage detected that makes sense, since it is not intended as a supply. But the fact that is IS intended for recovery, clearly it can accept incoming current. It's also (IMO) much less likely to mess anything up since it's designed to take a 30A charge...
 

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Unfortunately, it's not as simple as you claim. For those of us that are off grid frequently, the best process for reviving a dead vehicle is not very transparent in their documentation. Many battery jump packs will not work to revive the vehicle with a dead 12V battery via the rear pigtails. And Rivian has not been very forthcoming with the jump boxes that will work. Furthermore, early generation vehicles had 2 12V batteries and the rear pigtails will not work if the second 12V battery is dead. Also, jump starting from the rear pigtails will likely not allow the vehicle to run normally as it just gives you access to the frunk, charging port, and doors. The length of the threads regarding 12V batteries and vampire drain are proof of the (overcomplicated imo) 12V system in Rivians.
Yes, but there are also a dozen other threads on here discussing all the nuisances of the 12V system from each vehicle variation from troubleshooting to maintenance and charging to replacement. My comment was general in reference to what are these wires and why are they here.
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