Joined
·
4,115 Posts
All right, this is my first attempt at a walk - thru, so bear with me. I did miss some photo opportunities during the project, especially during the step underneath the dashboard. However, the Mazda instructions are very complete and I wll do my best to explain the steps.
I bought the kit from Trussville Mazda. The order was placed last Sunday night, and the kit arrived at my apartment on Wednesday. Here's a shot of the main pieces of the kit:
![]()
Of course, being OEM parts, the quality of the kit is fantastic. New turn signal stalk, included H1 bulbs, and a heavy-duty wiring harness.
1. Remove the 3 screws from the bottom of the steering column. Squeeze the two plastic halves of the steering column cover and it will pop apart. Unscrew the 2 screws that hold in the turn signal stalk, and unplug the Molex connector that holds it in place, and replace the stalk with the new one. Pop the two halves of the column cover back together, and replace the 3 screws. Very simple step here:
![]()
![]()
The next 2 steps are the hardest part of the whole install and also the part that I did not photograph, because it was already hard enough working underneath the dash without trying to hold a camera. Here's a description:
2. Remove the driver's side sill plate and fuse box cover. Locate the white 24 pin instrument panel harness directly above the fuses and disconnect the harness. Remove the terminal lock (black plastic latch assembly) from the white harness.
3. When looking directly at the white harness, the bottom rightmost wire is yellow and green. This wire needs to be removed from the Molex connector and moved up one spot in the connector. This was the part that I found to be the most difficult. The instructions give no method as to how to remove this wire. I imagine there is some sort of tool, but I do not have this tool so I had to improvise. I ended up improvising for about 2 hrs, including frustration breaks, trying to remove that damn wire. I finally was able to remove it by inserting a very small hex key into the back of the connector, just above the wire and it popped out. The instructions call for a "terminal removal tool, but I have no clue what that is and neither did any of the auto parts stores I called. The wire is held in place by a tiny spring-like metal piece attached to the wire. It was one of those things that just when I thought I was gonna go nuts, it came out. Reinsert the wire into the Molex connector 1 spot above where it was before.
4. The next step requires the use of a small green wire included in the kit. The wire has a plastic wiretap on each end of the 4" long wire. Take this little wiretap deal and locate the light green wire on the black 42 pin connector just above the white connector that you were just fighting with on the previous step. Tap one end of the included wiretapping wire to the light green wire going into the black connector, and tap the other end to the same color wire going into the white connector from the previous step. The colors are exactly the same in both connectors. Basically this step connects the light green wire from one connector to the other. Why? I have no idea, but it works
5. Remove bumper. I was concerned about this part, but it was incredibly easy. I won't describe it cuz it's been done before.
6. This is where the supplement to the instructions come in. I forgot to photograph this part too, but it's real easy. In order to have enough clearance between the driver's side light and the horns, the horns must be removed and the bracket must be replaced with a more compact bracket included in the kit. Simply unplug the horns, remove one bolt from the windshield washer fluid bottle, remove the horns and bracket, swap the horns onto the new bracket in the same fashion, and reinstall.
7. Time to install the underhood harness. First locate the positive end, the end with the fuse holder. Remove the positive wire running into the fusebox, and add the harness wire to the bolt, and reinstall everything. The bolt is circled:
![]()
Next, remove the ground wire off the battery from underneath the battery bracket and add the ground wire from the harness (the end without the fuse holder) and reinstall just like the previous step. The bolt is circled:
![]()
Run the remaining wires next to the airbox and down below the headlight and ziptie the fuseholder to the factory wire harness running just in front of the fusebox.
![]()
8. Now that the harness is connected to the battery, you must connect the grey plug on the harness to the factory harness hanging behind the air intake box. With the bumper off, it is easily located between the fusebox and airbox. Look for it from underneath, near the tire (once again I forgot to photograph, the wire struggling had me real frazzled. It's the only one you'll se tho. Next, remove the bolt just below the driver's side headlight and put the grey relay from the fog harness on the bolt and reinstall:
![]()
9. Now run the loop-wrapped wires that connect to the lights (black plugs) down to their respective locations. The short wire will just hang straight down from the relay, while the long one will run along the bottom of the radiator and need to be ziptied to the tubular steel support:
![]()
![]()
I bought the kit from Trussville Mazda. The order was placed last Sunday night, and the kit arrived at my apartment on Wednesday. Here's a shot of the main pieces of the kit:
Of course, being OEM parts, the quality of the kit is fantastic. New turn signal stalk, included H1 bulbs, and a heavy-duty wiring harness.
