Wire Harness Installation Instructions

20103: 21 Circuit – Classic Customizable Muscle Car Harness

Manual 90643

Painless Performance Products recommends you, the installer, read this installation
manual from front to back before installing this harness.
 Painless Performance Products, LLC
2501 Ludelle St.
Fort Worth, TX 76105-1036
PHONE: 800-423-9696 FAX: 817-244-4024
EMAIL: [email protected]

If you have any questions concerning the installation of this harness,

feel free to call Painless Performance Products' Tech Line at 1-800-423-
9696. The Tech Line can be reached from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. central time,
Monday through Thursday, and 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. on Fridays.

We have attempted to provide you with as accurate of instructions as

possible and are always concerned about corrections or improvements that
can be made. If you have found any issues or omissions, or simply have
comments or concerning these instructions, please write us at the above
address, send us a fax at (817) 244 – 4024, or email us at
[email protected]. We sincerely appreciate your
business.

Painless Performance Products, LLC shall in no event be liable in

contract or tort (including negligence) for special, indirect, incidental, or
consequential damages, such as but not limited to, loss of property damage,
or any other damages, costs or expenses which might be claimed as the
result of the use or failure of the goods sold hereby, except only the cost of
repair or replacement.

2nd Edition – September 2020

i
 CAUTION: BEFORE THE REMOVAL OF YOUR ORIGINAL
HARNESS AND/OR THE INSTALL OF YOUR NEW PAINLESS
HARNESS, DISCONNECT THE POWER FROM YOUR VEHICLE BY
REMOVING THE NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE FROM
THE BATTERY.

• A full-color copy of these instructions can be found online at:

http://www.painlessperformance.com/manuals/20103.pdf

• If your vehicle has an existing harness, you will want to retain it for
the re-use of various pigtails and connector housings particular to
your application. During the removal process, avoid making any
unnecessary cuts.

• This harness is universal. This means most/all ends are left open to
allow you to cut each wire to length and make the appropriate
connection. The small parts package and the bag kits with terminals
and connectors included with the harness will enable you to make
connections.

• Only printed wires have a 900-series number. These 900-series

numbers are used to identify various wires and circuits in the wiring
diagrams that are a part of these instructions. These 900 series
numbers DO NOT reference any factory circuit number designations
found on any factory schematics.

• This harness will not support the use of a factory or aftermarket

Ammeter.

If there are unused or unconnected wires, they will need to have

their ends terminated with an insulated terminal or electrical tape.
Doing so will prevent the wires from shorting and causing harness
failure or fire.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE # SECTION
1 INTRODUCTION
2 CONTENTS
2 SMALL PARTS
3 TOOLS NEEDED
4 TO REMOVE A TERMINAL
5 INSTALLING FACTORY STYLE TERMINALS
6 GROUNDS
7 WHY ARE CLEAN GROUNDS IMPORTANT?
9 GM FACTORY & AFTERMARKET PLASTIC DASHES
11 FUSE BLOCK
11 HORN RELAY
11 FLASHERS
12 FUSE IDENTIFICATION
13 RELAYS & SWITCHES
15 BULKHEAD
16 OLD FACTORY HARNESS REMOVAL
17 PRE-INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
17 LEARNING YOUR NEW HARNESS
17 MODIFICATIONS
20 How to Determine How Your Vehicle is Activated
20 GM, Chrysler, & Ground Activated Vehicles
22 Ford & Power Activated Vehicles
25 ENGINE BULKHEAD HARNESS
26 FUSE BLOCK MOUNTING & BULKHEAD INSTALL
27 HARNESS ROUTING
27 EXTERIOR
28 INTERIOR
29 HEADLIGHT SECTION
29 LEFT / DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT
31 LEFT PARK / SIDE MARKER LIGHT
33 LEFT TURN / PARK LIGHT
34 HORN
34 ACCESSORY / FAN RELAY
35 RIGHT TURN / PARK LIGHT & HEADLIGHT
37 WIPER MOTOR SECTION
38 WASHER PUMP
39 ENGINE SECTION
41 COOLANT TEMP SENSOR
42 OIL PRESSURE SENSOR
42 ELECTRIC CHOKE
43 Turbo 400 Transmission
44 COIL
45 Tachometer
50 A/C COMPRESSOR CLUTCH
51 START/CHARGE SECTION
Continued…
iii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE # SECTION
51 ALTERNATOR
53 CHARGE INDICATOR LIGHT
54 GM SI SERIES ALTERNATORS
55 GM CS-130 SERIES ALTERNATORS
57 GM CS-130D SERIES ALTERNATORS
59 GM EXTERNALLY REGULATED ALTERNATOR
60 FORD EXTERNALLY REGULATED ALTERNATORS
61 Method #1
61 Method #2
62 FORD 3G ALTERNATOR
64 MOPAR EXTERNALLY REGULATED ALTERNATOR
64 Mechanical Regulator
65 Electrical Regulator
66 MIDI FUSE
67 STARTER SOLENOID
68 Mopar Starter Relays
70 INTERIOR HARNESS
71 DIMMER SWITCH
73 DRIVER COURTESY LIGHT SECTION
75 DRIVER COURTESY LIGHT
75 DRIVER DOOR JAMB SWITCH
76 CENTER CONSOLE LIGHT
76 CIGARETTE LIGHTER/POWER PORT
77 HEADLIGHT SWITCH
78 GM HEADLIGHT SWITCH
79 FORD HEADLIGHT SWITCH
79 CHRYSLER HEADLIGHT SWITCH
80 PAINLESS UNIVERSAL HEADLIGHT SWITCHES
82 WIPER SWITCH
84 BRAKE SWITCH
86 TURN SIGNAL SWITCH
89 FORD COLUMNS
91 MOPAR COLUMNS
92 IGNITION SWITCH
93 GM COLUMN MOUNTED
94 GM DASH MOUNTED
96 FORD KEY ON THE DASH
96 PAINLESS UNIVERSAL IGNITION SWITCH - #80153
97 REVERSE SWITCH
99 4L60E/4L80E SWITCH
100 NEUTRAL SAFETY / CLUTCH SWITCH
101 IF YOU ARE USING AN AFTERMARKET FLOOR SHIFTER
102 INSTRUMENT PANEL
103 FACTORY PRINTED CIRCUIT GAUGES
104 AFTERMARKET GAUGES
Continued…

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE # SECTION
105 SEPARATE HARNESS- PAINLESS #30301 & #30302
106 HARDWIRING
111 RADIO & ACCESSORIES
111 RADIO
112 ACCESSORY SECTION
112 Accessory Power (Ign.)
116 A/C – Heat System
116 Factory Heater or A/C Harness
117 Aftermarket A/C System
118 Aftermarket A/C System-Alternate Connections
119 PASSENGER COURTESY LIGHT SECTION
119 PASSENGER COURTESY LIGHT
119 GLOVEBOX SWITCH
120 PASSENGER SIDE DOOR JAMB SWITCH
121 TAIL SECTION
121 DOME LIGHT
122 LEFT SIDE MARKER LIGHT
123 LEFT TURN / BRAKE LIGHTS
124 LEFT TAILLIGHT
124 REVERSE LIGHT
125 FUEL SENDING UNIT
126 LICENSE PLATE LIGHT
126 RIGHT TAIL/ TURN/ BRAKE/ REVERSE/ MARKER LIGHTS
129 TESTING THE SYSTEM
130 WIRE INDEX
133 WARRANTY & RETURN POLICY
134 BULKHEAD TEMPLATE

SCHEMATICS
PAGE # TITLE
13 12 VOLT SOURCE ACTIVATION
14 GROUND ACTIVATION
14 FAN RELAY GROUND ACTIVATION
19 #945 & #961 COURTESY LIGHT LOOPS
20 #945 & #961 COURTESY LIGHT LOOPS CUT
21 #945 POWER DISTRIBUTION
21 #961 GROUND ACTIVATION
22 #945 & #961 COURTESY LIGHT LOOPS POWER ACTIVATED FIX
23 #961 LOOP CUT ADDING COURTESY LIGHTS ONLY
23 #961 POWER ACTIVATION
24 #961 POWER ACTIVATION (W/ JAMB SWITCHES)
24 #945 POWER DISTRIBUTION (W/ JAMB SWITCHES)
32 SIDE MARKER LIGHTS
36 HEADLIGHT SECTION
38 WIPER
Continued…
v
 SCHEMATICS
PAGE # SECTION
40 ENGINE SECTION
43 CHOKE & TH400 TRANSMISSION
46 COIL CONNECTIONS (NO BALLAST RESISTOR)
46 BALLAST RESISTOR CONNECTIONS
47 HEI COIL ON CAP CONNECTIONS
47 MSD IGNITION CONNECTIONS
48 FORD DURASPARK IGNITION
49 MOPAR DUAL BALLAST
51 CHARGE / BATTERY POWER
53 CHARGE INDICATOR LIGHT
54 10-SI ALTERNATOR
56 CS-130 ALTERNATOR
58 CS-130D ALTERNATOR
59 EXTERNAL VOLTAGE REGULATOR
60 FORD EXTERNALLY REGULATED ALTERNATORS
63 FORD 3G ALTERNATOR
64 MOPAR EXTERNAL REGULATOR (pre-1970)
65 MOPAR EXTERNAL REGULATOR (1970+)
67 GM STARTER CONNECTIONS
68 FORD STARTER SOLENOID
69 MOPAR STARTER RELAY
69 SR14 RELAY
72 HEADLIGHT DIMMER SWITCHES
72 FORD HEADLIGHT DIMMER SWITCH
73 #945 & #961 COURTESY LIGHT LOOPS
74 GM & CHRYLSER GROUND ACTIVATED COURTESY LIGHTS
74 FORD POWER ACTIVATED COURTESY LIGHTS
78 EARLY STYLE GM HEADLIGHT SWITCH (also PAINLESS #80152)
78 LATER STYLE GM HEADLIGHT SWITCH
79 FORD STYLE HEADLIGHT SWITCH
79 CHRYSLER STYLE HEADLIGHT SWITCH
80 PAINLESS HEADLIGHT SWITCH #80151
80 PAINLESS HEADLIGHT SWITCH #80154
81 HEADLIGHT SWITCH & DIMMER SWITCH
83 WIPER
85 TURN SIGNAL SWITCH & BRAKE SWITCH
88 GM TURN SIGNAL SWITCH CONNECTOR PINOUT
90 FORD “SEMI-CIRCLE” TURN SIGNAL SWITCH
90 FORD TURN SIGNAL CONNECTOR (W/O HAZARD)
93 COLUMN MOUNTED GM IGNITION SWITCH
94 ’55-’57 CHEVY IGNITION SWITCH PINOUT
94 EARLY 60s GM DASH MOUNTED IGNITION SWITCH
95 MID TO LATE 60s GM DASH MOUNTED IGNITION SWITCH
96 FORD DASH MOUNTED IGNITION SWITCH
96 PAINLESS UNIVERSAL IGNITION SWITCH #80153
99 EARLY 4L60e/4L80e NSS/REVERSE SWITCH
99 LATER 4L60e/4L80e NSS/REVERSE SWITCH
105 #30301 OR #30302 CONNECTOR PINOUT
106 POWERING AFTERMARKET GAUGES (SPLICING)
106 POWERING AFTERMARKET GAUGES (CHAINING/JUMPING)
107 GROUNDING AFTERMARKET GAUGES (SPLICING)
107 GROUNDING AFTERMARKET GAUGES (CHAINING/JUMPING)
Continued…
vi
 SCHEMATICS
PAGE # TITLE
108 AFTERMARKET GAUGE LIGHT POWER (SPLICING)
108 AFTERMARKET GAUGE LIGHT POWER (CHAINING/JUMPING)
109 AFTERMARKET GAUGE SENDER WIRES
110 INSTRUMENT PANEL
111 RADIO & ACCESSORY SECTION
113 #906 AS A POWER SOURCE
113 #901 & #906 FOR 12V RELAY ACTIVATION
114 #901 AS A POWER SOURCE
114 #901 12V TOGGLE ACTIVATION
115 #901 FAN RELAY USING TEMP SWITCHES
116 TYPICAL GM HEATER ONLY SYSTEM
117 TYPICAL VINTAGE AIR CONNECTIONS
118 VINTAGE AIR ALTERNATE CONNECTION
122 REAR SIDE MARKER
127 TAIL SECTION W/ INTEGRATED TURN/BRAKE LIGHTS
128 TAIL SECTION W/ SEPARATE TURN/BRAKE LIGHT

vii
viii
 INTRODUCTION
Thank you for your purchase of a Painless Performance Products harness. This is
a customizable harness; therefore, we suggest you retain your original harness for any
unique plugs or connectors you may need while installing your new harness.
The fuse block is pre-terminated, and the proper fuses for each circuit are pre-
installed. All wires are colored based on GM color codes. Also, each wire is marked with
a 900-series wire number, what section the wire is in, and the wire’s function. These 900-
series numbers are assigned by Painless and do not correspond to any circuit numbers
found on any factory wiring schematics. A Wire Index is located on page 130 and
provides a quick reference guide for the individual wires of this harness. The Wire Index
identifies the gauge, color, what is printed on the wire, and point of origin for each wire.
During this manual, you will notice wires with a slash (Ex. BLUE/WHITE). This
indicates a wire with a stripe. The first color listed is the main wire color, and the second
color will reference the stripe color. Therefore, the BLUE/WHITE example will be a BLUE
wire with a WHITE Stripe.
Do not let the length of this instruction manual intimidate you. Much of the
information contained in this manual is helpful information about each wire, where the
wire comes from, where it goes, why a component needs it, etc. In many cases, there are
multiple schematics as well as alternate connection options for the same wire/connection
point due to this being a customizable harness. You will find that the actual install portions
of this manual are straightforward and easy to follow.
Individual components and sections are tied together for easy routing of the
harness. GM color-coded wires, along with the schematic diagrams found throughout this
manual and the printed circuit numbers and description printed on the wire, will help you
identify the different circuits during installation and later on if additions to the overall
system are necessary.
As you read through this installation manual, prior to installing your new harness,
you will find blank areas titled NOTES in each section and the back of the manual. You
may find these sections beneficial for taking your notes, listing components you are
connecting to on your vehicle, and listing the factory or manufacturer wires that are
coming from the component. You can then use the text in the manual and the wire index
in the back of the manual to identify the wire and circuit number in the Painless harness
that will connect to that requirement. For example, a turn signal switch for a 1966 Impala:

1
 CONTENTS
Refer to the Contents Figure (below) to take inventory. See that you have
everything you are intended to have in this kit. If you find that anything is missing or
damaged, please contact the dealer where you obtained the kit or Painless Performance
at (800) 423-9696.
The Painless Wire Harness 20103 should contain the following:
• Pre-terminated fuse block and harness.
• Pre-terminated firewall bulkhead harness.
• Parts Kits: (1) insulated loose piece terminals kit
• 2 bag kits: Alternator bag & a bag w/ zip ties and other parts
• This manual: 90643

SMALL PARTS
This Painless harness
includes several parts kits
containing a variety of
terminals, fuses, and screws. A
few of the terminals are non-
insulated and require heat
shrink to be applied after the
terminal is properly crimped. Heat shrink is
supplied with this kit.
These non-insulated terminals allow
you to keep a cleaner, more factory look;
colored insulated terminals can look out of
place. When crimping these terminals, take
notice of the split in the terminal. Always
make sure the split in these non-insulated
terminals is facing the groove.

2
 TOOLS NEEDED
In addition to your regular hand tools, you will need, at least, the following tools:

• Wire Crimping and Stripping Tools:

This style of hand crimper can
be purchased from just about any local
auto parts store, home improvement
store, or can also be purchased online.
You will need this style of crimper to
crimp the heat shrinkable and non-heat
shrinkable, insulated terminals
included in the small parts kit.
Another style of crimpers is “Jaw
Crimpers” or “Roll-Over Crimpers.”
These crimpers will crimp factory style,
non-insulated terminals. These types of
terminals are provided in the kit for
connecting to an HEI distributor,
headlights, and factory-style alternator.
Painless offers “Jaw Crimpers,” such as
those seen to the right, under Painless
part #70900.
A good set of wire strippers is
required to strip wire properly. This style
of wire stripper is ideal for this harness
install because of its ability to properly
strip wire gauges 10 to 20. These are
available from just about any local auto
part store, electrical supply shop, home
improvement store, or can be purchased
online.

• Volt/Ohm Meter:
A Volt/Ohm meter is always a good tool to have on
hand when installing any type of electrical components in a
vehicle. Most basic units provide the two functions required
to diagnose electrical issues seen during a harness install.
These two functions are the ability to read DC Voltage and
electrical continuity or Ohms. They can be purchased from
any home improvement store, local hardware store, electrical
supply shop, and online.

3
• Electric Drill & Drill Bits:
A drill and bits are needed to mount the MIDI fuse holder and the fuse block.

• Heat Gun:
Especially useful for the heat-shrink found in the parts
kit.

• Small (10-amp or less) Battery Charger

See TESTING THE SYSTEM located on page 129.
.

• Factory Wire Schematic

This is not necessary; however, having one handy is
good practice with any electrical job.

TO REMOVE A TERMINAL
.

With this harness being universal, many of your factory connectors or factory
service pigtails will need to be re-used. Factory terminals have been provided to allow
re-using the connector without having to splice to existing wires. The removal process of
wires into factory style connectors is as followed:
• Notice the locking tang that holds the terminal in the connector. Locate the tang access
slot on the terminal end of the connector. Push a paper clip, stiff wire, or a small flat
head screwdriver into the slot to depress the locking tang on the terminal.

• Once depressed, pull the harness wire from the connector. Do not pull too hard or you
could pull the wire out of the terminal; this leaves the terminal stuck in the connector.
While it will still be able to be extracted from the connector, it is much easier if the wire
is still intact on the terminal.

4
 INSTALLING FACTORY STYLE TERMINALS
In the parts kit, you will see different
uninsulated male and female terminals. These
terminals are for factory-style connections and
require rollover crimpers.
• Strip about ¼” of insulation from the wire.

• Insert the wire into the terminal. There

are two terminal straps on the terminal. For
instructional purposes, we will label them 1 and
2. Strap 1 crimps the exposed copper strands
of the wire, while strap 2 crimps the wire
insulation. Make your strip length long enough
to ensure only copper strands are crimped by
Strap 1 but short enough that only insulation is
crimped by Strap 2. The photo to the left best
demonstrates this.

