Tpp4's No Nonsense Guide to Kicker Key T-Harness (16-19)

You have them swapped. Male Metra connectors need to go to the small Kicker plug. Female Metra goes to large Kicker plug

 

That’s what I have here but I feel like you’re right and they should be swapped.

First pic shows small kicker connected to metra males. second pic shows Large kicker connected to Metra females.

 

If you’re describing your pics correctly in how you understand male vs female connectors, I think you’re backwards. You’re stereo isn’t going to be able to produce any power babies.

You’re second pic appears to be a male Metra connector. Males go inside females, it’s really about preserving the species.

Edit; good point by Destin, the pins can throw you off. Also, to clarify, my sarcasm wasn’t meant to sound dickish, just smart.

 

As Shane mentioned above, you’re getting male and female swapped.
In this industry, gender refers to the plastic connector, NOT the pins inside the connector. Easy mix up, and luckily you utilized the glorious painters tape and reached out for verification!

 

Ahhh, got it. Thank you both for clarifying, much appreciated.

 

Did my harness yesterday before going to bed and then installed this morning before work. First soldering part I did solder the wrong Metra harness also, desoldered them and finished it up. I think I'll be adding a hideaway sub, I'll pull out the harness when I get it I'll make the additional wires for the front speaker outputs and remote turn on wire.

 

If you splice in 2 of the RCA tips you cut off (provided you left enough slack on them) you can prep yourself for adding subs very easily. Might even be worth plugging in some RCA cables and wiring in a remote wire and dropping them down into the drivers floorboard. Then you won’t need to take the radio back out later. Zip tie your wires in a bundle up out of the way and call it a day

also, keep the other 2 RCA tips because they will come in handy for the hideaway

 

Hi Destin, I was planning to speaker level input with the blue remote wire, unfortunately I cut the RCAs pretty much flush and disposed of them already, do you recommend only using the RCAs? I just wanted to make sure the harness is working, I wanted to wrap the harness with Tesa tape but Amazon is taking forever. I have not used the mic and pink noise app yet to tune the speakers. I want to prep the harness for the sub when it gets here and will pull them out and wrap them all. I plan to get the Kicker Hideaway sub and from what I can tell it should reach the harness if I place it under the driver's seat. Would I be correct in assuming so?

 

For the hideaway, speaker wire is just as good as RCA’s. The reason I brought up RCA’s is for a future-proof measure, but it is by no means essential.
If you decide you want to upgrade the amp/sub, you’ll need RCA’s. If you want to replace the radio, you’ll need RCA’s. Both of those things may never happen, or they may be a long ways off. Wires are too easy to run through our trucks to worry much about it though.

you WILL need to extend the blue wire. If you have a 10’ length of wire, go ahead and add it in there. But the blue wire on the hideaway is only like 2’ long. I think the speaker wires are long enough to reach the radio, but don’t take my word on that. Been too long since I’ve done one.

 

Thanks Destin, I think I'll call it done after the Hideaway install, the Kicker speakers and Key amp are great, if I can more low end I should be good to go. I'll look for some 5 conductor speed wire to make the run. Would you happen to know a site that would have speed wire like that? I agree there is quite some room in the Tacoma to do some wiring, with of course the knowledge shared here on the forum.

 

I’ve used this with good results
https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...B4cGCaFEy3vLz556E1Shw99bys9_7xRxoCnpEQAvD_BwE

 

Thanks again Destin. I'll send them an email to find out about shipping. Browsed eBay and found Xscorpion wire, are those any good?

 

Never heard of them.
You’re looking for 18/5 stranded wire.
Make sure it’s stranded and not solid
You’ll get lots of results for thermostat wire. This is solid and not suited for audio applications.
Search “18/5 wire” in your website of choice

 

Yep - the speaker wires are long enough (mounted under-seat.) I actually trimmed a little bit off the power wire to extend the ground slightly to the factory ground screw in the kick panel.

 

Do you have a pic on the wiring for the sub. Trying to do a 5 channel amp instead of key amp. Thanks.

 

For a 5 channel, you’ll do the same process as the key, but instead of the two key harnesses, you’ll do 2 runs of speed wire that will go back to the amp location (one is input signal from the radio, the other is output from the new amp, same as with they key)

then the 5ch amp will have a switch or setting to use subwoofer RCA inputs or the front/rear channels. So no extra wiring involved for the amp/sub except the single run of wire from the amp to the sub itself.

 

Much appreciated! Do I need to splice the rcas for the sub?

 

No, any 5ch amp will handle that internally. Just feed it front/rear and set whatever switch or setting it has on it

 

thanks again!

 

Messed up the dimmer ground circuit blue wire, can I shelve it and the orange/black for now without consequence just so i can get this thing installed ?