Frequently Asked Questions

Our dealers purchase in large volume and they are able to pass along savings that we cannot do on individual sales. We as the manufacturer, can't undersell our dealers.  All of our dealers set their own pricing and that might be lower than the suggested retail price.  You can get your specific part application information from us, and then buy the part from one of our dealers.  No matter where you buy your Painless Performance harness, you'll still get direct Painless Performance Tech Help.  To purchase a harness, we will refer you to a dealer close to you, or you can check out our web page dealer list. 

You can also click the add to cart button that shows on every part number description page of this website.  This will take you to our Shopatron webstore where you can purchase any Painless Performance product.

Voltmeters are much easier to install.  Ammeters require large gauge wire and most older ammeters don't have enough amperage range to operate safely with modern high-output alternators.  A voltmeter is hooked up as easily as a light bulb, and gives a very accurate indication of your charging system condition. 

Overloading an Ammeter can cause it to burn or melt.  Yes, this is a fire hazard.

A one wire alternator is called this because only one wire connects to it.  It connects to the threaded charge post on the back of the alternator.  Just make sure the case of the alternator is grounded through its mounting.

Also, keep in mind one wire alternators usually don't charge very well at or just above idle rpm.  So, if your vehicle is fuel injected, has electric cooling fans, has a big stereo or any other electrical component that requires a lot of amperage do not install a one wire alternator.  It will not satify your vehicle's amperage requirements at idle.

Some cars and trucks need a complete bumper to bumper wiring harness replacement, but the supply of new harnesses for that vehicle may have run out long ago.  If the connectors to your various switches and sockets are in good shape, they can be reused on the ends of a new 12 or 18-circuit harness from us.  You mount the new blade-style fuse block, route the attached wiring to the various components, and terminate the ends.  If you've done an engine swap or installed aftermarket gauges, the Painless harness can adapt these things to your vehicle at that time.  If you can't find a New Old Stock Replacement harness for your Chevy, Plymouth, Triumph, Apollo, or almost anything else, our universal harness can be installed and you'll be on the road.

Check here for specific fuel injection applications. Check here for specific chassis harnesses.  Just type your vehicle model in the search bar and hit enter.  If your car or truck is not in the catalog, you will need to use one of our universal kits.  Decide if you need 12 or 18 circuits. If you are just wiring the basic functions, stick with the 12 Circuit kit. If you are planning to add power windows, door locks and other creature comforts, the 18 Circuit kit is the one to go with. Is your ignition switch on the column or the dash? Use the kits designated for GM Steering Column for the later style keyed steering columns from GM. If your vehicle is Ford or Dodge look at either 10127 Universal Dodge or 10123 Universal Ford.

We have people installing our chassis harnesses every day that have never done any wiring before.  There are many variables, but with our instructions and a factory vehicle wire diagram, we tell people they can expect to spend about 20 hours installing our universal chassis harnesses.  Usually, vehicle specific chassis harnesses require less time to install since they are already mostly preterminated and laid out to fit the vehicle.  Our fuel injection harnesses require around 3-4 hours to install.  This does depend on the complexity of your fuel injection system and you should allow atleast 2-3 more hours if you plan to Powerbraid the harness before you install it.  If you have questions or need information, our tech phone line is available for help Monday through Friday 8-5 Central time at 1-800-423-9696, email us tech@painlessperformance.com or fax us at 817-413-0897.

You can insulate the bare wire ends and store them back in the harness for use later, or if you are absolutely sure you'll never need the wires, you can remove them from the harness.

Yes, part numbers 30020 12 Circuit and the 30021 18 Circuit are exactly that.  Think of our 10101 or 10201 with out the fuseblocks.

Yes, 30001 (12 Circuit) and 30003 (18 Circuit)  and 30004 are fuseblock only parts.  Normally, if a fuse block is in such bad condition that it needs replacement, the wire harness needs replacement also. Unless your original wire harness is in great condition, and you have good diagrams telling you where each wire connects, it's easier just to replace it all. Sometimes it takes longer to adapt a harness to a new fuse block than it does just to replace everything.

Use either our 12-circuit 10120 or our 18-circuit 10220 "Trunk-mount" harness. The kit is designed so the fuse block can be mounted behind the seat or even in the trunk of most cars. The kits will work with both GM keyed-column and other ignition switches.

Yes and no.  If you are referring to the fuel injection part of your wiring project then you will only need an additional harness if your vehicle must pass emissions testing.  See our fuel injection harness matrix for these mating emission harnesses. 

Our fuel injection harnesses are what are referred to as stand alone harnesses.  They include a ALDL diagnostic connector and Check Engine Light.  They are designed so you can take a TBI, TPI, LT-1, LS, GEN III & IV series engine and transmission, and our harness, and put them in anything. They are not designed for a specific vehicle.  Any engine compartment wiring other than the fuel injection itself, such as dash gauge wiring and sensors would have to be provided, or reused, on the vehicle once the system is installed in.

If you are referring to the chassis side of your wiring project such as lights, dash and steering column then yes you will need a chassis wiring harness along with your Painless fuel injection harness or one of our integrated harnesses.  Click here to check these integrated harnesses out. 

The standard length harnesses are designed to mount the PCM under the dash or in the right hand kick panel.  The distance from the back of the intake manifold to the PCM connectors is 4 feet.   The extra length harnesses have a total of 8 feet of wire between the back of the intake manifold and PCM connectors.  This allows for the PCM to be mounted under or behind the front seat or behind the headlight buckets if desired. 

 Search our website for the Painless part you are looking for (a pdf. version of the instruction manual will show on search results page and is free to download.)  All of your parts may or may not work if you got them all off of the same vehicle, but these lists will help you if you don't have all the parts needed. You can also see how the parts interchange between types of systems.  With these lists you save money by only buying the parts you need. A complete list of compatible parts for the harnesses we sell is available in every instruction book. 

General Motors introduced this system into their vehicles in 1990 and still use it as a vehicle deterrent.  If the engine and factory PCM from one of these VATS equipped vehicles is transplanted from the donor vehicle into another vehicle such as a hot rod or sand rail, this VATS system must be defeated.  There are three types of VATS General Motors uses.  Year and application of all types of VATS are listed below.  Please note that each Painless Performance VATS module is designed to work with specific PCMs and that these PCMs cannot have Corvette programming as Corvettes have the serial VATS type of anti-theft deterrent system.

Early VATS:  1990-1992 late tuned port fuel injection from Camaros/Firebirds and Corvettes.  With this VATS use the Painless Performance part number 64023 module.  This module works with Camaro programmed PCMs with serial numbers; 1227730, 16198262, 88999196.

Late VATS:  1992-1997 early and late LT1s from Camaros/Firebirds, Corvettes, Roadmasters, Impalas, Caprices and 1997-2002 LS1s from Camaros/Firebirds, GTOs, and Corvettes.  With this VATS use the Painless Performance part number 64024 module.  This module works with Camaro programmed PCMs with serial numbers; 16159278, 88999183, 16197427, 16188051, 88961150, 16238212, 1220411, 9354896.

Serial VATS:  PCMs from Corvettes and late model GM pickups have what is called serial VATS.  Painless Performance VATS modules will not defeat this system.  In order to run a PCM with Corvette or pickup programming you must have the serial VATS programmed out of it. 

Put the fuel filter on the pressure side of the fuel pump. Fuel is what lubricates and cools the pump. When the filter plugs up, the the pump is starved for fuel. If the filter is put in front of the pump, the pump has to not only push the fuel to the injectors, it has to pull the fuel through the filter.  A starved fuel pump is a burnt up fuel pump.

An engine that still runs after turning the ignition key off is a victim of engine run on.  Engine run on can be caused by several things.

1. Faulty alternator/regulator.  GM 10SI and 12SI alternators sometimes feedback voltage into the exciter wire even when the engine is shut off.  This causes voltage to feed into the ignition circuit which keeps the coil hot with voltage and causes the engine to keep running.  Remedy this issue by installing a diode #276-1661 from Radio Shack, inline with the alternator exciter wire.  Make sure to install the diode with the line closest to the alternator.  By installing this diode you have introduced a one way gate in which voltage can only flow to the alternator and not vice-a-versa on the exciter wire.
2. Electric fan wired into the ignition circuit without a relay.  Electric fans must be wired with a relay if they are spliced into any of the ignition hot circuits of any chassis harness.  If a relay is not used the fan will feedback voltage into the ignition circuit of the harness when the ignition key is turned off while the engine is running with the fan spinning. 
3. A faulty ignition switch.  Ignition switches do wear out and break apart internally.  If any of the brass parts inside the switch break apart and wedge themselves across terminals within the ignition switch, they can cause the engine to not be able to shut off. 
4. Metal parts/fragments fall into the back side of the fuseblock.  Most of Painless' harnesses have fuseblocks with open backs to them.  Depending on how they are mounted within the vehicle this open area is succeptable to metal fragments, nails, staples and scrap pieces of wire to fall into it.  This can cause a short accross the ignition and battery circuts of the fuseblock which in turn may cause engine run on.