• Using the appropriate jaw on the

crimpers, crimp Strap 1. The appropriate jaw
depends on the wire gauge as well as the
terminal stiffness. If you are unsure which jaw to
use, you can always start with the biggest and
work your way down until you get a tight crimp.

• With Strap 1 crimped, move onto

crimping the insulation strap: Strap 2. Place Strap 2 into the appropriate jaw of the
crimpers. This jaw will be larger than the one used to crimp the first strap. Crimp down
on Strap 2 making sure the strap folds down into the wire, and not overlapping itself.
Refer to the drawing to the left. Overlapping could cause problems with the terminal
fitting into the factory connector.

5
 GROUNDS
Throughout this instruction manual, and when looking at the
Painless harness, you will see the word GROUND. Maybe you have
seen the ground symbol on wiring diagrams before? What exactly is a
ground and why do you need it?

You have probably noticed

the large cable coming from the
negative side of your battery going down to the
frame or the engine. This cable allows voltage to get
back to the battery through the metal of the frame
and all the other metal pieces bolted to the frame. It
is also important to have ground cables going from
the frame to the engine and from the frame to the
body.

A ground is simply the common path

electrical current follows back to the battery. A
ground, or chassis ground as it is often called, is any bare metal surface found on the
vehicle which is in turn connected back to the frame/negative side of the battery through
mounting points and ground straps. Grounds are needed for the electrical current to
complete the circuit.

There are two ways components are grounded in vehicles: through mounting or a
wired connection.

Some grounds are supplied through mounting of the metal housings in which bulbs
are installed, like turn signal or taillight housings. Components with plastic housings or
non-conductive housings, like headlights which are glass, get their grounds through wires
from the chassis harness. It will be up to you, the installer, to supply these ground wires.
The only ground wires this harness contains are those for activation of the wiper motor
from the wiper switch, the ground wire from the horn button to the horn relay for activation,
and the ground activation wire for the dome light.

Make sure all mounting points are clean by removing any dirt, corrosion, and/or
paint. This includes light housings that ground through mounting them and the harness
ground wire connection point. This is especially important for cars that have recently been
painted as paint build-up will cause grounding issues. 80 grit or coarser sandpaper should
be all that is needed to thoroughly clean grounding points.

6
WHY ARE CLEAN GROUNDS IMPORTANT?
As an example, we will use a front turn signal that also functions as a park light.
Follow the red line from right to left in the diagram below. This red line indicates the path
the electrical current takes when everything is properly grounded. The diagram on the
next page represents when the ground is bad. Notice which bulbs illuminate when good
and bad grounds are present.
In our park light example with a good ground source, current travels from the
headlight switch to the park light bulb element. Since the bulb is properly grounded,
current passes cleanly through the bulb causing it to illuminate, and the current exits the
bulb through the ground source back to the battery. The ground allows everything to work
properly without any issues.

7
 When a ground is not connected properly or is contaminated with dirt, corrosion,
or paint, the current will then find the easiest path to ground. This is represented in the
diagram below.

Current travels from the headlight switch to the park light bulb element. However,
there is no ground at the bulb. Since the ground it normally uses is not there, the current
finds another path to ground and back to the battery. When this happens, things that
should not have power receive power coming from the park light bulb. Since the turn
signal wire also goes to the bulb, the current will travel out of the bulb through the turn
signal wire. Notice this bad ground at the front park/turn signal bulb can cause issues on
the interior of the vehicle at the turn signal indicator on the dash. In this case, the turn
signal indicator light is illuminated when it should not be. Also, since this one power source
(which was only supposed to power one bulb) is now powering two bulbs, both bulbs may
be dimmer than they would be if everything were grounded properly. This is one of the
problems with diagnosing a bad ground: they can cause issues throughout the entire
vehicle.

8
GM FACTORY & AFTERMARKET PLASTIC DASHES
Plastic dashes and gauge surrounds started being implemented in the late 1960s
which affected the way many of the dash components were grounded.
Gauges and lighting were now grounded with wires but switches needing ground
were done by the factory through a large strap and a ring terminal on the mounting surface
of the headlight switch, all of which are tied to a dash brace.

The wiper switch requires a ground because it controls the speed of the wiper
motor through ground from the switch. The wiper switch was grounded by a strap to one
of the switch mounting screws. If you do not have a strap, and there is evidence of where
one used to be, you can simply run a ground wire from a chassis ground source to one
of the mounting screws of the wiper switch. If you do not have a grounding strap, or
evidence there used to be one, consult a factory schematic of your vehicle as some
switches have a dedicated ground tab on the switch.
Black is a common color for a ground wire in a GM vehicle. Please be aware, that
GM switches of this era had a black wire for the low-speed function to the wiper motor.
Do not mistake this black wire as a ground source to the switch when referencing a factory
schematic. Without a proper clean ground source to your wiper switch, your wipers will
NOT work.

9
 If you want the headlight switch to be able to activate the dome light, and the large
factory ground ring is missing from your dash, you can create your own ground to the
headlight switch. You will need (2) small ½” self-tapping screws, (2) ring terminals,
and a piece of scrap wire. The headlight switch does NOT have to be grounded to
operate the headlights, park/marker light, and gauge backlighting.
• With the headlight switch removed, use pliers to bend the pictured tab away from the
switch body; about a 45° angle.
• Install a ring terminal onto a piece of scrap wire long enough to reach a grounding
point from the headlight switch.

• With one of the self-tapping screws, install the ring terminal and wire to the tab you
just bent.

• Route the wire to a grounding point, cut to length, and strip ¼” of insulation from the
wire. Install the other ring terminal and connect the wire to ground with the other self-
tapping screw.

10
 FUSE BLOCK
Your Painless harness contains a pre-terminated fuse block that uses modern ATC
blade style fuses. There are 11 fuses controlling 21 circuits. This fuse block allows the
convenience of having both flashers (turn signal and hazard), as well as the horn relay,
all mounted in one location.
HORN RELAY
On the fuse block, you will find a horn relay
that replaces the factory core support/firewall
mounted horn relay found on many older vehicles.
The fuse block mounted horn relay uses a standard
30-amp SPST relay and is ground activated from a
wire in the Turn Signal Switch group of wires.
Replacement relays for the horn relay can be found
at any auto parts store or by ordering Painless part
number #80132.
FLASHERS
The two flashers simply switch power on and
off going to the turn signal switch and hazard switch.
The flasher on the right is the hazard flasher. The
flasher on the left is the turn flasher.
How a flasher functions is simple. Power is
switched off and on according to heat built up in the
resistance wire inside the flasher. As soon as the
current is drawn through the flasher, as when the turn
signal or hazard switch is activated, the resistance wire
heats up and contacts the output side of the flasher.
This contact passes power through the flasher, into the
switch and to the turn signal lamp(s). Once this contact
is made, the resistance wire is no longer resisting any
current, so it begins to cool; this cooling causes the
flasher to lose contact. This loss of contact means that
there is no longer any current going to the switch, causing
the turn signal light to turn off. Once contact is lost, the
resistance wire begins heating up and the entire process
starts over again until the turn signal switch or hazard
switch is disengaged
Some LED turn signals do not draw enough current
to activate a typical thermal flasher. If you are using LED
turn signals, and your turn signals do not work properly and
you are certain everything is connected properly, a no-load
flasher will be required (Painless part number #80230).

11
FUSE IDENTIFICATION
The following two diagrams and information will detail each fuse and which
components/circuits each fuse powers.

The drawing above shows all the switched ignition fuses. These fuses are powered
by wires coming from the ignition switch (wires #931, #932, and #933) and receive power
depending on what position the ignition switch is in. NONE OF THESE FUSES SHOULD
HAVE POWER WHEN THE IGNITION IS IN THE OFF POSITION. The Ignition Switch
Section beginning on page 92 of this manual will go into further detail about power
supplied to these fuses.
The drawing below shows all the battery power fuses. These fuses are powered
by a wire that comes from the MIDI fuse, seen on page 51. The battery power fuses
always have power.

12
RELAYS & SWITCHES
All ACCESSORY wires found in this harness can support up to 15 amps alone.
Components requiring more amperage will need to be connected to a relay. The amount
of amperage needed by the component will determine the size of the relay and circuit
breaker needed. An ACCESSORY wire can be used as a 12-volt activation source or 12-
volt source for ground activation in these circumstances. Take a look at Painless Relay
Banks (part #’s 30107 & 30108) or Painless Single Relays (like part #’s 80130 &
80131) to fill your relay needs at www.painlessperformance.com/webcatalog/relay.
A 12-volt activated relay is constantly grounded. As the name implies, the relay
sends power from the output side of the relay to the component being powered when 12
volts is applied. The 12-volt source can be wired directly to the relay or interrupted by a
switch, as shown in the 12-Volt Source Activation drawing.
Wiring directly to the relay, as indicated by the dashed line, would be used in the
case of wiring a water pump relay or any other high amperage component you would
want to run continuously while the key is in the on position. In these cases, make certain
the 12-volt wire you are using is an Ignition Switched 12-volt wire and not a battery
constant hot.
The 12-volt activation wire can also be wired to a switch to offer the user OFF/ON
capabilities. In these situations, a constant battery power source would be used. This
would allow a component to be turned OFF or ON without the key in the ON position.

13
 A ground activated relay is just the opposite of the 12-volt, activated relay; 12 volts
(battery constant or switched) are supplied uninterrupted and the ground wire is switched.
The Horn Relay pre-wired in the Painless harness is a Ground Activated Relay. Another
example of this method is a thermostat operated fan relay. In this case, however, a
thermostatic switch would replace the switch in the drawing above (see below).

IF A TOGGLE/ROCKER SWITCH IS BEING USED WITHOUT A RELAY, MAKE

SURE THE AMPERAGE OF THE COMPONENT YOU ARE POWERING DOES NOT
EXCEED THE CAPABILITIES OF THE SWITCH OR SWITCH FAILURE WILL OCCUR.
IF YOU NEED A RELAY KIT PAINLESS OFFERS PART #’S 30128, 30128, & 30130.

14
 BULKHEAD
Your Painless harness contains a pre-terminated, fuse block mounted, bulkhead.
This bulkhead fits the factory firewall opening of almost all GM vehicles produced from
1968 well into the mid-1990s. For those without the proper opening or any opening at all,
a template and instructions can be found at the back of this manual. Additionally, a paper
sticker template has also been provided with this kit to help make the appropriately sized
holes.
In the event you need to run wires through the bulkhead, terminals have been
provided to add wires to each of the bulkhead connectors. The bulkhead on the fuse block
must be removed from the fuse block before wires can be added to it. It is easily removed
by prying the locking tangs on the mounting legs of the fuse block. This can only be done
when the fuse block is NOT mounted to the firewall.
The female terminals used on the fuse block bulkhead install onto wires as outlined
on page 5. The male terminals, shown below, are installed on the engine side bulkhead.
These are a rollover style terminal but require a different type of crimper due to the
material thickness. Most home toolboxes do not have the expensive, long-handled
ratcheting style crimpers these terminals require. A pair of crimpers used for non-
insulated terminals can be used to successfully crimp these terminals if care is taken.

15
 OLD FACTORY HARNESS REMOVAL

During the removal of the old, factory harness, avoid making any unnecessary cuts
to any wires. The entire harness should be able to come out of the vehicle without any
cutting at all unless someone has modified connections.
Labeling the factory harness is highly suggested as it may be helpful to look back
at the factory harness during the install of the new Painless harness. Plus, taking this step
helps you identify anything that may not be included in the Painless harness and will need
to be re-used. Individual wires and connectors can easily be labeled using masking tape.
Take photos or make a drawing of any connections that have multiple connectors,
like at the wiper motor, wiper switch, radio, etc., to help with reconnecting the new
harness.
To aid in the removal and installation of the harness, first, remove the driver seat
or bench seat and then the steering wheel. It is not completely necessary to remove the
steering wheel; however, doing so allows you more room to work while removing the
factory harness and installing the new Painless harness. Also, if the Tail Harness is to
be routed through the interior of the vehicle, the sill plates and rear seat will need to
be removed to route the wires under the sill plate and/or carpet.
In most cases, the dome light will disconnect in the trunk above the driver's side
rear wheel. There is no need to remove the headliner as the wires going to the light are
usually still in good shape and can be re-used.
Cars with factory heat, air conditioning, power locks/windows, and/or
power antenna:
These factory accessory harnesses do not need to be removed during the removal
process. They are generally separate harnesses. The power supplies for the separate
harnesses simply need to be disconnected. They are usually plugged into the front of the
factory fuse block or on the factory horn relay. Those with power lock/windows should
be using Painless part #20104 and not the #20103 harness that this manual covers.
Painless 21-circuit harnesses, like the one you have purchased, DO NOT have
circuits for power windows or power locks.
16
 PRE-INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
LEARNING YOUR NEW HARNESS:
Before moving your harness into your vehicle, it is a good exercise to lay the
entire harness out next to your vehicle. This will allow you to identify all sections of your
new Painless harness. Wires are marked to help ease the process of routing.
You will note when you pull the harness out of the box that it is organized and twist-
tied into three main sections. These sections are:
• BULKHEAD ENGINE/HEADLIGHT SECTION:
The Engine Section consists of wires for connections such as oil pressure and
coolant temperature sending units, coil or ignition system connections, and a wire for an
electric choke on a carburetor.
The headlight section consists of wires for turn signals, parking lamps, headlights,
horn power, and a 12-Volt activation wire that can be used for a fan relay.
These sections are pre-terminated and installed into the firewall bulkhead. All wires
of the engine/headlight section have ample length to account for the numerous way
components can be mounted inside of an engine compartment. This will allow you to
route your wires cleanly and terminate at the length you find fits your build best.
• INTERIOR SECTION:
The Interior Section consists of wiring for the interior of the vehicle. This includes
wiring for your headlight switch, dimmer switch, turn signal switch, brake switch, radio
power, instrument panel, ignition switch.
• TAIL SECTION:
The Tail Section consists of wiring for taillights, brake lights, rear turn signals,
dome light, fuel sending unit, third brake light, and backup lights.

MODIFICATIONS
Modifications can and should be made to the harness prior to any actual installation.
DO NOT SKIP THESE PRE-INSTALLATION STEPS
• Read through this manual with the harness laid out in front of you. Entire sections may
need to be re-routed or separated due to the way or where the fuse block is to be
mounted and how you want to route wires. Also, take note of wires you may not need
and remove them from the harness. This will clean up the appearance of the install.
Painless does not recommend removing any power wires from the fuse block as they
can be used to power other things.

• Interior Routing: Out of the box the core harness exits the right side of the fuse block.
Some may find that the harness exiting the top of the fuse block would make for a
cleaner install and the harness easier to route. To re-route the core harness, simply
remove the bulkhead connector by gently prying the locking tabs on the mounting legs
of the fuse block and re-direct the core harness up towards the flashers. Before
reconnecting the bulkhead, read through the manual to see if any other modifications
need to be made.

17
• Tail Section: the TAIL SECTION will route through the interior of the car. Some
installers may find it easier to route this section to exit the bottom or the left side of the
fuse block to make it easier to route under a door sill plate to the rear of the car. To
re-locate this bundle, zip ties installed by Painless on the core of the harness will need
to be removed so this section of wires can be re-located.
• Dimmer Switch: Locate the three wires that make up the Dimmer Switch Section.
These wires are 14-gauge and colored LT. GREEN, TAN, and BLUE/YELLOW. If you
have a later model GM steering column with the dimmer switch on the side of the
column, these wires can be left alone. If you have a floor-mounted dimmer switch, it
may be helpful to re-route these wires no to exit the bottom of the fuse block if the fuse
block is being mounted above the switch on the firewall.
• Reverse Switch: Locate the two LT. GREEN wires, #956 & #958, intended for
reverse/back up lights. If you have a column-mounted reverse switch, these two wires
can be grouped with the turn signal and brake switch wires. If you have a reverse
switch on a floor-mounted shifter or a transmission-mounted reverse switch that you
plan to access through the transmission tunnel or floorboard, these wires can stay in
their current location. If you have a transmission mounted reverse switch and need to
access the connection in the engine compartment, re-route the #956 & #958 wires to
the bulkhead. These wires will need to connect into the fuse block bulkhead and the
cut off ends installed into the engine bulkhead.
• Temp Light: Locate the Instrument Panel Section. Vehicles with a factory engine
temperature indicator light, instead of an actual gauge, may choose to connect a wire
to the tab on the ignition switch labeled “GND” or ground. This will send a ground
source to the light when the ignition switch is in the “START” position. This will
illuminate the light, letting the operator know the light is functioning. When the key is
returned to the “ON/RUN” position, the switch no longer provides ground and the light
goes out. To connect this Indicator light so it functions in this manner, either run the
GREEN #921 from the temp sender to the ignition switch and from the ignition switch
to the light or from the temp sender to the light and from the light to the ignition switch.
Ignition switch diagrams on pages 94 – 96 show this connection.

• Back Lighting: Things like the radio, aftermarket gauges, a gear indicator, heater/AC
panel, and some headlight/wiper switches require a power source for backlighting.
This backlighting will illuminate or in the case of newer radio/head units, will dim, the
component when the headlight is in the ON position. Wire or wires can be spliced to
the BROWN #930 wire in the Instrument Panel Section or in the Headlight Switch
Section to provide a power source.

• Wiper Switch: Power wires have been placed in the harness at the wiper motor, as
GM systems require, and at the wiper switch, as Ford and Chrysler systems require.
GM wipers will not need the ORANGE/WHITE #905 wire at the wiper switch. This
wire can be traced back to the bulkhead and cut or it can be used to power another
accessory requiring a switched ignition 12v power source, not to exceed 15 amps.
Please be aware, this harness comes set-up for most 2-speed GM systems.
Intermittent, 3-speed, and Ford/Chrysler systems will need to have wires added.
These wires will need to go from the wiper switch, through the bulkhead, and to the
Wiper Motor. Terminals have been provided to allow adding additional wires to the
bulkhead.