1. Remove the 3 screws from the bottom of the steering column. Squeeze the two plastic halves of the steering column cover and it will pop apart. Unscrew the 2 screws that hold in the turn signal stalk, and unplug the Molex connector that holds it in place, and replace the stalk with the new one. Pop the two halves of the column cover back together, and replace the 3 screws. Very simple step here:
The next 2 steps are the hardest part of the whole install and also the part that I did not photograph, because it was already hard enough working underneath the dash without trying to hold a camera. Here's a description:
2. Remove the driver's side sill plate and fuse box cover. Locate the white 24 pin instrument panel harness directly above the fuses and disconnect the harness. Remove the terminal lock (black plastic latch assembly) from the white harness.
3. When looking directly at the white harness, the bottom rightmost wire is yellow and green. This wire needs to be removed from the Molex connector and moved up one spot in the connector. This was the part that I found to be the most difficult. The instructions give no method as to how to remove this wire. I imagine there is some sort of tool, but I do not have this tool so I had to improvise. I ended up improvising for about 2 hrs, including frustration breaks, trying to remove that damn wire. I finally was able to remove it by inserting a very small hex key into the back of the connector, just above the wire and it popped out. The instructions call for a "terminal removal tool, but I have no clue what that is and neither did any of the auto parts stores I called. The wire is held in place by a tiny spring-like metal piece attached to the wire. It was one of those things that just when I thought I was gonna go nuts, it came out. Reinsert the wire into the Molex connector 1 spot above where it was before.
4. The next step requires the use of a small green wire included in the kit. The wire has a plastic wiretap on each end of the 4" long wire. Take this little wiretap deal and locate the light green wire on the black 42 pin connector just above the white connector that you were just fighting with on the previous step. Tap one end of the included wiretapping wire to the light green wire going into the black connector, and tap the other end to the same color wire going into the white connector from the previous step. The colors are exactly the same in both connectors. Basically this step connects the light green wire from one connector to the other. Why? I have no idea, but it works
5. Remove bumper. I was concerned about this part, but it was incredibly easy. I won't describe it cuz it's been done before.
6. This is where the supplement to the instructions come in. I forgot to photograph this part too, but it's real easy. In order to have enough clearance between the driver's side light and the horns, the horns must be removed and the bracket must be replaced with a more compact bracket included in the kit. Simply unplug the horns, remove one bolt from the windshield washer fluid bottle, remove the horns and bracket, swap the horns onto the new bracket in the same fashion, and reinstall.
7. Time to install the underhood harness. First locate the positive end, the end with the fuse holder. Remove the positive wire running into the fusebox, and add the harness wire to the bolt, and reinstall everything. The bolt is circled:
Next, remove the ground wire off the battery from underneath the battery bracket and add the ground wire from the harness (the end without the fuse holder) and reinstall just like the previous step. The bolt is circled:
Run the remaining wires next to the airbox and down below the headlight and ziptie the fuseholder to the factory wire harness running just in front of the fusebox.
8. Now that the harness is connected to the battery, you must connect the grey plug on the harness to the factory harness hanging behind the air intake box. With the bumper off, it is easily located between the fusebox and airbox. Look for it from underneath, near the tire (once again I forgot to photograph, the wire struggling had me real frazzled. It's the only one you'll se tho. Next, remove the bolt just below the driver's side headlight and put the grey relay from the fog harness on the bolt and reinstall:
9. Now run the loop-wrapped wires that connect to the lights (black plugs) down to their respective locations. The short wire will just hang straight down from the relay, while the long one will run along the bottom of the radiator and need to be ziptied to the tubular steel support:
