3rd Gen Tacoma, Install, Lighting, Rock Lights
3rd Gen Tacoma Rock Light Kit Install
3rd Gen Tacoma YotaMafia Off-Road Rock Light Kit + 6 KC Hilites Pure White Cyclones Install
When It came to rock lights, I felt there weren’t any good options for the Tacoma.
I searched around and all the kits were very generic with harness’s that needed cutting, splicing and more to work. Also, the lights they came with were very cheap, and poor quality.
Find It On Our Store:
- 3rd Gen Tacoma 6 Rock Light Kit: Check Price
I knew I wanted to use the KC Pure white cyclones for rock lights. Now I just needed to figure out what to use for a harness.
Unfortunately, it’s not simple to tap into the 3rd Gen Tacoma’s dome system but we set out to develop a plug and play system using the factory 3-way bed light switch like this would provide us an off, auto, on the setting, and not require any aftermarket switches.
We developed this kit with the consumer in mind and wanted it to be as easy as possible for any average dude with some basic tools to be able to install it.
6 Rock Light Kit + Mounting Hardware
YotaMafia has a 4 and 6 light kit available, we installed a 6 light kit on our Tacoma.
The 4 light kit is great and super simple to install but I wanted some more light output for off-roading at night.
The kit comes with everything you need so you’re not hunting around at ace hardware looking for bolts and nuts that may or may not work and of course, all the hardware is stainless as we wouldn’t our friends up north to suffer!
Rock Light Step-By-Step Installation
The first task in installing the kit is mounting the lights.
This kit does require drilling in the front fender wells, but it’s very straight forward and simple.
So, let’s begin!
Step 1. Open Hood & Remove Rubber Plugs On Front Fender Wells
Step 1A. Mark 1.5″ to 2″ From Center of Hole
Open the hood and locate the large rubber plugs on the front fender wells.
They are located at the top and slightly to the rear. You will need to remove these plugs. Using a marker, mark a spot 1 1⁄2 “to 2” from the center of the hole in each fender well. This will be where we will drill for the Rubber Grommet.
Step 1B. Drill a Hole in Fender Well w/ 3/8″ Drill Bit
Using the 3/8” drill bit, we’re going to drill a hole in the fender well where we made the mark.
Note: As you can see we made our mark about a 1 ½” away from the center hole for our wires.
Passenger Side on Sport or SR5 Model (Photo on Right, Above)
On the passenger side, some models have a Brake controller assembly that may make it difficult to drill from the top. If this is the case, you’ll make the mark and drill from inside the fender well. When drilling from underneath, make sure that the hole will be in an area that can be accessed from the top for plugging in the pigtails later and will be clear of obstructions. If the horn is in the way it can be easily removed with a 10mm wrench.
Step 2. Place Rubber Grommets in Holes + Cover Area with Auto Paint
We used some rubber grommets to go in the hole to prevent any chaffing of wires.
I also recommend taking a small amount of automotive paint, or something similar, and applying a small amount of paint around the hole, as we don’t want any bare metal exposed.
Step 3. Mounting the Front Lights
Now we are going to mount our KC Cyclones.
We are going to stick the light up in the fender well and guide the bolt through, loosely securing everything. Don’t forget the lock washer.
Slide the wires coming from the light up through the hole you drilled, and bam!
Your front lights are done, and it’s the same install for the other side.
Step 4. Mounting the Rear Lights
Using the Existing holes in Rear Fender Liner
- Look inside the Rear Fender wells and locate the two plastic push pins that have been used to secure the inner fender liner to the bed of the truck. They are recessed into small wells in the liner.
- Remove the Plastic Push Pin that is closest to the front of the vehicle. This can be done with a screwdriver or by using a panel removal tool. It should pop out with a little force. It does not have to be reused.
- Using a 3/8” drill bit, drill into the exposed hole to widen it. NOTE: Do not use a bit larger than 3/8” or the well nut will not hold properly.
- There are 4 components used to secure each light assembly. These are the Well Nut, Stainless Steel Screw, Stainless Steel Washer, and ¼” Nylon Spacer. These are in a separate packet in the kit.
Note: Make sure you put the nylon spacer on the back of the light before installing into the hole.
The bolt should tighten down and the light is secure.
Step 5. Wiring Harness Installation
Now it’s time to hook up the harness’s, first, we will want to snug up the relay harness and get it mounted at the end of our fuse box.
Once we organize everything with the relay harness, I’m going to grab the front harness for the lights and secure it to the firewall and hook it up to both lights.
I’m just using zip ties to secure everything and keep it out of the way.
Now it’s time for the fun part, I’ll be taking my long harness that runs from the front to the rear and I’m going to run it along the top of my frame rail starting from the rear of the vehicle while finding secure locations to zip tie it too.
Once we have run the harness over the rear passenger fender well.
We are pretty much done with the wire harnesses.
Now that all my lights are hooked up, I’m going to go back to my relay harness and finish hooking it up, you’ll want to plug the rock light harness into the relay harness and then find your long black wire and run it through the big rubber grommet.
Step 6. Locate & Unplug OEM Plug Near Bed Light Switch
Now you should be able to see the black wire up near the bed light switch, this is the greatest part of the entire kit.
Using a flat head screwdriver or something to pry with I’m going to remove the entire panel the bed light sits in, locate the OEM plug and unplug it.
Now just plug the switch adapter into your OEM plug and hook up the spade connectors.
I hooked mine up to where the rock lights and bed light both come on in sync. Push back in your bed panel tie up any loose wires and BAM you’re ready to rock!
Final Thoughts
If you want further information on how this kit works check out these links to some of our favorite YouTube videos and detailed install instructions.