18
• Courtesy Light Loops: Locate the WHITE and ORANGE wire loops at the fuse block.
These loops are both wires needed for Dome Light activation.

o As the harness comes from Painless, it is set up for GM and Chrysler style ground
activation and the only way the dome light will operate is via the headlight switch.

o These loops allow the installer the option of cutting them and creating splices to
add courtesy lights, jamb switches, and other accessories typically found on these
circuits.

o Those with Ford vehicles, these loops also allow converting these circuits to
power activation of the lighting like factory Ford vehicles used. Please skip to page
22 at this time for the proper instructions and diagrams for correctly setting up the
power activated courtesy/dome light circuit.

o If you do not want to wire in jamb switches or courtesy lights, the WHITE #961 wire
in the Tail Section and the other end of the #961 wire in the Headlight Switch
Section can the pulled taut in order to remove the loop from the harness. The
same can be done with the ORANGE #945 wire in the Tail Section.

19
How to Determine How Your Vehicle Is Activated:

Looking at the wire connection side of the jamb switches on your vehicle, if you
see a single pin jamb switch on ANY jamb, you have ground activated lights. Some driver
side front doors on ground activated systems have 2 or three pins due to a key buzzer
and other warnings. All 1960s-70’s GM and Chrysler vehicles are ground activated.

You can also refer to a factory wire diagram. On the

diagram, locate the door switches. If any of the switches
have the ground symbol, as shown, your lights are ground
activated.

On the diagram, if you see two wires coming from the

door switch, trace both wires. One wire will connect to the
courtesy/dome light(s), follow the other wire to see if it goes
to a ground splice or if it connects to power. If your door jamb
switch switches power, as the 1960s-70s Ford vehicles do,
modifications to this harness must be made.

GM, Chrysler, & Ground Activated Vehicles:

To wire in jamb switches and/or console lights, please refer to the following
diagrams and instructions:
• Cut both loops and strip ¼” of insulation from the wires. If you only want to add jamb
switches, do not cut the ORANGE #945 loop.

• The dome light connection in the Tail Section will typically connect in the trunk above
the driver side rear wheel to a factory pigtail. This means the ORANGE #945 and the
WHITE #961 wires will have a considerable amount of length removed. These pieces
of wire cut from the Tail Section can be used for your jamb switch and courtesy light
connections.

20
• Loosely measure from the fuse block mounting location in your vehicle to the dome
light connection to ensure you do not cut too much wire from your dome light
connections in the Tail Section.

• Use the diagrams to figure out how many additional wires you will need to add, what
length these wires will need to be, and which side of the splice each wire will need to
be coming from. Also, take into account that these wires can be doubled up, or
chained, to connect one component to the others. Although not pertaining to this
courtesy light circuit, this “chaining” method is displayed in the gauge diagrams
beginning on page 106. This can be useful when a splice gets complicated with too
many wires.

21
Ford & Power Activated Vehicles:
Ford vehicles and others that have power activated courtesy/dome lights MUST
make modifications for the dome light to work. In such installs, the ORANGE #945 wire
will provide power into the door switches and to the headlight switch and the WHITE #961
wire will provide power from the door switches and the headlight switch to power the
light(s). The lights of power activated circuits ground through the housing or are
connected to chassis ground with a wire (not provided).
If you only want to activate the dome light with the headlight switch and DO NOT
wish to activate the dome light with jamb switches, a slight modification to the harness
will need to be made. Power for the dome light will need to be routed to the Headlight
Switch.
• Locate the ORANGE #945 wire in the Tail Section. Pull this wire from the Tail
Section and re-route it to the headlight switch. This will now provide the power supply
the Headlight Switch needs to activate the dome light.

If a trunk light is being installed, see the diagram on page 24. It will be easier to
cut the loop instead of pulling the wire from the tail section, as the trunk light power supply
would just have you re-routing another wire to the Tail Section.

22
• If you also wish to add courtesy lights to under the dash, a center console, pillar lights,
etc., the WHITE #961 loop will need to be cut.

• Create a splice or splices that will provide a wire to each courtesy light. This splice will
receive power from the #961 at the headlight switch and provide power to additional
lights.

23
• If jamb switches are desired, use the diagram below. The only difference between the
diagrams is the addition of the jamb switches and showing how wires can be doubled
up at a light to avoid additional splices.

• If jamb switches are also being used to activate the courtesy/dome lights, a splice like
the one shown below will need to be created. This is done by cutting the ORANGE
#945 loop, if a trunk light is being used, or cutting the extra length of wire from the re-
routed ORANGE #945 wire now going to the headlight switch.

• Additional components such as a glove box/map light, cigarette lighter/power port,

and/or trunk light can also be connected to the #945 power circuit.

24
ENGINE BULKHEAD HARNESS:
• Washer Pump: Ford, Chrysler, and other vehicles with wiper switches that switch
power to the pump will not need either of the two BLK/YLW, #983 & #905, wires.
These wires may be removed from the bulkhead or can be used to power an
accessory requiring a switched ignition power source, not to exceed 15 amps
combined. Gm systems will need these power wires to connect to the wiper motor and
washer motor as GM switches switch ground to these components.

Locate the BLUE #984 and BLK/YLW #983 wires in the bundle of wires labeled
WIPER MOTOR coming from the engine bulkhead. If you have a fender-mounted
washer pump these two wires will need to be re-grouped with the wires of Headlight
Section. If your washer pump is located on the motor like shown on page 37, these
wires can stay where they are currently located, and the extra length can be removed
when the other wiper motor wires are cut to length as instructed in the Wiper Motor
Section.

• External Voltage Regulator: If you are using a charging system that requires an
external voltage regulator take notice to its mounting location. If you find that the
regulator is mounted on the core support, you may want to re-route the WHITE #914
and RED #995 from the Start/Charge Section to the Headlight Section.

• GREY/WHITE #901 in the Headlight Section will provide an accessory relay, like a
cooling fan relay, a switched, ignition, 12v activation source. THIS IS NOT AN INPUT
POWER SOURCE FOR THE RELAY, ONLY AN ACTIVATION SOURCE. If a relay is
to be mounted on the core support, make certain to route this wire to that location.

Diagrams and information on the various usage of this #901 wire can be found
beginning on page 113.

• If you have air conditioning, take notice of where the pressure switch is located. If it is
at the condenser on the core support, where most aftermarket companies locate it,
the BLACK/WHITE #902 wire for A/C compressor activation will need to be relocated
from the Engine Section to the Headlight Section. This will route the activation wire
with the front lighting wiring. A wire will then need to be added that will connect the
output side of the pressure switch to the A/C compressor.

• If you have mechanical gauges, or aftermarket gauges that require their own 2- or 3-
wire sensors, you can remove the sending unit wires running from the Engine Section
to the Instrument Panel Section.

When bundling wires into groups,

use zip-ties, split loom, or tape. The
exposed wires in the engine compartment
and wires running to the rear of the vehicle
are best protected by wire loom or
covering. Painless offers the Power Braid
Kit part #70920 and the Classic Braid
#70970 to fill this need. These kits include
everything you will need to properly
protect your new chassis harness.

25
 FUSE BLOCK MOUNTING & BULKHEAD INSTALL
To begin mounting the fuse block, find a
suitable location with easy access if a fuse
needs to be replaced. Most of the time, the
vehicle’s original fuse block location is ideal.
This harness is designed with the intent of the
fuse block being mounted on the driver's side of
the vehicle and under the dash. This fuse block
must be mounted inside the vehicle as it is
not suitable for wet conditions.
• For vehicles without the proper bulkhead
opening, locate the template supplied with
this kit. This sticker, and the paper template at the back of this manual, will allow you
to cut the appropriate size holes to mount the bulkhead and fuse block.

This template shows center points to allow using a 1 ¼” hole saw for the radiuses
on the corners. A rotary cut off tool, like a Dremel, or some other cut off tool will also
be needed to cut the straight sides.

Once cut, use the bolts and nuts pre-installed on the fuse block to mount the fuse
block to the firewall.

• GM vehicles with the correct factory bulkhead holes, locate the (2) 3” long
stainless screws included with this kit. These screws will allow the fuse block to be
mounted to the firewall in the same holes the factory fuse block left behind.

• Before mounting, ensure the wires are exiting the fuse block to your liking.

ENGINE BULKHEAD MOUNTING

If desired, grease can be applied to the
bulkhead to help seal the connections and empty
cavities
• Find the tube of dielectric grease in the parts kit
and apply a small amount of grease into each
terminal of the Engine Bulkhead Connector.

• Push the engine bulkhead onto the firewall

connector as far as you can, it will not go on all the way
because of the bolt. Be sure the connector is on straight,
as the terminals of the bulkhead can easily bend.

• Using a 3∕8” socket, tighten the mounting thru-bolt on

the engine bulkhead to the firewall connector. DO NOT
OVERTIGHTEN! The bulkhead connector can/will crack
and the threaded insert in the firewall bulkhead can strip or
loosen the threaded insert in the fuse block mounted
bulkhead connector.

26
 HARNESS ROUTING
Loosely route all the wire groups to their designated connection points. NO
CONNECTIONS OR CUTTING WILL TAKE PLACE AT THIS TIME. Harness routing is
and should be a time-consuming task. Taking your time will enhance the appearance
and quality of the installation. Please be patient and TAKE YOUR TIME. REMEMBER
TO ROUTE THE HARNESS AWAY FROM SHARP EDGES, EXHAUST PIPES, HOOD,
TRUNK AND DOOR HINGES, ETC.

WHILE ROUTING WIRES: If you are to go through an inner fender

well, core support, or any other metal pass-through YOU MUST
INSTALL A RUBBER GROMMET.

EXTERIOR:
• Route Headlight Section down the inner driver side fender to the core support. In
some cases, you can route this section inside the fender and over the wheel well to
help hide the wires to keep the install clean. Loom will need to be added to the harness
prior to routing the harness over the wheel well.

GREY/WHITE #901 in Headlight Section will provide an accessory relay, like a

cooling fan relay, a switched ignition 12v activation source. If a relay is to be mounted
on the core support, make certain to route this wire to that location.

• Once at the core support, isolate the wires for the left-hand side and right-hand side
lights. The BROWN #927, LT. GREEN #908, and TAN #909 will have different
lengths, (3) long and (3) short, with the short wires running to the first group of lights
you come to.

• Take notice at this time to the GREEN #924 horn wire, and where the horn(s) are
located. If you have multiple horns, route the #924 wire to the closest horn. You can
loop this wire and then route to the 2nd horn. When the time comes to make the
connection to the first horn you will just cut the loop and install both wires into one
terminal for the horn connection, as instructed on page 34.

• Route the wires for the passenger side lights across the core support to the other side
of the vehicle. On most vehicles, the radiator hold-down will need to be removed to
allow access to the channel that runs along the top of most core supports where
factory wiring was once run. This routing of the front light section makes good use of
the supplied zip ties.

• Route Engine Section, Start/Charge Section, and RED #916 towards the center of
the firewall. Routing of the individual wires will be easier to accomplish during the time
of their specific connections.

27
INTERIOR:
• Route the wires intended for dash-mounted components/switches towards their
connection points on the dash at this time. Pay attention to the Accessory Section
as this bundle contains wires that can/will be routed to different places.

• Route wires away from moving components such as brake, clutch, and throttle pedals.
Also, take into consideration the movement of the heater and air conditioning cables.

• As wires are routed, use tape or the supplied zip ties to group wires and isolate specific
connections from other wires. Taking your time now will ensure you have a clean, well
thought out install.

• Route the Tail Section group of wires either through the interior of the vehicle to the
rear.

• At the back of the vehicle, route the wires to the left and right connections as indicated
by the print found on the wires.

• Once all the wires are routed and running to the general location of their components,
you can begin making connections. We prefer to start with the Headlight Section and
work from the front of the vehicle to the back.

28
 HEADLIGHT SECTION
Headlight Section of this Painless Harness includes all the power wires needed
to properly hook up both driver and passenger side headlights, front turn signal lights, and
park/marker lights. There is also a power wire from the fuse block mounted horn relay to
power the horn(s). All wires in the Headlight Section can be seen in the Headlight
Section Schematic on page 36.
Ground wires will need to be provided for both front turn signals. Grounds for the
headlights can be sourced through the wire on the provided pigtails.
If halogen bulbs are being used, a separate headlight relay kit MUST be used.
Due to the higher amperage demands of halogen lights, these lights will cause the circuit
breaker in the headlight switch to fail. A headlight relay harness provides battery power
through the relays directly to the headlight bulbs. The headlight switch will activate the
relays, thus drawing only one amp of current. This is beneficial for both the longevity of
the headlight switch and the brightness of headlight bulbs themselves. Painless offers
part #30814 for dual/quad headlights and #30815 for single headlight vehicles.

LEFT / DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT

Your first connection in Headlight Section will be the Left/Driver Side Headlight.
Two wires are provided for connection to the Left Headlight, they are:
LT. GREEN: 16-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #908 TO HEADLIGHT
HIGH BEAM; this wire provides power to the high beam filament of the headlamp.
This wire runs from the dimmer switch and has power when the dimmer switch is in
the high beam position and the headlight switch is in the headlight ON position.
TAN: 16-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #909 TO HEADLIGHT LOW
BEAM: this wire provides power to the low beam filament of the headlamp. This wire
runs from the dimmer switch and has power when the dimmer switch is in the low
beam position and the headlight switch is in the headlight ON position.
BLACK: 14-gauge wire, not printed [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #969 HEADLIGHT
GROUND: this wire can be found separate, rolled up in the parts kit with the headlamp
connectors. This wire will provide a ground source to the headlight connector.

29
 If your vehicle is
equipped with dual/quad
headlights, meaning the
vehicle has a high/low beam
light and also a separate high
beam light on each side, as
shown below, additional
pigtails will need to be
purchased (Painless #80300).
• Route the 3 wires for
left/driver side headlamp
connection to the back of
the headlamp.

• Cut all 3 wires to length and

strip a ¼” of insulation from them. Save the cutoff portion of the LT. GREEN #908
wire if you have dual/quad headlights.

• Locate the headlight terminals from the

bag containing the headlight connectors.
These terminals look like other terminals
supplied in the parts kit. You will be using
the larger, wider terminals as shown in the
photo. Also, a few of these headlight
terminals will have longer crimp straps or
deeper wells than the others. These
terminals are for those with dual
headlights that need to double up two LT.
GREEN #908 wires into one terminal.

• Use the connector photo to the

right for proper wire pinout. The
connector is shown from the wire
insertion side.

• Install terminals. If you have a

separate high beam (quad-
headlight), make sure to double
the LT. GREEN #908 wire with the
cutoff portion pf LT. GREEN #908
wire and route it to the high beam.
The unlabeled BLACK #969
ground wire (found in the parts kit)
may also need to be doubled up
and routed to the high beam.

• The left/driver side headlamp connector(s) can now be plugged into the headlamp(s)
and the headlamp(s) can now be installed into the grille.

30
LEFT PARK / SIDE MARKER LIGHT
The driver side, fender-mounted
marker light is the next connection. Some
vehicles may not have this light. If this is the
case with your install, skip to the next section,
LEFT TURN / PARK LIGHT on page 33.
The side marker can serve one or two
purposes: One, it can work simply as a front
marker/park light or two, it can work as a park
light as well as a turn signal. Both functions
are dependent on how you wire the lamp
socket.
The park light feature is activated by a power source coming from the headlight
switch. This light illuminates any time the headlight switch is in the “PARK” or “ON”
position. The turn signal feature is provided by a power source coming from the turn signal
switch.
The left side marker requires two wires to work properly; the way you want the light
to function determines if both wires need to connect to the park/marker light. These wires
are:
BROWN: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #927 TO FRONT PARK
LIGHTS this is a power wire for the park and marker light function. This #927 is spliced
to the other #927 wire in the Headlight Section. This wire has power anytime the
headlight switch is in the Park/Taillights ON or Headlights ON position.
LT. BLUE: 18-gauge wire, [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #926 TO LEFT FRONT TURN
SIGNAL, this wire is the power for the turn signal function. This wire comes from the
turn signal switch and has interrupted switched power from the turn flasher anytime
the left turn signal is activated. It also receives interrupted battery power from the
hazard flasher anytime the hazard switch is in the ON position.
• Most vehicles will need to use an installer sourced light socket like the one seen below.
These can either be cut from your factory harness or purchased from most auto supply
stores using part #PT60 or #S74. These sockets use a wedge base #194 bulb,

31
• Looking at the backside of the marker lamp housing, you will see that it has a keyed
opening to correspond with the tabs on the socket. Temporarily install the socket into
the marker light assembly

• Route the BROWN #927 wire to one of the wires of the socket and cut the #927 to
length; save the cutoff piece of #927. It does not matter which wire on the socket the
#927 connects to.

• If you do not want the park/side marker lights to also work as turn signals, connect
the other wire from the socket to a chassis ground source. If you are using a new
socket, it may already have a ring terminal preinstalled.

• For the park/marker light to also work as a turn signal, route the LT. BLUE #926 wire
to the other wire of the socket and cut the #926 to length, save the cutoff piece of
#926.

• Using splices from the parts kit, connect the #926 and #927 wires to the lamp socket.
Double up with the cutoff pieces to allow connection to the front turn/park light as
shown in the diagram below.
If you are connecting the #926 turn signal wire to the park/side marker light, you
will notice that there are no means for a direct ground to be applied to the light. This is
because the path to ground will travel from this park/side marker socket to the front turn
signal socket, through either one of the wires, and ground through the front turn/park light.
The front turn/park signal socket is a higher wattage bulb. So, when the ground passes
through that bulb it will not cause the front lamp to illuminate since it has a greater power
requirement than the park/side marker light.

32
LEFT TURN / PARK LIGHT
The Left Turn/Park Light of the
Painless harness consists of 2 wires. These
wires are:

BROWN: 18-gauge wires, printed

[HEADLIGHT SECTION] #927 TO
FRONT PARK LIGHTS, this wire
provides power to the park lights. This
wire splices to a single BROWN wire
leading to the headlight switch. This wire
has power anytime the headlight switch is
in the Park/Taillights ON position.

LT. BLUE: 16-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #926 TO LEFT FRONT
TURN SIGNAL, this wire is the turn signal power. This wire has interrupted switched
power from the turn signal flasher any time the left turn signal is activated, and the
ignition is in the ON position. It also receives interrupted battery power from the
hazard flasher any time the hazard switch is in the ON position.

If your turn signal has a dual filament bulb and only two wires, you do not need to
connect a separate ground wire. Your light socket grounds through the mounting of the
lens/bucket. If your vehicle has been freshly painted, you will need to clean the paint from
the mounting surface of the light housing. The use of a small star washer on the mounting
screws can ensure your light housing is grounded properly.

If you find that your turn signal requires a ground wire, this connection must be
sourced by you, the installed.

If your light has a single filament bulb, your lens will only act as a turn signal,
because the #927 wires will not have a connection point. Check your local laws to see if
front park lights are required; you could be in violation of the law without them. If you can
run without the front park lights, the #927 wires, along with the single wire going to the
headlight switch they splice to, can be removed from the Painless harness.

• In some cases, your turn signal will have wires hard wired to the light and exiting the
turn signal assembly, usually into a connector of some sort. Remove this connector
and use the blue insulated pin/socket terminals to connect the #926 & #927 wires to
the turn signal.

• For those with a turn signal that requires a light socket, either cut the socket from your
old harness or contact your favorite auto parts supplier for a new one. Many of these
light sockets can be purchased as a pigtail. Splices have been provided to connect
the #926 & #927 wires to the turn signal pigtails

• Route the wires needed for installation to the turn signal. Cut the wires to length and
strip ¼” of insulation from all wires.

33
HORN
The Headlight Section has a single
wire dedicated to connecting to a horn. *Most
horns ground through their mounting and
only require a power connection. This wire is:
GREEN: 14-gauge wire, printed
[HEADLIGHT SECTION] #924 TO
HORN, this is a power wire that comes
from the fuse block mounted horn relay. It
is ground activated by the horn button on
the steering column, and only has power
when the horn button is pressed.
• Route the #924 wire to the horn and cut
to length. If you pass this wire through any
metal surfaces, you will find small
grommets in the parts kit to protect the wire. If you have two horns, save the cutoff
portion of #924.

• If you have a tab on the horn, insulated “spade” style terminals have been provided in
the parts kit.

#10 ring terminals have been provided for those with “screw” or “post & nut”
connections. If your horn has a wire to connect to, then a splice from the parts kit will work
for this connection

• Strip ¼” of insulation from the #924 wire and crimp the appropriate terminal onto the
wire. If you have more than one horn, strip ¼” wire from the cutoff piece of #924 and
double the cutoff piece of #924 to the #924 coming from the relay. A terminal to
connect this wire to the horn will need to be sourced by the installer, doubled up 14-
gauge wires will require a 10-gauge terminal.

• If your horn requires a ground wire, it will need to be provided by the installer.

ACCESSORY / FAN RELAY

While this Painless harness does not include any wiring specifically for a fan relay.
The GREY/WHITE #901 wire in the Headlight Section can be used for a 12v activation
of a relay. This wire is:

GREY/WHITE: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #901 ACC/COOLING

FAN RELAY ACT.; this wire will only have power if it is connected to the
GREY/WHITE #906 wire on the interior of the vehicle. This wire can be used for the
activation of the relay coil only and MUST NOT be used to directly power a cooling
fan.

Diagrams and explanations of multiple uses of this wire can be found beginning on
page 112.

34
RIGHT TURN / PARK LIGHT & HEADLIGHT
The connections on the right/passenger side of the vehicle all connect in the same
manner as those on the left/driver’s side. The only difference you will find is the turn signal
wire for the right turn signal is a different color than the one used for the left turn signal.
The right turn signal will be:

BLUE: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SECTION] #925 TO RIGHT FRONT TURN
SIGNAL, this wire is the turn signal power, and goes to the turn signal switch. This
wire has interrupted switched power from the turn signal flasher any time the right turn
signal is activated, and the ignition is in the ON position. It also receives interrupted
battery power from the hazard flasher any time the hazard switch is in the ON position.

FRONT LIGHTING NOTES:

35
36
 WIPER MOTOR SECTION
The Wiper Motor Section comes setup for GM 2-speed systems. If you have
anything other than a 3-speed system, instructions were given on page 25 to add
additional wires. If you do not have a wiper system, these wires can be removed from the
harness.

The wiper motor connection will

require a factory schematic or referring to the
old harness. The factory connector will
probably have to be re-used as the tabs of
most motors have dimples that universal
insulated terminals do not fit. Terminals have
been provided to allow re-use of the factory
connector. The wires that make up the wiper
motor connection can be seen in the Wiper
Schematic on the next page.

Locate the wires in the Painless harness labeled “WIPER MOTOR”, these three
wires are:
BLACK: 16-gauge wire, printed [WIPER MOTOR] #979 LOW/PARK, this is a signal to
the low-speed tab on the wiper motor. This wire will provide a ground signal to the
wiper motor when the wiper switch is in the “ON/LOW” position

LT. BLUE: 16-gauge wire, printed [WIPER MOTOR] #977 HIGH, this is a signal to the
high-speed tab on the wiper motor. This wire will provide a ground signal to the wiper
motor when the wiper switch is in the ON/LOW position, also when in the “ON/HIGH”
position, and when the wiper switch “WASH” button is pushed

BLACK/YELLOW: 16-gauge wire, printed [WIPER MOTOR] #905 WIPER MOTOR

POWER, this wire supplies switched ignition power to the wiper motor from the 15-
amp WIPER fuse on the fuse block. This wire will be doubled at the bulkhead with the
power to the washer pump.

• On the motor, there are tabs sticking out, as shown above. These are the connection
points for the wiper motor. Using a factory schematic or referencing your factory
harness, connect the power and ground activation wires to the wiper motor. Terminals
have been supplied to allow re-using your factory connector. Make certain to take a
photo or make a drawing of the connector pinout before removing the factory wires.

37
WASHER PUMP
The washer pump receives a ground signal from the wiper switch to activate the
pump. Once activated, it pumps washer fluid from the reservoir to the washer nozzles.
The wires for the washer pump have added length to support both reservoir-mounted
pumps on the fender and wiper motor mounted pumps. These wires can be seen in the
Wiper Schematic below. They are:
BLUE: 16-gauge wire, printed [WASHER PUMP] #984 WASHER PUMP ACTIVATION,
this wire provides the washer pump with a ground source from the wiper switch when
the switch is in the WASH position.
BLACK/YELLOW: 16-gauge wire, printed [WASHER PUMP] #983 WASHER PUMP
POWER, this wire supplies switched ignition power to the washer pump from the 15-
amp WIPER fuse on the fuse block. This wire will be doubled at the bulkhead with the
power to the washer pump.
• Using a factory schematic or referencing your factory harness, connect the power and
ground activation wire to the washer pump. Terminals have been supplied to allow re-
using your factory connector. Make certain to take a photo or make a drawing of the
connector pinout before removing the factory wires.

38
 ENGINE SECTION
Engine Section consists of seven wires, some of which may or may not have
already been re-routed to other places in the vehicle. These wires connect to the oil
pressure and coolant temperature sending units for gauges or lights, the coil or ignition
system, the A/C compressor clutch, and an electric choke on a carburetor. Likewise, the
last wire is for the Starter Solenoid and will be covered in the Start/Charge Section.
Locations of all these components will vary from vehicle to vehicle, so no specific routing
instructions can be given.

All wires of the Engine Section have ample length to account for the numerous
way components can be mounted inside an engine compartment. For example, an
ignition box mounted on the inner fender requires more length of wire than a firewall
mounted coil.

39
40
COOLANT TEMP SENSOR

GREEN: 18-gauge wire, printed [ENGINE

SECTION] #921 TO TEMP SENDER, this
wire sends a resistive ground signal to the
engine coolant temp gauge. If you are
using an aftermarket mechanical gauge,
this wire is not needed. See the Engine
Section Schematic on the previous page.

The coolant temp sending unit or temp

switch can be mounted in the intake manifold
or the side of either cylinder head. These will
have a peg, tab, or threaded post to connect
to, as seen in the photo above. Ring terminals and insulated spade terminals have been
provided. Your factory notched connector will need to be re-used if your sender has a
round disk on top.

Two-wire sending units, found on vehicles with indicator light clusters, (meaning
there is no temp gauge only a temp light) usually require a chassis ground source on one
side of the sending unit. Trace your factory harness or better yet, consult a wiring diagram
from your year/make/model vehicle to see what your requirements are.

Two-wire temperature sensors on fuel injected engines are for engine computer
input, not for gauge signal.

Also, if connecting to an engine in a vehicle that has electric cooling fans, make
certain you know the difference between the coolant temp sensor and the electric fan
thermostatic switch; both sensors can look identical.

If you are installing a new temp sensor or are unsure of the temp sensor currently
mounted in your engine, make sure there is no sealant tape on the sensor threads. The
tape can interfere with the ground source the sensor needs to read correctly. Anti-seize
works well on the threads.

• Route this GREEN #921 wire to the coolant temp sensor, cut to length, strip ¼”
insulation, and crimp on the appropriate terminal for your connection, and connect.

41
OIL PRESSURE SENSOR

LT. BLUE/BLACK: 18-gauge wire, printed

[ENGINE SECTION] #922 TO OIL PRESSURE
SENDER, this wire sends a ground signal to the
oil pressure gauge. If you are using an
aftermarket mechanical pressure gauge, this
wire is not needed. See the Engine Section
Schematic on page 40.

The oil pressure sending unit will generally be

located near the oil filter or on the back of the block
behind the intake manifold.

• Route this LT. BLUE/BLACK #922 wire to the

oil pressure sending unit, crimp-on the appropriate
terminal for your connection, and connect.

Terminals have been provided for those with the style of

sensor seen above. Your factory notched connector will
need to be re-used; rollover crimpers will be needed to install
this terminal.

Two-wire sending units found on vehicles with

indicator light clusters, meaning there is no oil gauge only an
oil light, usually require a chassis ground source on one side
of the sending unit. Trace your factory harness or better yet, consult a wiring diagram
from your year/make/model vehicle to see what your requirements are.

If you have a two-wire sensor on a newer, fuel-injected, donor engine, it will not
work for your pressure gauge. Two-wire sensors on fuel injected engines are for fuel
pump control and are not designed for oil pressure gauge readings. These types of
sensors are generally found on GM TBI and TPI engines.

ELECTRIC CHOKE
RED: 18-gauge wire, printed [ENGINE SECTION] #954 TO ELECTRIC CHOKE,
this wire provides a switched ignition power source to the choke from the 15-amp WIPER
fuse. It has power when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position.

When you turn your key to the “ON/RUN”

position, the voltage this wire carries heats the bi-
metal spring called the “choke thermostat.” This
spring will unravel as it is heated causing the choke
to slowly open. When the ignition is turned to the
“OFF” position, power is no longer on this wire,
causing the spring to begin to cool and contract,
closing the choke.

42
• If you do not have an electric choke, you do not need this wire and it can be capped
off and stowed. If you are using a Turbo 400 transmission, see the instructions
below before terminating the #954 wire.

• Route the RED #954 wire to the + terminal of the electric choke, install the supplied
terminal and connector, and connect. If you are using a Turbo 400 transmission,
and a throttle switch is in the engine compartment, see the instructions below
before terminating the #954 wire.

• Double up the cut off piece of #954 at the choke to provide power to the Turbo 400
kick down throttle switch.

• Ensure the choke is properly grounded (the ground wire is not supplied in the Painless
harness) before continuing with the installation. This is normally provided with the
carburetor.

Turbo 400 Transmission

The Turbo 400 transmission requires a
12v power source to downshift the
transmission under wide-open throttle. This is
done with a throttle switch either located on
the accelerator pedal inside the vehicle or on
the throttle linkage on top of the engine.
• Double up the cut off piece of #954 at the
choke. Route this cutoff piece of #954 to
one side of the throttle switch and cut to
length. Use terminals from the parts kit to
connect the wire.

• If you have a factory,

accelerator pedal
mounted switch, you
can use a switched
power source inside
the vehicle or you
can route the cutoff
piece of #954 to the
interior, connect at
the throttle switch,
and then route it
back out to the
transmission.

43
COIL

A single wire, coming from the fuse block, supplies power to the coil/ignition
system. The connection of this wire varies depending on what ignition system (factory or
aftermarket) you use. The wire needed to supply a switched ignition power source is:

PINK: 14-gauge wire, printed [ENGINE SECTION] #920 TO COIL + (IGN. POWER), this
wire comes from the 30-amp COIL fuse. This wire has power anytime the ignition
switch is in the ON and START positions. This wire provides the coil/ignition system
with switched power in 1 of 4 ways:

• If the Coil you are using is not internally

resisted, a ballast resistor, along with
the installer provided bypass wire
shown on page 46, will be required. If
a coil is not internally resisted and a
ballast resistor is not used, the coil will
overheat within a few minutes to the
point that it will no longer work. A
ballast resistor can be obtained at your
local parts store using part number
RU11. See the Ballast Resistor
Connection Diagram on page 46.

• HEI coils, internally resisted coils, and most aftermarket ignition boxes do not require
the use of a ballast resistor. The #920 wire connects directly to the + side of the coil.
See the Coil Connection (NO Ballast Resistor) Diagram on page 46.

• If you use an aftermarket ignition box, such as an MSD, Accel, etc., this PINK #920
wire will supply the ignition box with the switched power source it requires. This wire
goes to the aftermarket ignition box and not the Coil; the ignition box will provide the
Coil + connection. This #920 wire may need to be pulled from the Engine Section
and routed to where the box is mounted. See the ignition box manufacturer’s
instructions for a specific connection point of this power source. MSD Ignition
Connection on page 47 has been provided.

• If you have converted to fuel injection, are using a standalone harness, such as a
Painless fuel injection harness, and coil power is supplied through the fuel injection
harness, in LT1/LS1 and newer applications, this PINK #920 wire provides the fuel
injection harness with the switched power source the harness requires. If you use a
Painless fuel injection harness, this PINK #920 wire will connect to the open-ended
PINK wire of the fuel injection harness labeled “IGN” or “Fuse Block IGN.”

• Route this PINK #920 wire to its proper connection

point and cut to length, install the appropriate terminal for
your connection, and connect.

Terminals and a factory-style connector, seen in the

photo to the left, have been supplied to allow connecting to
the + side of an HEI Coil.

44
Tachometer

PURPLE/WHITE: 18-gauge wire, printed [ENGINE SECTION] #923 TACHOMETER

SOURCE/COIL -, this wire sends a tachometer signal from the coil to the gauge
cluster. This wire only needs to be connected if you are using a tachometer (factory
or aftermarket). See the Engine Section Schematic on page 40. If you do not have a
tachometer, this wire may be removed from the harness. Depending on your ignition
system (factory or aftermarket), or use of fuel injection, the connection of this #923
wire can vary:

• Standard factory type installs with an HEI distributor, or external coil ignition systems,
require the #923 wire to be connected to the negative (-) side of the coil. Refer to the
diagrams on pages 46 & 47 for proper connection.

• If you are running fuel injection and the tach output wire of the fuel injection harness
does not reach the tachometer, this #923 wire will connect to the tach output wire from
the ECM.

• If an aftermarket ignition box is being used, such as an MSD, Accel, etc., this #923
wire will connect to the tach output found on the ignition box. Refer to the MSD Ignition
Connection on page 47 and the ignition manufacturer’s installation procedure.

• Route this #923 tach signal wire to its proper connection point and cut to length, install
the appropriate terminal for your connection, and connect.

45
 Use one of the following four diagrams to properly connect the coil power (#920)
and tachometer (#923). Not shown in the diagrams are the wire(s) connecting the coil
and the distributor, these are not included.

46
47
48
49
A/C COMPRESSOR CLUTCH

Before connecting this wire, see the A/C – Heat Section on pages 116 – 118
for diagrams and further details on how to connect a factory or aftermarket system.

BLACK/WHITE: 14-gauge wire, printed [ENGINE SECTION] #902 A/C COMPRESSOR

ACTIVATION, this wire is intended to provide power to the A/C compressor clutch.
This wire comes from the A/C switch inside the vehicle to the binary or trinary safety
switch and then to the compressor.

This wire can also be used to provide power to the blower motor on vehicles that
power the blower motor on heat only vehicles that powered the blower motor through the
bulkhead instead of a separate harness that exited the passenger side of the firewall.

• In the engine compartment, route the #902 wire to your binary or trinary safety switch
if one is being utilized. In most cases with aftermarket systems, this will be mounted
near the condenser on the core support. Cut the #902 wire to length and connect.
Attach the cut-off portion to the other pin of the pressure switch and route it to the A/C
compressor clutch and connect.

Those using a trinary switch, use the diagram on page 117 to wire the fan control
portion of the switch. Cut off wire or wire supplied by a separate fan relay harness will
be needed as this chassis harness does not include this wire except #901 as shown.

This wire can be repurposed or removed if you are not using an A/C system.

This wire will only have power when connected to a power source inside the
vehicle.

50
 START/CHARGE SECTION
The Engine Section consists of three wires for connections to the alternator,
starter solenoid, and inline MIDI fuse (included with the kit). Locations of these
components vary from vehicle to vehicle so no specific routing instructions can be given.

Locate the bag kit provided with the Painless harness kit labeled “ALTERNATOR.”
This bag kit contains the hardware needed to make the appropriate connections to the
alternator as well as a covered inline fuse holder.

ALTERNATOR
The alternator connections vary depending on the alternator your vehicle currently
has installed. The alternator may also need to be removed to gain access to the
connection points.

The one connection all alternators have in common is the output post. This sends
power from the alternator to the battery. This connection is made using the large gauge
RED wire rolled in the kit, it is:

RED: 6-gauge wire, not printed, #915

ALTERNATOR OUTPUT, this wire provides
power out of the alternator to the MIDI fuse and
from the MIDI fuse to the battery. This wire is not
part of the harness but is a separate, rolled piece
of wire provided with the kit. When connected,
this wire always has power from the battery. See
Charge/Battery Power Schematic on page 51.

51
• Locate the rubber alternator boot and a large,
un-insulated ring terminal from the
“ALTERNATOR” bag that has the right size
opening for your alternator post. A piece of
the provided red heat shrink may be used
along with the boot or just by itself over the
terminal crimp if the alternator boot is not
desired.

• If the rubber boot is being used, the end will

need to be cut, as shown in the photo to the
right, to allow the large gauge wire to pass
through.

• If the heat shrink is being used, slide it onto the #915 wire,
followed by the rubber boot. A small amount of lubricant such
as WD-40 may be applied on the inside of the rubber boot to
allow the boot to slide down the wire easier.
• With the boot on, strip about 3∕8” of insulation from the charge wire
and crimp the ring terminal on. You can use a hammer crimper if
you hand crimper will not accept this large gauge wire/terminal.

• Connect this wire to the B+/Output stud on the alternator. Once the
nut on the output post stud has been tightened, slide the boot over
the nut and ring terminal installed on the alternator.

If your vehicle has an aftermarket, ONE

WIRE ALTERNATOR, meaning it does not
require a switched 12v source or regulator
connections, or if the Painless or other
aftermarket fuel injection harness you are using
has an alternator connector, then this output
wire is the only wire used in this section at the
alternator.
Locate the 2 wires intended for alternator
regulator connections; they will be grouped
together in the Engine Section. These wires are:
RED: 14-gauge wire, printed [START/CHARGE
SECTION] #995 ALT. REGULATOR
POWER (BATTERY), this is the sense wire, it provides a battery power source, or voltage
sense, that all voltage regulators require. This wire always has power and comes from the
large battery supply splice in the harness. This wire will not be needed if you have a one wire
alternator or a GM CS series alternator. See the various alternator illustrations on pages 54
– 65 and the Charge/Battery Power Schematic on page 51.
WHITE: 14-gauge wire, printed [START/CHARGE SECTION] #914 TO ALTERNATOR
REGULATOR EXCITER, this is the indicator light wire and has switched ignition power from
the fuse block. This wire will not be needed if you have a one-wire alternator.
If you have a one wire alternator, and only if you have a one wire alternator, you need to
insulate the ends of these wires and stow them in the harness, THEY ARE POWER WIRES. #995
may also be connected to the output post of the alternator to avoid removing it from the harness
since this wire goes into the big battery power splice.

52
CHARGE INDICATOR LIGHT
Those wanting to add a charge indicator light will need to re-route the WHITE #914
wire found in the Alternator Section of wires. This wire will be connected to the light and
then out the other side of the light to the alternator voltage regulator. The way the light
will function is this:

Electrical current moving from the fuse block, through the filament, and out to the
alternator causes the light to illuminate. This light illuminates when the key is in the
ON/RUN position and the alternator is not charging because the engine is not running or
when the alternator is not working properly. Once the alternator is charging, the voltage
regulator no longer needs the switched ignition voltage supplied by the #914 wire, which
stops the current flow. Since power is no longer flowing through the filament, the bulb
does not illuminate.

If you are using a one-wire alternator, a charge light cannot be installed since you
do not have an alternator exciter wire going to the regulator.

• Connect the WHITE #914 wire to one side of the light; the remainder of #914 connects
to the other side of the light to provide power out to the voltage regulator. See the
diagram below.

It is also recommended, but not

necessary, to wire in a 15 ohm 2-watt resistor
between the power in and power out, as seen
in the diagram below. This provides enough
power to the voltage regulator to allow the
alternator to still charge in the event the bulb
burns out. This resistor can be found through
online, electronic component suppliers such as
Mouser or Allied Electronics under part
#OY150KE.

The remaining alternator connections vary based on which alternator is being

used. Choose the alternator that best represents the alternator found on your vehicle from
those on the next few pages. Then, follow the instructions provided for your alternator.

53
GM SI SERIES ALTERNATORS

The 10-SI and 12-SI alternators are easy to identify. They have an external fan
behind the pulley (the 12-SI has enclosed style fan blades) and a 2-pin connection. This
2-pin connection is circled on the second example in the image above. These are also
commonly referred to as “Delco” or “Delcotron” alternators.

The two wires (RED #995 and WHITE #914) connect to the two posts on the back
edge of the alternator.

• Route the two wires to the numbered 1 & 2 terminals

on the alternator and cut to length. Strip ¼” of
insulation from both wires.

• A factory-style connector and terminals, seen in the

photo to the right, are provided in the “ALTERNATOR”
bag. Crimp a terminal onto each of the two wires.

• Insert the wires into the connector as shown in the

diagram below. When the terminal pin-out is complete,
plug the connector into the alternator.

You may experience “engine run-on.” This is caused when the alternator back
feeds voltage down the #914 wire after the key has been turned off. This allows the
ignition system to still function causing the engine to continue running even though the
key is turned off or even removed from the ignition. If this should happen, unplug the
alternator connector to shut the engine off. If you experience this, a remedy has been
provided.

As shown in the photo above and the diagram below, a diode, splices, and heat
shrink are provided. If engine run-on occurs, simply install the diode as shown. When the
diode is installed inline of the #914 wire with the stripe towards the alternator it lets current
flow towards the alternator, but not away from the alternator back feeding the ignition
system, thus fixing the run-on issue.

54
GM CS-130 SERIES ALTERNATORS

The CS-130, CS-121, and CS-144 alternators closely resemble the SI series
alternators. They have an external fan behind the pulley and, generally, a plastic casing
on the side and back. These alternators have a 4-pin, sealed connector, shown in the
photo below and circled in the image above. The regulator will be marked P, L, S, F. This
type of alternator was used on GM TPI and LT1 fuel injected engines among other late
1980s to mid-1990’s GM vehicles.

The two wires RED #995 REGULATOR BATTERY POWER and WHITE #914
ALTERNATOR EXCITER, connect to the regulator on the back of the alternator.

• Route the two wires to the

connector on the alternator and cut
to length. Strip ¼” of insulation
from both wires.

• The factory 4-pin alternator

connector from a factory GM
harness is needed (seen to the
right). It is not included with this
Painless chassis harness.

• The CS-130 alternator requires a

resistance on the WHITE #914
wire. Without this resistance, the
regulator on the alternator will burn
up. A resistor, splices, and heat shrink, seen below, are provided in the
“ALTERNATOR” bag kit. The resistor* will simply need to be installed inline on the
#914 wire as shown in the diagram on the next page.

55
 *In factory applications where this alternator was used, a charge indicator light
created the necessary resistance. For those with an instrument panel with a charge
indicator light, the resistor is not needed. However, the #914 wire needs to be routed
to one side of the charge indicator light and the other side of the light then routes out to
the alternator. A charge indicator light was explained in more detail on page 53.

• Use 2 of the splices and heat shrink provided in the “ALTERNATOR” bag kit to splice
the CS-130 pigtail to the #914 and #995 wires according to the diagram below.

56
GM CS-130D SERIES ALTERNATORS

The CS-130D can be spotted by the lack of an external fan behind the pulley.
These alternators have an internal fan and a plastic casing on the back. These alternators
have an elongated, oval, 4-pin, sealed connector, seen circled in the image above. The
regulator will be marked P, L, I, S. This type of alternator was used on many engines,
including the GM LS series, Vortec, and Gen. III Vortec truck fuel injected engines.

There are two wires in the Alternator Section: RED #995 REGULATOR
BATTERY POWER and WHITE #914 ALTERNATOR REGULATOR POWER (IGN). For
the CS-130D alternator, only the WHITE #914 is used. The #995 may be connected to
the alternator output post or removed from the harness.

• Route the WHITE #914 to the connector on the

alternator and cut to length. Strip ¼” of insulation.

• The factory, 4-pin alternator connector from a factory

GM harness or a CS-130D pigtail purchased from
Painless (part #30705; see photo), needs to be
used.

• The CS-130D alternator requires a switched power

source to pin “I” of the regulator and a resisted power
source on the wire going to pin “L” of the regulator. Without this resistance, the
regulator on the alternator will burn up. A resistor, splices, and heat shrink, seen on
page 55, are provided in the “ALTERNATOR” bag kit. The resistor simply needs to be
installed inline on the pin “L” wire, #914, as shown in the diagrams on the next page.

In factory applications where this alternator was used, a charge indicator light
created the necessary resistance. For those with an instrument panel with a charge
indicator light, the resistor is not needed. However, the #914 wire needs to be routed
to one side of the charge indicator light and the other side of the light then routes out to
the alternator. A charge indicator light was explained in more detail on page 53.

• Using a splice and heat shrink provided in the “ALTERNATOR” bag kit, splice the CS-
130D pigtail to the WHITE #914 wire according to one of the diagrams on the next
page.

57
 Both diagrams accomplish the same task: they use the WHITE #914
ALTERNATOR REGULATOR POWER (IGN) wire to provide a switched power source
and a resisted power source to the 2 wires of a CS-130D alternator pigtail/connector when
a charge indicator light is NOT being used. Pick the method that easiest for you to
understand.

58
GM EXTERNALLY REGULATED ALTERNATORS

The two wires (RED #995 and WHITE #914) connect to the regulator.

• Route the two wires of the Painless harness to the connection point on the regulator,
cut to length, and strip ¼” of insulation from both wires.

• The factory, 2-pin alternator connector and 4-pin regulator connector from a factory
GM harness need to be used. Due to a lack of usage by most customers, these
connectors are not included with this Painless chassis harness. If you do not have
these connectors, they can be obtained online, at a local auto parts store, or you can
use the loose piece insulated terminals in the parts kit to make connections.

• Connect the WHITE #914 wire to the “4” terminal on the regulator.

• Connect the RED #995 to the “3” terminal on the regulator.

Two 14-gauge wires, which run from the regulator to the alternator, and a 14-gauge
wire for a ground need to be provided by the installer to finish the connections. These
wires are not in the Painless harness.

• Connect the “2” terminal on the regulator to the “R” terminal on the alternator. This
was a white wire from the factory.

• Connect the “F” terminal on the regulator to the “F” terminal on the alternator. This
was a blue wire from the factory.

• The last connection will be connecting a wire from the “G” post on the alternator to a
chassis ground source.

59
FORD EXTERNALLY REGULATED ALTERNATORS

Note: Your Alternator may not appear exactly as represented above. However, the
circuits are wired in the same manner.
The two remaining wires, a 14-gauge RED wire printed #995 REGULATOR
BATTERY POWER and a 14-gauge WHITE wire labeled #914 ALTERNATOR
EXCITER, will connect to the regulator.

• Route the two wires of the Painless harness to the connection point on the regulator
and cut to length. Strip ¼” of insulation from both wires.

• The 4-pin regulator connector from

a factory harness will need to be
used. Due to a lack of usage by
most customers, these connectors
are not included with this Painless
chassis harness. If you do not have
these connectors they can be
obtained online, at a local auto
parts store, or you can use the
loose piece insulated terminals in
the parts kit to make connections.

• The two methods to power the regulator depicted in the diagrams above are explained
on the next page. The difference in the diagrams is where the #914 wire connects,
which in turn, will decide how many wires run from the regulator to the alternator.
Please be advised that a charge indicator light will only work if the regulator is wired
according to Method 1.

60
Method #1:
• Connect RED #995 to the Voltage Regulator “A” terminal.
• Connect WHITE #914 wire to the Voltage Regulator “l” terminal.
• Connect a 14-gauge wire from the Voltage Regulator “S” terminal to the Alternator
Stator (S) terminal.
• Connect a 14-gauge wire from the Voltage Regulator “F” terminal to the Alternator
Field (F) terminal.
• The Alternator case must be clean, and free from corrosion where it contacts the
block. An additional connection from the ground stud on the rear of the alternator
to the engine ground is highly recommended.

Method #2: An alternate (and less-used) method is to omit the Alternator Stator wire:
• Connect RED #995 to the Voltage Regulator “A” terminal.
• Connect WHITE #914 wire to the Voltage Regulator “S” terminal. Since the #914
is on the “S” terminal of the regulator, “S” or stator post on the alternator will not
be connected.
• Connect a 14-gauge wire from the Voltage Regulator “F” terminal to the Alternator
Field (F) terminal.
• The Voltage Regulator Ignition (l) terminal is not connected.
• The Alternator case must be clean, and free from corrosion where it contacts the
block. An additional connection from the ground stud on the rear of the alternator
to the engine ground is highly recommended.
NOTE: The base of the Voltage Regulator MUST be grounded for it to function
correctly.

61
FORD 3G ALTERNATOR

The two wires RED #995 REGULATOR BATTERY POWER and WHITE #914
ALTERNATOR EXCITER, connect to the pigtails on the back of the alternator.

There are two connectors, a D-shaped 3-pin and a single pin (circled in the image
above), from the factory Ford harness, which need to be used. Also, the installer will need
to supply an inline fuse with a rating of 125 amps or more for this alternator. Due to a lack
of usage by most customers, these connectors and fuse are not included with this
Painless chassis harness. If you do not have these connectors and fuse, they can be
obtained through Painless by purchasing our Ford 3G Alternator Harness (p/n: 30831)
online, at https://www.painlessperformance.com.

62
• The 3G alternator requires a switched power source to pin I of the regulator, this will
be the #914 wire. Route the WHITE #914 to the LT. GRN/RED wire of the “I” terminal
on the regulator pigtail and cut to length. Strip ¼” of insulation.

• Route the RED #995 to the YLW wire of the “A” Terminal on the regulator pigtail and
cut to length. Strip ¼” of insulation.

• The 3G alternator requires a constant battery power source to pin A of the regulator,
this will be the #995 wire. Using a provided splice and connect the 3G harness to the
WHITE #914 & RED #995 wires according to the diagram above.

The 2G and 4G alternators wire up in the same manner as the 3G with regard to
the “I” and “A” terminals on the regulator.

63
MOPAR EXTERNALLY REGULATED ALTERNATOR
Mopar uses one of two kinds of voltage regulators: An electronic regulator and a
mechanical one. In both applications, the RED #995 is not needed and can be removed
from the harness or attached to the alternator output post.

Mechanical Regulator
The mechanical regulators, pre-1970, will have two posts marked “IGN” and “FLD”.
One post will exit one side of the regulator, while the other post will exit the other side.
This regulator will use an alternator that has a single field terminal, as shown below.
• The WHITE #914 wire is connected to the “IGN” terminal of the regulator.
• The “FLD” terminal of the regulator is connected to the field terminal of the alternator.
The #914 wire left from the first connection should have sufficient length for this.

64
Electrical Regulator
The electrical regulators, 1970+, will
also have two posts marked “IGN” and “FLD”,
but both posts will be found on top of the
regulator and will require a connector. This
regulator will use an alternator that has two
field terminals, as shown in the diagram
above.

The factory, 2-wire regulator connector from the harness needs to be used. Due
to a lack of usage by most customers, these connectors are not included with this Painless
chassis harness. If you do not have these connectors, they can be obtained online, at a
local auto parts store.

• Plug the connector into the voltage regulator.

• Then, route the WHT #914 wire to the BLUE factory wire running from the “IGN”
terminal on the regulator connector. Cut to length and strip ¼” of insulation.

• Splice the BLUE factory wire and the WHT #914 wire together with the cutoff portion
of the #914 wire using a butt-splice from the parts kit (see image above).

• Then, route the WHT #914 wire to one of the “FLD” tabs of the alternator. Cut to length,
strip ¼” of insulation, and connect using an insulated spade terminal from the parts
kit.

• Route the GRN factory wire from the regulator connector to the other “FLD” tab of the
alternator and connect.
Finally, make sure BOTH the alternator and the voltage regulator housing are grounded.

65
MIDI FUSE
A large, inline MIDI fuse is included in the “ALTERNATOR” bag kit. This inline fuse
provides a fused link between the alternator and battery.
• Find a suitable location to mount the supplied fuse holder using the (2) self-tapping
screws provided. A drill with a ¼” nut driver is required to drill holes for the mounting
screws.
With the fuse holder now mounted, locate the following two wires:
RED: 10-gauge wire, printed [START/CHARGE SECTION] #916 TO MIDI FUSE, all
power sources in this Painless harness originate from this wire. This wire provides
battery power to the fuse block, which in turn supplies battery power to the ignition
switch, which provides switched power. During normal operation, this wire always has
constant battery power.

RED: 6-gauge wire, rolled separate from the harness, not printed, #915 ALTERNATOR
OUTPUT, this wire provides power from the alternator to the battery through the MIDI
fuse. See Charge / Battery Power Schematic on page 51. The other end of this wire
connects to the output post of the alternator.

• Route the #915 and #916 wires to one side of the fuse holder and cut the wires to
length. DO NOT DISCARD THE CUT OFF PORTION OF #915.

The length of excess wire cut from the #915 wire will be used to connect the other
side of the fuse to the “+” side of the vehicle’s battery or to the battery post on the starter
solenoid. DO NOT CONNECT THE #915 TO THE ACTUAL BATTERY AT THIS TIME. If
routed to the starter solenoid, this wire will NOT replace the battery cable needed by the
starter from the positive side of the battery to the “BAT” or (+) post of the starter solenoid.

• Make connections to both sides of the fuse holder with the large ring terminals with
the small, #10 hole provided with the kit. You can use a pair of pliers if your crimpers
will not accept this large gauge wire/terminal. The heat shrink supplied with this kit is
intended to cover the crimped end of each of these (2) ring terminals. A schematic
showing these connections can be found on page 51.

• Once you install the ring terminals onto both studs of the fuse holder, the fuse can be
installed, and everything can be tightened down with the two retaining nuts provided
with the fuse holder. Once everything is tightened, the cover can be reinstalled.
Depending on how your crimp flares the ring terminal, the cover may or may not need
slight trimming to snap into place.

66
STARTER SOLENOID

The connections to the starter solenoid vary depending on your ignition system,
the location of a neutral safety/clutch switch, and your connection point on the battery
power source for the MIDI fuse.

One connection to the starter solenoid all vehicles share is:

PURPLE: 12-gauge wire, printed [ENGINE SECTION] #919 TO STARTER SOLENOID,

this wire will supply the solenoid with a switched power source from the ignition switch.
This power will activate the starter solenoid causing it to turn the engine over for
startup. This wire will only have power when the ignition switch is in the Start/Crank
position.

Note: If you are using a transmission mounted neutral safety switch (NSS), this wire will
need to be routed to the NSS, cut to length, and connected. The cut-off portion of #919
will connect to the other side of the NSS and route to the starter solenoid “S” terminal.

• Route the PURPLE #919 and the ballast bypass, if needed, to the starter solenoid
and cut to length. If the remainder of #916 from the MIDI fuse is being connected to
the “BAT” or (+) post of the starter solenoid, it may be routed at this point as well. Be
sure to keep all wires away from the exhaust manifold or header.

• Locate ring terminal and heat shrink from the parts kit that best fits the posts found on
the starter solenoid and install onto the wires going to the starter solenoid. Be sure to
apply heat shrink the insulation to protect the crimp.

• The PURPLE #919 wire will connect to the “START” or “S” post on the solenoid and
the bypass wire, if needed, will connect to the “I” or “R” post of the solenoid.

• If you are connecting the battery supply to the MIDI fuse to the battery cable/post on
the starter, connect it now. BE SURE THE BATTERY CABLE IS DISCONNECTED
FROM THE BATTERY BEFORE MAKING THIS CONNECTION.

67
Mopar Starter Relays
Use the following instructions and diagrams if you are wiring in a Mopar starter
relay. Please be aware that if a ballast resistor is being used, you will need a relay with a
ballast terminal. Locate heat shrink and ring terminals from the parts kit that best fit the
posts/terminals found on the starter relay, crimp and connect.
• Connect the PUR #919 wire to the Starter Relay Ignition (l) terminal. This will activate
the relay when 12v is applied when the key is in the “START” position.
• Connect a 14-gauge wire (not supplied) from the Starter Relay Ground (G) terminal to
the center terminal of the transmission mounted Neutral Safety Switch.
o Older Mopar neutral safety switches have only one terminal. On newer switches,
the two outside terminals are for backup lights. Use existing wiring to connect these
two terminals as shown in the diagram below.
• If using a harness with the GM column connectors, but using the Mopar Neutral Safety
Switch, or neutral safety switch on a floor shifter, you will need to splice together the
PURPLE wires at the steering column wiring.
• If the Neutral Safety Switch is mounted in the floor shifter, connect the Starter Relay
Ground (G) terminal to chassis ground.
• Connect the “BAT” post on the relay to a battery power source. This is easily done by
connecting this post to the output/harness side of the MIDI fuse, inline on the #916
wire as shown in the diagrams on the following page. This post provides the power
that is transferred through the relay, to the starter.
o Those without a Mopar reverse switch/neutral safety switch, connect the “G”
terminal to a clean chassis ground source using a cut off piece of 16- or 18-gauge
wire from a previous connection, as shown in the SR14 Relay diagram on the next
page.

68
• The terminal on the relay marked “SOL” will need to have a wire that runs from this
terminal to the “S” post on the starter. This terminal on the relay provides power to the
starter solenoid. The Painless harness does not have a wire dedicated for this
connection, but a 12- or 14-gauge scrap wire cut from another connection of this
harness will work.

• If you are using an SR14 Relay and a ballast resistor, connect the PINK #920 wire to
one end of the Ballast Resistor.

• Then, connect the other end of the ballast resistor to the ignition coil POSITIVE (+)
terminal with 14-gauge wire (you may have enough PINK #920 wire left over to
accomplish this). Then run a 14-gauge wire (not supplied) to the “BAL” terminal on the
Starter Relay

69
 INTERIOR HARNESS
Now that the Engine Sections are wired, move to the interior of the vehicle.

Before you make any connections on the inside of the vehicle, let us address the
component switches: like the headlight switch, brake switch, turn signal switch, ignition
switch, and headlight dimmer switch.

With older vehicles and hot rods in general, many times switches are replaced by
what is available or what previous owners had lying around. In some cases, these
switches are not marked and there is no idea what pins on the switch controls each
function. If you are unsure about positions or functionality of the switches currently in
your vehicle and are not up to the task of figuring out what each pin does, Painless offers
several solutions. We have switch kits and sell switches individually.

A common switch kit that many people choose is Painless part #80121. This kit
provides you with a new headlight switch, new dimmer switch, door jamb switches, and
dash-mounted ignition switch, all marked with each terminal’s function. Part numbers for
individual switches are given in each individual section.

70
 DIMMER SWITCH
The first connection is the group of three wires that belong to the Dimmer Switch
Section. These three wires provide power to the headlights for low beam and high beam
power. These wires can be seen in the Headlight Dimmer Switch Schematics on the next
page, they are:

BLUE/YELLOW: 14-gauge wire, printed TO

DIMMER SWITCH << #907 >> TO
HEADLIGHT SWITCH, this wire provides
power to the dimmer switch from the
headlight switch. This wire has power
whenever the headlight switch is in the
“HEADLIGHT ON” position.

TAN: 14-gauge wire, printed [DIMMER

SWITCH] #909 LOW BEAM, this wire
provides power from the dimmer switch
and into a splice with two other wires. The other two wires feed power to each low
beam of the headlights, as seen in the Headlight Section Schematic on page 36. Once
connected, this wire has power when the headlight switch is in the “HEADLIGHT ON”
position and the dimmer switch is in the “LOW BEAM” position.

LT. GREEN: 14-gauge wire, printed [DIMMER

SWITCH] #908 HIGH BEAM, this wire provides
power from the dimmer switch to each high
beam of the headlights and to the high beam
indicator as seen in the Headlight Section
Schematic on page 36. Once connected, this
wire has power when the headlight switch is in
the “HEADLIGHT ON” position and the dimmer
switch is in the “HIGH BEAM” position.

The connection point of these wires depends on the location of the dimmer switch.
Most have a floor-mounted dimmer switch, although, those using a later model GM
column may find the dimmer switch on the side of the column. Painless offers part #80150
for those needing a new floor-mounted dimmer switch.

• Route all three wires to the dimmer switch and cut to length.

• Connect the three wires to the dimmer switch as shown in the diagram below. A
connector and terminals have been provided in the parts kit for this connection. This
connector fits both floor mounted and column-mounted switches.

71
72
 DRIVER COURTESY LIGHT SECTION
This Painless harness does not come with Courtesy Light Sections, but rather
has two loops near the fuse block made from the ORANGE #945 and WHITE #961 dome
light wires. These loops allow the installer the option of cutting them and creating splices
to add courtesy lights, jamb switches, and other accessories typically found on these
circuits. If you are installing any of these things, you should have created the proper
splices on pages 19 – 24 during the pre-installation guidelines.

Connections in this section lead to both sides of the vehicle. Therefore, it is easiest
to wire the passenger side after working your way across the dash. So, Passenger Side
Courtesy Lights are covered on page 119.

73
 As the harness comes from Painless, it is set up for GM and Chrysler style ground
activation and the only way the dome light will operate is via the headlight switch. Your
splices should look something like the schematics below.

Those with Ford vehicles, the loops also allow converting these circuits to power
activation of the lighting like factory Ford vehicles used. Proper setup was shown on
page 22 creating the power activated courtesy/dome light circuit. Ford vehicles and
others that have power activated courtesy/dome lights MUST make modifications
for the dome light to work. Your splices should look something like the schematics
below.

74
DRIVER COURTESY LIGHT
This connection allows the driver side under the dash/floorboard of the vehicle to
be illuminated any time a door is open or when the headlight switch is activating the dome
light. Your original courtesy light sockets will need to be re-used.
• Locate the wires intended for the driver courtesy light socket. These wires should be
coming from splices you created on pages 19 – 24 with the WHITE #961 and
ORANGE #945 loops.

• Route wires from the WHITE #961 and ORANGE #945 circuits to the driver’s side
courtesy light socket.

• Use insulated splices from the parts kit to connect the WHITE #961 and ORANGE
#945 wires to the wires of the socket.

• If you are installing door jamb switches, the WHITE #961 wire can be doubled up at
the light and the excess routed to the door jamb switch. This will prevent you from
having to create additional splices to the loop wires

• Those with Ford vehicles will only need to connect the WHITE #961 to the courtesy
light socket.

DRIVER DOOR JAMB SWITCH

The door jamb switches provide a ground activation for the courtesy lights and dome light.
When the door is opened, the plunger on the switch extends out as it is no longer being pushed
in by the door. When the plunger extends, the contact point on the back of the switch contacts
the body of the switch, which is grounded through the mounting into the metal door jamb. This
grounding gives the wire attached to the switch a ground source which will then cause the interior
lights to turn on.

• Locate the wire intended for the driver door jamb switch. This wire should be coming from a
splice with the WHITE #961 loop you created on pages 19 – 24 or from the driver courtesy
light socket if you doubled the WHITE #961 wire in the previous step.

• Route the WHITE #961 wire to the driver side door jamb switch and use an insulated terminal
from the parts kit that fits your switch to connect it.

• If you find that your door jamb switch has 2 tabs, it does not matter which tab the #961 wire
connects to. The additional tab was for a key buzzer found on some vehicles. Ford systems
will have 2-pin jamb switches, power in and
power out. Connect a wire from the
ORANGE #945 circuit to the other tab.

If this is a new build/ restoration or

your original switches are just in bad shape
and new switches are needed, Painless
offers factory style GM jamb switches as part
#80170. Please note that part #80170 is for
one switch, and each door requires its own
switch.

75
CENTER CONSOLE LIGHT
If you have a courtesy light on the back of the console, this connection allows the
console light to illuminate any time a door is open, or the headlight switch is activating the
dome light. Your original courtesy light sockets will need to be re-used.
• Locate the wires intended for the center console light socket. These wires should be
coming from splices you created on pages 19 – 24 with the WHITE #961 and
ORANGE #945 loops.

• Route wires from the WHITE #961 and ORANGE #945 circuits to the center console
light socket.

• Use insulated splices from the parts kit to connect the WHITE #961 and ORANGE
#945 wires to the wires of the socket.

• Those with Ford vehicles will only need to connect the WHITE #961 to the center
console light socket.

CIGARETTE LIGHTER / POWER PORT

Splicing into the ORANGE #945 wire can provide you with a
constant power source for a universal Cigarette Lighter/Power
Port connection. Typically, the cigarette lighter is more
commonly used as a power port to charge and run electronic
components requiring a 12vDC power source.

• Locate the wire intended for the cigarette lighter/power port.

This wire should be coming from a splice you created on
pages 19 – 24 with the ORANGE #945 loop.

• Route a wire from the ORANGE #945 circuit to the cigarette

lighter/power port.

• Cut the wire to length and connect according to one of the following options (see the clock
notation below before doing any termination):

o Ring terminals and bullet/socket/spade style terminals are provided in the parts kit to
connect universal aftermarket lighters/power ports. Universal Lighter socket part #56458,
seen in the photo above, can be found at most local parts stores. A ground wire is needed

o For those with a factory socket, you can cut the connector from your factory harness.
Leave 3” or 4” of wire to create a pigtail and splice it to the ORANGE #945 wire on the
Painless harness. Splices have been provided in the parts kit.

If this is a new build/restoration or your

original sockets are just in bad shape and new
sockets are needed, Painless offers a Universal
Courtesy Light Kit part #30710.

76
 HEADLIGHT SWITCH
The headlight switch’s connections send power to the headlights, front park/marker lights,
rear taillights, and component backlighting, such as gauges and the radio. These wires can be
seen in the Headlight Switch & Dimmer Switch Schematic on page 81. These seven wires are:
ORANGE: 14-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] #959 TO HEADLIGHT
SWITCH (POWER B+); this wire supplies constant battery power for the park/taillights as well
as for the gauge backlighting. This wire comes from the 20-amp HORN fuse on the fuse block.
BROWN: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] #927 TO FRONT PARK
LIGHTS, this wire supplies power to the park lights. This wire has constant battery power any
time the headlight switch knob is pulled to Park Light ON and, depending on your switch, the
Headlight ON position.
BROWN: 14-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] #929 TO TAILLIGHTS, this
wire supplies power to the taillights. This wire has constant battery power any time the
headlight switch knob is pulled to both the park light ON and headlight ON positions.
BROWN: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] << #930 INSTRUMENT
PANEL LIGHTING >> [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION], this wire provides power to the
gauge lights. This wire should have constant battery power any time the headlight switch knob
is pulled to both the park light ON and headlight ON positions.
BLUE/YELLOW: 14-gauge wire, printed TO DIMMER SWITCH << #907 >> TO HEADLIGHT
SWITCH, this wire supplies power to the dimmer switch for headlight operation. This wire has
constant battery power any time the headlight switch knob is pulled to the headlight ON
position.
RED/BLACK: 12-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] #928 TO HEADLIGHT
SWITCH (POWER B+); this wire provides constant battery power to the headlight switch for
headlight operation. This wire comes from the 30-amp HEADLIGHT fuse on the fuse block.

WHITE: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] TO DOME LIGHT GROUND
<< #961 >> TO DOME LIGHT [TAIL SECTION], this wire provides a ground source for the
interior dome/courtesy lights.
• Route the wires to the headlight switch and connect them. Diagrams have been provided for
factory GM style switches and Universal switches offered by Painless. If you do not have a
connector, use the light blue insulated terminals found in the parts kit to make these
connections.
The use of some or all these wires will depend on the headlight switch you use. Factory
style switches will use all wires, whereas most universal switches may not require all of them.
Diagrams have been provided of the most common switches, along with universal switches that
Painless also offers.
If your switch does not have a separate terminal for gauge backlighting, connect wire #930
with the taillight wire #929 at the switch. If your switch does not have separate tail and park
terminals, #927 and #929 wires will connect at the switch. In the case you do not have a
backlighting terminal and do not have separate tail/park terminals, all three wires #930, #927, and
#929 will all share the same terminal on the switch. Splicing these three wires to a single 16 gauge
or larger wire that will connect to the switch is the easiest way to make the connection in that
situation.

77
GM HEADLIGHT SWITCHES

Use the following diagrams to connect to a GM

style headlight switch. GM used this style headlight
switch from the 1960s up through the 1980s. There are
2 different types of these switches, commonly referred
to as early and late styles. The only difference is the tab
to which the park lights connect (see the diagrams
below for an illustration of this difference). Painless
offers the early style switch with a headlight pull,
terminals, and a connector, part #80152, seen in the
photo to the right.

78
FORD HEADLIGHT SWITCH

CHRYSLER HEADLIGHT SWITCH

79
PAINLESS UNIVERSAL HEADLIGHT SWITCHES

Painless offers several universal switches as well, and even one with hi-low beam
dimmer functions. Use the following diagrams to connect to either of the universal
headlight switches offered by Painless. Use the blue insulated ring terminals found in the
parts kit to make these connections.

80
81
 WIPER SWITCH
This harness comes set up for GM 2-speed wiper systems. Those with GM 3-
speed or delay/intermittent wipers, Ford, Chrysler, or any other system, will need
to add additional wires from the switch to the motor for their set up. Use your factory
harness and/or a factory wire schematic to determine the number and color of additional
wires needed.
All the wires in the wiper switch section can be seen in the Wiper Schematic on
page 38, these wires are:
ORANGE/WHITE: 16-gauge wire, printed [WIPER SWITCH] #905 TO WIPER SWITCH
(POWER B+), this wire supplies switched ignition power to the wiper motor/switch
from the 15-amp WIPERS fuse on the fuse block.

The following wires either provide power or ground to the wiper motor from the switch.
This will depend on the connection of the ORANGE/WHITE #905 wire. If your wiper motor
requires an ignition switched, 12v source directly from the fuse block, like most firewall-
mounted GM motors, the #977, #979, and #984 will provide ground to the motor.

BLACK: 16-gauge wire, printed [WIPER SWITCH] #979 LOW/PARK, this is a signal to
the low-speed tab on the wiper motor. On GM systems, this wire will provide a ground
signal to the wiper motor when the wiper switch is in the “ON/LOW” position

LT. BLUE: 16-gauge wire, printed [WIPER SWITCH] #977 HIGH, this is a signal to the
high-speed tab on the wiper motor. On GM systems, this wire will provide a ground
signal to the wiper motor when the wiper switch is in the ON/LOW position, also when
in the “ON/HIGH” position, and when the wiper switch “WASH” button is pushed

BLUE: 16-gauge wire, printed [WIPER SWITCH] #984 WASHER PUMP ACTIVATION,
on GM systems this wire provides the washer pump with a ground source from the
wiper switch when the switch is in the WASH position.
• Use your factory harness and/or a factory wire schematic to determine the correct
wire pin out of your wiper switch.
On GM systems that switch ground to the wiper motor, without a proper clean
ground source to your wiper switch, your wipers will NOT work. This ground can be from
the mounting of the switch, in cases where the switch is mounted to a metal dash or a
chassis ground source is supplied to one of the mounting screws. Also, some switches
have a ground tab located on the switch itself for grounding purposes. Black is a common
color for a ground wire in a GM vehicle. Please be aware, that GM switches of this era
had a black wire for the low-speed function to the wiper motor. Do not mistake this black
wire as a ground source to the switch when referencing a factory schematic.

82
83
 BRAKE SWITCH
A mechanical switch, like Painless part #80172 (2-pin) or #80176 (4-pin, also
included in our torque converter lockup kits #60109 & #60110), will be mounted on or
near the pivot point of the brake pedal.

There are two wires found in the Painless chassis harness for proper brake switch
connection, and they are:

ORANGE: 14-gauge wire, printed [BRAKE SWITCH] #917 TO BRAKE SWITCH

(POWER B+), which provides power from the 20-amp STOP fuse. This wire always
has power.

WHITE: 16-gauge wire, printed [BRAKE SWITCH] #918 BRAKE SWITCH OUTPUT, this
wire supplies power from the brake switch to the brake lights. The wire goes into a
splice with two other wires, which can be seen in the Turn Signal Switch & Brake
Switch Schematic on the next page.

• Route the brake switch wires to the brake switch and connect them. Be sure to route
the wires away from the moving parts of the brake pedal and/or clutch pedal. It does
not matter which terminal the wires connect to.

If your brake switch has four connection pins:

• Two pins will have contact or will be closed when the brakes are not applied. This is
usually the pair of terminals closest together. These pins are for cruise control and/or
torque converter lockup.

• Two pins will be separate, or open when the brakes are not applied. You will need
these two posts that are normally open for brake light function. This is usually the pair
of terminals further apart and usually the terminals closest to the threaded/plunger
end of the switch. In the photo above of Painless part #80176, these will be the
terminals in the center of the picture above.

84
85
 TURN SIGNAL SWITCH
The turn signal switch provides power to each turn signal and turn signal indicator.
For those using a later model or aftermarket GM style column, turn signal switch
connectors are provided. As noted on page 11, if you use LED lights, a no-load flasher is
required (Painless part #80230).

In this group of instructions, you will see the term “integrated turn/brake lights.”
Most vehicles have integrated lights. This terminology refers to turn signals that also
function as brake lights. You can easily tell if your vehicle has integrated turn/brake
signals or separate turn/brake lights by looking at the lamp socket(s) on the rear of the
vehicle. Only looking at the
passenger or the driver side, how
many sockets going into red lenses
do you see?

Integrated turn brake signal

vehicles will usually have one socket
per side with a dual filament bulb
(brighter filament for turn/brake,
dimmer filament for taillights). You
can also have vehicles that have
integrated lights but also have
multiple sockets and lenses.

Separate turn brake signal vehicles will usually have 2 or 3 sockets: 1 socket with
dual filaments (brighter filament for brake, dimmer for tail) and 1 socket with a single
filament for the turn signal. Remember to count the bulb filaments or the contacts on the
bottom of the bulb, not the wires going to them, as your sockets may or may not have
ground wires.

86
 The wires provided in the Painless harness for turn signal connection can be
identified by the wires reading “TURN SWITCH.” These wires can be seen in the Turn
Signal Switch & Brake Switch Schematic on page 85, they are:

LT. BLUE: 18-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] #926 TURN SWITCH
(LEFT FRONT), this wire provides power to the front left turn signal. This wire has
power anytime the hazard switch is activated and when the turn signal lever is in the
down/left turn position and the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position.

BLUE: 18-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] #925 TURN SWITCH (RIGHT
FRONT), this wire provides power to the front right turn signal. This wire has power
anytime the hazard switch is activated and when the turn signal lever is in the up/right
turn position and the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position.

WHITE: 14-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] #918 TO BRAKE SWITCH
(INTEGRATED LIGHTS ONLY), this wire feeds the brake light power into the turn
signal switch for vehicles with integrated turn/brake signals. This wire has power
anytime the brake pedal is pressed. Those with separate turn and brake lights will not
need this WHITE #918 wire.

YELLOW: 16-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] << #949 TO LEFT
TURN/BRAKE >> [TAIL SECTION], this wire provides power to the left rear turn
signal. This wire has power anytime the hazard switch is activated and when the turn
signal lever is in the down/left turn position and the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN
position. On vehicles with integrated turn/brake lights, this wire also carries the brake
light power. In those cases, this wire will also have power anytime the brake pedal is
pressed.

GREEN: 16-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] << #948 TO RIGHT
TURN/BRAKE >> [TAIL SECTION], this wire provides power to the right rear turn
signal. This wire has power anytime the hazard switch is activated and when the turn
signal lever is in the up/right turn position and the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN
position. On vehicles with integrated turn/brake lights, this wire also carries the brake
light power. In those cases, this wire will also have power anytime the brake pedal is
pressed.

BROWN: 16-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] #951 TO EMERGENCY

FLASHER SW. B+, this wire provides power to the hazard switch. It comes from the
hazard flasher found on the fuse block. It is a battery power wire, but it has power only
when the hazard switch is activated which causes the flasher to send power through
this wire. See Flashers on page 11 for how this process works.

PURPLE: 16-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] #952 TO TURN SWITCH
(TURN FLASHER), this wire provides power to the turn signal switch. It comes from
the turn signal flasher found on the fuse block. It is an ignition power wire, but it has
power only when the turn signal switch is activated, which causes the flasher to send
power through this wire. See Flashers on page 11 for how this process works.

BLACK: 18-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] #953 TO HORN SWITCH,
this wire is a ground activation signal to the horn relay. The only time this wire is
grounded is when the horn button on the steering wheel makes contact to a ground
source.
87
• Route the turn signal wires to the turn signal switch and cut to length.

• Use one of the following turn switch diagrams and connect each wire of the Turn
Signal Switch Section to its correct connection.

• If a diagram is not provided, a factory schematic for your vehicle may be needed to
figure out your connections.

• Locate the black connectors in the kit for GM

columns. Terminals have also been provided in
the parts kit for this connection, seen in the photo
to the right

• Most columns will use the plug seen to the right,

which is found on most aftermarket columns, as
well as GM columns from the mid-1970s onward.
These GM columns are a popular retrofit item
because of their key on the column and tilt
function.

• Using the diagram below, pin each wire into its correct location on the connector.
Remember, WHITE #918 will only be connected if you have integrated lights.

• If using the connector shown,

once all wires have been installed,
fold the locking tab down onto the
connector. It will click/snap and
lock the terminals in their place.

• Connect the now installed

connector onto the connector on
the steering column.

88
FORD COLUMNS

For those with Ford columns, the connector that plugs into the column from a
factory harness will be needed. When it is cut from the factory harness leave 4-6” of wire
to make it easy to splice/connect it to the wires on the new Painless harness. Those that
do not have access to the connector that plugs into the column connector, cut the
connector off the column, and splice/connect directly to the wires in the column.

If a mate to your column connector is not available Painless recommends putting

an in-line connection to make removal of the harness or column easy. Connector kits
such as #40010 and #40011 would provide such a connection; allowing you to install a
connector onto the new Painless harness as well as a mate to this connector onto the
wires on your column.

Diagrams, as well as a chart, have been provided to help identify the factory wires
found on your column. Your column may differ from the information provided as there are
numerous different columns.

• Using the splices provided in the parts kit, splice each wire of the “TURN SIGNAL
SECTION” to your factory connector or directly to the wires coming from your column.

FORD COLOR DESIGNATION PAINLESS PAINLESS

WIRE # COLOR
GRN, RED/BLK Brake Light Power 918 WHITE
WHT/BLU Front Right Turn Signal 925 BLU
GRN/WHT Front Left Turn Signal 926 LT. BLU
ORN/BLU, GRN Rear Right Turn Signal 948 GRN
GRN/ORN, Rear Left Turn Signal 949 YLW
YLW/BLK
WHT/RED Hazard Power - BRN
BLU, BLU/YLW Horn - BLK
BLU Turn Signal Power - PURP

If you are using a Painless connector kit, use the supplied terminals provided with
that kit.

89
The diagrams above show splicing the wires from the Painless harness to an
installer created pigtail from factory wiring.

90
MOPAR COLUMNS

For those with Mopar columns, the connector that plugs into the column from a
factory harness will be needed. When it is cut from the factory harness leave 4-6” of wire
to make it easy to splice/connect it to the wires on the new Painless harness. Those that
do not have access to the connector that plugs into the column connector, cut the
connector off the column and splice/connect directly to the wires in the column.

If a mate to your column connector is not available Painless recommends putting

an in-line connection to make removal of the harness or column easy. Connector kits
such as #40010 and #40011 would provide such a connection; allowing you to install a
connector onto the new Painless harness as well as a mate to this connector onto the
wires on your column.

Diagrams, as well as a chart, have been provided to help identify the factory wires
found on your column. Your column may differ from the information provided as there are
numerous different columns.

• Using the splices provided in the parts kit, splice each wire of the “TURN SIGNAL
SECTION” to your factory connector or directly to the wires coming from your column.

If you are using a Painless connector kit, use the supplied terminals provided with
that kit.

MOPAR COLOR DESIGNATION PAINLESS PAINLESS

WIRE # COLOR
WHT Brake Light Power 918 WHITE
TAN, BLU Front Right Turn Signal 925 BLU
GRN, LT. GRN Front Left Turn Signal 926 LT. BLU
BRN, BRN/RED Rear Right Turn Signal 948 GRN
GRN, GRN/RED Rear Left Turn Signal 949 YLW
PNK, BLK Hazard Power - BRN
RED Horn - BLK
BLK, BLK/RED Turn Signal Power - PURP

91
 IGNITION SWITCH
The most important connection of a wiring harness, the ignition switch, controls
power to the switched ignition fuses in the fuse block as well as sending power to the
starter solenoid to crank the engine.

All wires going to the ignition switch can be seen in the Ignition Switch Schematic
below. These wires are:

RED: (2) 12-gauge wires, printed [IGNITION SWITCH SECTION] #934 TO IGNITION
SWITCH (POWER B+), these wires come from a buss bar on the fuse block and feed
battery power to the ignition switch. These wires always have power. One wire comes
from the 30-amp HEADLIGHT fuse on the fuse block, and the other wire from the 20-
amp STOP fuse.

ORANGE: 12-gauge wire, printed [IGNITION SWITCH SECTION] #933 TO IGNITION

SWITCH “IGN”, this wire provides the switched power source to the fuse block. This
wire powers all the switched power circuits to the harness except for the RADIO fuse.
This wire only has power when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position.

PINK: 14-gauge wire, printed [IGNITION SWITCH SECTION] #931 TO IGNITION

SWITCH (COIL IGN), this wire provides power from the ignition switch to the 30-amp
IGN COIL fuse on the fuse block. This wire has power when the ignition switch is in
the ON/RUN position as well as the START position.

PURPLE: 12-gauge wire, printed [IGNITION SWITCH] #919 TO STARTER SOLENOID,

this wire sends power to the neutral safety switch and only has power when the ignition
switch is in the START position.

BROWN: 12-gauge wire, printed [IGNITION SWITCH SECTION] #932 TO IGNITION

SWITCH ACC, this wire carries power to the RADIO fuse on the fuse block. This
BROWN wire has power when the ignition is in the ACCESSORY position and when
in the ON/RUN position.

• Route the wires to the ignition switch and cut to length. Be sure to allow enough length
for the connectors. Strip ¼” of insulation from the wires.

• Factory style terminals have been provided to allow your factory ignition switch
connector to be re-used. New connectors for GM column mounted switches have
been provided.

Since there are so many different types of ignition switches, chose from one
of the following that best fits your application:

The #921 wire shown in the following schematics can be found in the Instrument
Panel Section. This wire will need to connect to the ignition switch if your gauge cluster
has a temperature indicator light instead of an actual gauge. This will ground the light,
causing it to illuminate when the ignition switch is in the “START” position, letting the
operator of the vehicle know the light is functional. The GREEN #921 will connect to the
ignition switch and then from the ignition switch to the light.

92
GM COLUMN MOUNTED
Many of the popular GM columns in vehicles have the ignition key on the column.
The diagram and instructions below demonstrate how to properly connect to this type of
ignition switch. The column will probably have to be lowered from the dash mounting
bracket to make this connection, this is typically just (2) 9∕16” nuts on either side of the
column.
• Locate the ignition switch connectors and
terminals from the parts kit. On GM
column switches, the ORANGE #933 wire
requires a wider terminal than the other
wires.
• Install a terminal using rollover crimpers.
Again, the ORANGE #933 wire requires a
wider terminal than the other wires.
• Using the schematic below, install the
wires into the connectors. It does not
matter which red wire goes to each connector, both supply battery power to the switch.

• With the connectors now installed, connect them to the ignition switch. The connectors
must be installed in a specific order; the clear connector needs to be attached first,
and then the black. Part of the black connector will overlap the clear connector. Also,
your specific ignition switch may have these connectors flipped, with the white
connector being closest to the steering wheel and the black towards the firewall.

93
GM DASH MOUNTED

Your vehicle may have one of the many different dash-mounted ignition switches.
Some have functions printed next to each pin on the switch; this allows for identification
as to where each wire connects. Others will need a factory schematic to identify the
functions of their switch. Below, there are diagrams showing the proper connection of a
few of these popular switches.

94
95
FORD KEY ON THE DASH

Below you will see a diagram to a common Ford dash-mounted ignition switch.
This switch was used on many cars and trucks throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It is
easily identified by a threaded post that comes out of the center, position C in the drawing
below.

Pin D will provide a ground source to the warning lights when the ignition switch
is in the ON position and the vehicle is not running. This will give the driver a visual
indication that all warning lights have functioning bulbs. Connections for this pin are not
supplied in this harness but can easily be added by the installer.

PAINLESS UNIVERSAL IGNITION SWITCH - #80153

Painless offers a universal, dash mount ignition switch as part #80153. This switch
comes with the trim ring, which screws onto the switch to hold the switch in place, as well
as 2 keys.

• Use insulated ring terminals, found in the parts kit, to make these connections.

96
 REVERSE SWITCH
The reverse switch connection
provides the backup lights the power
they need to illuminate. This switch is a
2-pin, normally open switch that has
power coming into one side and out the
other to the backup lights. When the
shifter is put into the reverse position,
contact is made between these 2 pins,
closing the switch. This allows power to
flow from one pin to another, thus
transferring power through the switch
out to the backup lamps. The 2 wires
provided for this option are:

LT. GREEN: 16-gauge wire, printed

[BACKUP LIGHT] #958 BACK-UP
SWITCH B+, this wire comes from the 10-amp GAUGES fuse on the fuse block. This
wire is a switched ignition power wire meaning it will only have power when the ignition
switch is in the ACCESSORY and ON/RUN positions.

If you do not have back up lights, #958 can be used to power an accessory
requiring a switched 12v power source.

LT. GREEN: 16-gauge wire, printed [BACKUP LIGHT] #956 OUTPUT SIDE OF BACK-
UP SWITCH, this wire provides power from the reverse switch to the backup lights in
the Tail Section of the Painless harness.

• Locate the reverse switch; the location varies depending on your vehicle.

Many of those using a factory GM column will have a switch like the one shown
above. This switch is mounted at the base of the steering column.

This same switch can be found at the base of factory console shifters.

• Route the wires to the reverse switch, cut to length, and strip ¼” of insulation. Make
sure to avoid moving parts like the brake and clutch pedal.

• The blue insulated terminals provided in the parts kit can be used to make this
connection. It does not matter which terminal the wires connect to.

97
• If you are using an aftermarket floor-
mounted shifter, the reverse switch
may be found on the base of the
shifter. There may also be a neutral
safety switch found on the shifter as
well. When testing the system, if
you notice the reverse lights on
when the transmission is in park or
neutral, you have the reverse switch
wires connected to the neutral
safety switch.

Small insulated terminals have

been provided in the parts kit to
accommodate aftermarket shifter
switches.

• Painless offers part #80175 for

those using GM TH350, TH400, 700-R4, TH200, 200-4R, & 4L60e transmissions. This
part can be used as either a reverse switch or a neutral safety switch.

98
4L60E/4L80E SWITCH
The 4L60e/4L80e transmission, from trucks or SUVs, has a factory reverse switch
on the shift detent rod on the driver’s side of the transmission. This same switch also has
a park/neutral switch incorporated. Use the diagrams below to connect the reverse wires
of the Painless harness to this switch.
For those with a 4L60e/4L80e transmission, a starter relay must be used (not
supplied) unless you use a factory switch on a GM Keyed column. The switch is not
capable of handling the amperage the solenoid requires.

The following section of this manual, Neutral Safety/Clutch Switch, contains

information on the starter relay shown in the diagrams. Wires of the Painless harness will
need to splice to the existing wires coming from your switch connector.

99
 NEUTRAL SAFETY / CLUTCH SWITCH
This switch is a safety device that prevents the vehicle from being started while in
gear and causing an unfortunate accident. The purpose of this switch is to only allow the
engine to be started when the vehicle is in park or neutral (automatic transmissions) or if
the clutch pedal is depressed (manual transmissions). When the transmission is put into
park/neutral or the clutch pedal is depressed, contact is made between these 2 pins,
closing the switch. This allows power to flow from one pin to another, transferring power
through the switch to the starter solenoid.
The neutral safety/clutch switch connection will involve one wire from the ignition
switch section, it is:
PURPLE: 12-gauge wire, printed [IGNITION SWITCH] #919 TO STARTER SOLENOID,
this wire comes from the ignition switch and only has power when the switch is in the
START position. This wire will provide power to the starter from the neutral safety
switch (NSS).
• When this wire is routed to the NSS or Clutch switch and cut to length, the cut-off
piece of wire will then be connected to the other side of the switch and will route to the
ignition switch.

This cut off wire will then provide power to the neutral safety switch (NSS) from the
ignition switch.
• If you have an automatic transmission with a column shift, the NSS is usually located
at the base of the steering column, as seen in the photo with the reverse switch on
page 97. This same switch can be found at the base of factory console shifters.

100
IF YOU ARE USING AN AFTERMARKET FLOOR SHIFTER

• If you have a manual, the clutch switch is located at the

top of the clutch pedal, much like the brake switch on
the brake pedal.

• Route the wires to the NSS, cut to length, and strip ¼”

of insulation. Also, strip ¼” of insulation from the cutoff
piece of PURPLE #919 wire as previously stated, it will
connect to the switch as well.

Re-use the connector from the factory harness, seen to

the right, or use the small insulated terminals that have
been provided in the parts kit. It does not matter which tab
each wire connects to.

• Those with a 4L60e/4L80e transmission, a starter relay must be used (not supplied) if
using a factory switch; as shown on page 99. The switch is not capable of handling
the amperage the solenoid requires.

• Like with the 4L60e/4L80e transmission, if you do not have

a neutral safety/clutch switch and do not plan on getting
one, or if you have a transmission mounted NNS that you
are accessing in the engine compartment, that NSS
connection should have been made on page 67. The
PURPLE #919 will only connect to the ignition switch on the
inside of the vehicle.

Painless does not recommend operating your vehicle

without a neutral safety/clutch switch.

101
 INSTRUMENT PANEL
The instrument panel connections of the Painless harness vary according to the
gauge cluster or aftermarket gauges you are using. The wires for this connection are:

BROWN: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] << #930 INSTRUMENT
PANEL LIGHTING >> [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION], this wire provides a power source
for gauge backlighting. The BROWN #930 wire comes directly from the headlight switch and
has power anytime the headlight switch is in the Park/Taillights ON or Headlights ON position.
This wire can also be seen in the Headlight Switch & Dimmer Switch Schematic on page 81.

TAN: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] TO FUEL GAUGE << #939 >>
TO FUEL SENDER [TAIL SECTION], this wire is a ground signal from the fuel level sending
unit in the fuel tank. The resistance to ground will vary on this wire according to the amount
of fuel in the tank. This wire can also be seen in the Tail Section Schematics on pages 127 &
128.

PINK: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #935 TO VOLTMETER

SOURCE (IGN POWER), this wire provides a switched ignition power source to the cluster.
This wire comes from the 10-amp GAUGES fuse on the fuse block. This wire has power
anytime the key is in the ON/RUN position.

GREEN: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #921 ENGINE TEMP
GAUGE SIGNAL, this wire is a ground signal from the engine coolant temperature sending
unit. The sending unit will create resistance to ground according to engine temperature. This
resistance is transferred through this wire to the gauge.

PURPLE/WHITE: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #923

TACHOMETER SIGNAL, this wire is a ground signal from the negative side of the ignition
coil. This wire can also be seen in the coil connection diagrams on pages 46 – 49.

LT. BLUE/BLACK: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #922 OIL
PRESSURE SIGNAL, this wire is a ground signal from the oil pressure sending unit. The
sending unit will create resistance to ground according to oil pressure. This resistance is
transferred through this wire to the gauge.

LT. GREEN: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #936 TO HIGH BEAM
INDICATOR, this wire provides power to the high beam indicator when the headlight switch
is in the “ON” position and the dimmer switch is in the “HIGH” position.

LT. BLUE: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #937 TO LEFT TURN
INDICATOR, this wire provides power to the left turn indicator when the turn signal switch is
in the left turn position.

BLUE: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #938 TO RIGHT TURN
INDICATOR, this wire provides power to the right turn indicator when the turn signal switch is
in the right turn position.

ORANGE/BLACK: 16-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] #955 TO

ACCESSORY (IGN POWER), this wire provides a switched ignition power source to any
accessories you may have. This wire comes from the 15-amp TURN fuse on the fuse block.
This wire will have power anytime the key is in the ON/RUN position.

102
FACTORY PRINTED CIRCUIT GAUGES

A factory schematic and/or tracing your factory harness is necessary to identify the
connector pinout needed for your gauges. The factory connector will need to be removed
from your original harness and spliced onto the wires of the Painless harness

• Most factory, GM printed circuit gauge clusters used a 12-pin connector like the one
in the diagram below. It is recommended to use a factory schematic or your factory
harness to fill in the blanks on the image with the function and/or Painless wire color
and circuit number for each connector pin location.

If you have a charge/alternator light, the WHITE #914 wire that provides ignition
power to the alternator needs to be routed to the gauge cluster, cut to length, and the cut
off portion then routed from the gauge cluster out to the alternator.

If you have a brake warning light, a wire (not supplied) needs to be run from the
gauge cluster to the emergency brake switch and then to the brake warning switch if
equipped. This was most commonly an 18 ga TAN wire on factory harnesses.

Any ground wires required will need to be installer supplied

103
AFTERMARKET GAUGES

The following instructions will be universal due to all the different manufacturers
of aftermarket gauges. Use the following instructions along with the gauge
manufacturer’s instructions.

Most electric aftermarket gauges require four or five wire connections:

• Gauge Power - a Switched 12-volt power source

• Gauge Ground (some gauges do not require this)
• A signal from a sensor or sending unit
• Gauge Light Power - 12-volt power source from the Gauge Lighting circuit
• Gauge Light Ground

Most mechanical aftermarket gauges only require two wires to be connected:

• Gauge Light Power- 12-volt power source from the Gauge Lighting circuit
• Gauge Light Ground

All these connections are present in the wiring Painless harness. However, it will
be up to the installer to distribute the power for the gauge and the gauge lights as well
as the grounds. This additional splicing will be dependent on the method the gauge
wires are connected to the gauges.

There are two methods of connecting aftermarket gauges:

• Separate harness
• Hardwiring

104
SEPARATE HARNESS – PAINLESS #30301 & 30302

To facilitate wiring individual

aftermarket gauges Painless offers, and
recommends, the use of Painless part
#30301 (#30302 if using an electric
speedometer). This is a universal gauge
cluster harness that has all the splicing
and termination pre-installed for these
types of applications. This harness also
offers you the benefit of having an inline
connector instead of hardwiring the
chassis harness directly to the gauges.

• Using the terminals and connector found in the #30301 or #30302 kits, install the wires
of the Painless chassis harness according to the diagram below. Use the circled
keyways as a reference point in the diagram for the proper wire cavity location.

105
HARDWIRING:

For those who choose to wire aftermarket gauges with just the wires found in the
Painless chassis harness, and not purchase an additional gauge harness, the following
steps will walk you through the process of distributing power and ground as well as
connecting the sender wires. The following diagrams only show temp, oil pressure, volt,
and fuel level gauges. Power, ground, and sender wires connect in the same manner to
speedometers and tachometers.

Power to the gauges comes from the PINK #935 wire, and it needs to be connected
to the “I” or “12v” post on each gauge. The power wire can be connected in one of two
ways:

#1) Splicing- This is when you connect multiple wires to a single wire to distribute
power/ground to multiple components. In this case, splices on the PINK #935 wire are
running wires to several gauges to provide power to each gauge.

#2) Chaining or Jumpering- Run the PINK #935 wire to a power post. Before terminating
the wire with the proper terminal, insert another wire into the terminal and crimp. You
now have 2 wires in 1 terminal. This additional wire then routes to the next gauge’s
power post. Before terminating that wire with the proper terminal, insert another wire
into the terminal; and so on.

106
 Grounds need to be supplied to the gauge lights and any ground tab on the
gauges. The installer needs to run their own ground circuit for gauge connections. To
make these ground connections you can splice from the installer provided ground wires
to all the gauges or chain/jumper it all together. Both methods can be seen in the following
two drawings:

107
 Gauge light power is supported by the BROWN #930 wire. This wire connects to
one of the leads for the gauge light or the gauge light tab found on gauges with LED
backlighting. To make these connections you can splice from this BROWN #930 wire to
all the gauges or chain/jumper it all together.

108
 The last connections that need to be made are the sending unit wires or signal
wires. These are the wires which come from the temperature sending unit, oil pressure
sending unit, and fuel level sending unit. Not shown in the diagram, but also provided in
the Painless chassis harness is the PURPLE/WHITE #923 TACHOMETER SIGNAL wire.

109
110
 RADIO & ACCESSORIES
This Painless harness includes provisions for several accessory components that
may or may not be used on your install. These accessory wires include wiper power,
which should have already been connected. Below, you will find information about each
of these accessories and the wires provided in this harness to connect them.

RADIO
The radio connection on the Painless harness is not GM color-coded. This means
the two power wire colors used by Painless reflect the colors most aftermarket companies
use on radios/head units manufactured today. The Painless harness includes two wires
dedicated to a connection to the radio. They are:

YELLOW: 18-gauge wire, printed [RADIO SECTION] #940 (CONSTANT HOT), this wire
provides the radio a battery power source that allows the time and radio presets to
remain every time the ignition is turned off. This wire comes from the 15-amp
HAZARD/DOME fuse and can be seen in the Radio & Accessory Schematic above.

RED: 18-gauge wire, printed [RADIO SECTION] #941 RADIO POWER (SWITCHED),
this wire provides the radio with ignition-switched power for operation. This wire has
power when the ignition switch is in the ACCESSORY and ON/RUN positions. This
wire comes from the 10-amp RADIO fuse of the fuse block and can be seen in the
Radio & Accessory Schematic above.

111
 If you are wanting to wire in a radio dim/backlight, then you will need to splice into
the BROWN #930 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING wire. This wire will provide a power
signal to the radio to dim the backlighting/display during low light conditions. On older
radios, this power source will illuminate the backlighting. This wire will have power
anytime the headlight switch is in the Park/Taillights ON or Headlights ON position. This
wire/splice can be seen in the Headlight Switch & Dimmer Switch Schematic on page 81.
• If you are using an aftermarket radio, refer to the manufacturer’s installation guide for
proper connection. Splices and quick-disconnect terminals have been provided in the
parts kit.

• If you are using a factory radio, a factory schematic for the vehicle it came out of will
be needed to identify the connections to the radio.

Many older radios require one power source, Painless recommends connecting
the RED #941 to the radio in these circumstances so that the radio will only operate when
the ignition switch is in the ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position. This will prevent the radio
from draining the battery if it is accidentally left on.

• You must supply a ground for the radio.

ACCESSORY SECTION
The Accessory Section of the Painless harness consists of 4 wires for various
accessory applications. Locations of all these components vary from vehicle to vehicle,
so no specific routing instructions can be given.
Accessory Power (Ign.)
GREY/WHITE: 18-gauge wire, printed [ACC. SECTION] #906 ACC/FAN SWITCH (IGN
POWER), this wire provides a switched, ignition power source for an accessory not
exceeding 15 amps. This wire is fused with a 5-amp fuse from Painless and must be
replaced if powering an accessory with this wire. In most cases, this wire is used to
provide a cooling fan relay a switched 12v source activation. DO NOT POWER A
COOLING FAN DIRECTLY WITH THIS WIRE. If the #906 wire will be used to power
some other accessory, re-route the #906 in the harness to wherever the accessory is
located.
GREY/WHITE: 18-gauge wire, printed [ACC. SECTION] #901 ACC. OUTPUT TO ENG.
HARNESS; this wire will only have power if it is connected to the GREY/WHITE #906
wire. This wire can be used for the activation of the relay only and MUST NOT be
used to directly power a cooling fan.
The following pages will show and describe the multiple ways these two wires can be
utilized with your install. Pay attention to notes and instances that will require the fuse in
the fuse block to be changed.

112
 Wire #906 can be
used to power an
accessory inside the
vehicle. This could be
anything from additional
gauges, a USB port, a
wideband O2 controller,
rear-mounted fuel pump
relay, etc. If powering an
accessory, make sure to
replace the 5-amp fuse
in the fuse block on the
circuit labeled
“ELECTRIC FAN”.

If you need to
power an accessory in
the car, but also need
relay activation in the
engine compartment,
simply double the #901
and #906 wire together
as shown here.

113
 To provide power to an
accessory in the engine
compartment, connect the
#901 and #906 wires. This can
be accomplished by splicing
the two wires together, using
male and female insulated
terminals, or double up at a
connection as shown on the
previous page. If powering an
accessory, make sure to
replace the 5-amp fuse in the
fuse block on the circuit labeled
“ELECTRIC FAN”. The
diagram to the right shows
wiring a relay that will activate
any time the ignition switch is in
the “ON/RUN” position.

If a rocker or
toggle switch is
desired to control an
accessory or
accessory relay,
#906 and #901 will
need to be wired to
the switch. A ground
wire will be to be
added for those
using a switch with
backlighting

114
 The diagram below depicts the most common way #906 and #901 will be used;
#906 and #901 connected, with #901 in the engine compartment providing 12v to a fan
relay. The relay is then ground activated using a temperature switch installed on the
engine. Painless offers numerous Fan Relay Kits, part #30100 thru #30130.

115
A/C – Heat System

BROWN: 14-gauge wire, printed, [ACC. SECTION] #904 TO A/C HEAT (IGN POWER),
this wire provides a switched ignition power source for a factory or aftermarket A/C
system and comes from the 30-amp AC/HEAT fuse.

BLACK/WHITE: 14-gauge wire, printed [ACC. SECTION] #902 A/C COMPRESSOR

ACTIVATION, this wire runs from the A/C Thermostatic switch to the binary or trinary
safety switch and then on to provide power to the A/C compressor clutch.

Factory Heater or A/C Harness

This harness does not include any wiring
for the factory heat or air conditioning or
wiring to the blower motor and blower motor
resistor; your original harness or a
reproduction of the original harness must be
used. The Painless harness plugs directly
into a factory/reproduction harness without
any modifications.

• Locate the inline connector on the factory

heat or A/C harness, it will be a single-pin
connector on a wire several inches away
from the blower switch connection. This
connector is the power feed to the factory
harness. Connect the BROWN #904
power wire to this wire on the air conditioning harness.

• Your factory A/C panel may have a backlight socket. To power this light, it will be
necessary for the installer to splice into the BROWN #930 INSTRUMENT PANEL
LIGHTING wire in the instrument panel section to provide this power source

116
Aftermarket A/C System

Your aftermarket system should come with all the wiring needed for proper
operation. This wiring will need to be connected to power sources provided by the battery
and the Painless harness. The following diagrams are labeled as “Vintage Air” and the
wire colors are those used by Vintage Air. These same connections hold true for any
aftermarket system, regardless of the manufacturer or the wire colors they use.

• BROWN #904 will provide your system the switched 12v source it will need to function.
Connect this wire to the wire coming from your A/C unit requiring a switched ignition
power source.

• Find the wire of the A/C – heater system that provides power to the A/C compressor
clutch. Connect the BLACK/WHITE #902 wire to this wire under the dash, or the
output of the A/C thermostatic switch. The #902 wire was already routed in the engine
compartment; thus, eliminating the need to pass an additional wire through the
firewall.

• Your A/C panel may have a backlight socket or there may be a wire to the control
board of your A/C unit that requires power when the park lights are on to control the
illumination of the panel. To power this light, it will be necessary for the installer to
splice into the BROWN #930 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING wire in the instrument
panel section to provide this power source.

117
Aftermarket A/C System-Alternate Connections
Most aftermarket A/C systems provide the installer with an inline circuit breaker
between the battery 12v power source and the A/C unit. Many units do not require a
battery source but connect to the battery simply due to the amperage demands of the unit
and to not have installers overload an existing circuit on the chassis harness. To avoid
running these wires to the battery, adding additional connections to the battery terminals,
and having to mount a circuit breaker, use the following instructions and diagram.

• Locate the wire(s) from your A/C unit that are intended to be connected to the battery
and remove the circuit breaker. These wires can connect to BROWN #904. Since the
#904 wire is coming from the 30-amp AC/HEAT fuse, the circuit breaker is no longer
necessary.

BROWN #904 can also provide the power source for the switched 12v source your
unit needs. Meaning the battery power and switched power from your A/C unit can
connect to one source.

• The ground wire from your A/C unit can connect to a clean chassis ground source
under the dash. Take the time to thoroughly clean the grounding point as the A/C unit
and blower motor will require a good clean ground.

118
 PASSENGER COURTESY LIGHT SECTION
If you are using courtesy lights or door jamb switches, you should have made
splices to the Courtesy Light loops on pages 19 – 24. This section covers how to
connect the remaining wires of the splices you made earlier. The left/driver’s side was
installed on pages 73 – 76.

PASSENGER COURTESY LIGHT

• Locate the wires intended for the passenger courtesy light socket. Again, these wires
should be coming from splices you created on pages 19 – 24 with the WHITE #961
and ORANGE #945 loops.

• Route wires from the WHITE #961 and ORANGE #945 circuits to the passenger side
courtesy light socket.

• Use insulated splices from the parts kit to connect the WHITE #961 and ORANGE
#945 wires to the wires of the socket.

• If you are installing door jamb switches, the WHITE #961 wire can be doubled up at
the light and the excess routed to the door jamb switch. This will prevent you from
having to create additional splices to the loop wires. See the Courtesy Light
Schematics on page 74 for reference.

• Those with Ford vehicles will only need to connect the WHITE #961 to the courtesy
light socket.

GLOVEBOX SWITCH
The glove box switch is a simple, plunger activated light that
illuminates the inside of the glove box when the glove box door
is opened. The glove box switch requires a single power wire to
function correctly, as it grounds through its mounting.
Factory Switch: The factory wire for the switch has a single
terminal installed into the side of the switch. This wire can be
difficult to remove, and, chances are, you will break the switch
trying to remove it. Painless recommends cutting the wire going
to the switch and installing an insulated splice or reusing the
factory connector, as seen in the photo to the right.

• Locate the wire intended for glove box light. This wire should
be coming from a splice you created on pages 19 – 24 with
the ORANGE #945 loop.

• Route the ORANGE #945 wire to the glove box switch and connect using one of the methods
mentioned above.

• You can use the holes found in the edge of the glove box opening and small zip-ties, included
with the kit, to help secure the wire.

119
PASSENGER SIDE DOOR JAMB SWITCH
The passenger side door jamb switch is the last connection on the passenger side of
the vehicle’s interior.
The door jamb switches provide a ground activation for the courtesy lights and
dome light. When the door is opened, the plunger on the switch extends out as it is no
longer being pushed in by the door. When the plunger extends, the contact point on the
back of the switch contacts the body of the switch, which is grounded through the
mounting into the metal door jamb. This grounding gives the wire attached to the switch
a ground source which will then cause the interior lights to turn on.
• Locate the wire intended for the passenger door jamb switch. This wire should be
coming from a splice with the WHITE #961 loop you created on pages 19 – 24 or from
the passenger courtesy light socket if you doubled the WHITE #961 wire in the
previous step.
• Route the WHITE #961 wire to the passenger side door jamb switch and use an
insulated terminal from the parts kit that fits your switch to connect it.

• If you find that your door jamb switch has 2 tabs, it does not matter which tab the #961
connects to. The additional tab was for a key buzzer found on some vehicles. Ford
systems will have 2-pin jamb switches, power in and power out. Connect a wire from
the ORANGE #945 circuit to the other tab.

If this is a new build/ restoration or

your original switches are just in bad shape
and new switches are needed, Painless
offers factory style GM jamb switches as part
#80170. Please note that part #80170 is for
one switch, and each door requires its own
switch.

120
 TAIL SECTION
The Tail Section wires are the last group to be connected. This group of wires
connect to things like the right & left turn signals, taillights, reverse lights, license plate
light, and fuel level sending unit. All the wires found in the Tail Section can be seen in
the schematics found on pages 127 & 128.

• Route the wires with the print reading “TAIL SECTION” to the rear of the vehicle. Make
sure to avoid pinch points around door/trunk hinges and moving parts like window
regulators.

DOME LIGHT
The dome light has constant battery power applied to it. This light is ground
activated by turning the headlight switch to the DOME LIGHT ON position. If you added
the wires to the harness as instructed on pages 19 – 24, the door jamb switches will also
ground activate the light. These wires can be seen in the Tail Section Schematics on
pages 127 & 128, they are:
ORANGE: 18-gauge wire, printed [TAIL SECTION] #945 TO DOME LIGHT (POWER
B+), this power wire comes from the 15-amp HAZARD/DOME fuse on the fuse block;
this fuse has battery power and is “hot” at all times.
WHITE: 18-gauge wire, printed [HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION] TO DOME LIGHT
GROUND << #961 >> TO DOME LIGHT [TAIL SECTION], this wire is the ground
wire that activates the dome light. When this wire is grounded it completes the voltage
path causing the light to illuminate. This ground will come from either door jamb switch
and/or the headlight switch.
In most cases, these wires will attach to the factory dome light wires. The factory
wires coming from the dome light can usually be seen in the trunk, on the driver’s side,
near the trunk hinge. Connect the Painless harness to the factory pigtail coming from the
dome light.
• If you do not have a factory pigtail, there has been ample length supplied to allow
routing of the WHITE #961 and the ORANGE #945 to the dome light fixture. In most
cases, this will require the headliner of the vehicle to be removed. You will need new
terminals, though, to connect to your existing dome light fixture.

• Those with Ford vehicles: If you modified your courtesy/dome light circuits to be
power activated on page 22, then your dome light connection will not require the
ORANGE #945 wire. As this wire is no longer being used for the dome light, it can
power a trunk light, or you can pull it from the tail section and use the excess length
to create your splices for the courtesy light sections.

121
LEFT SIDE MARKER LIGHT

The left side marker light is the next connection. The marker light is activated by a
power source coming from the headlight switch. This light illuminates any time the
headlight switch is in the PARK or ON position.
A single power wire is provided, it is:
BROWN: 16-gauge wire, printed [TAIL SECTION] #929 TO LEFT TAILLIGHT, this is a
power wire for the park or marker light function. This wire has power anytime the
headlight switch is in the Park/Taillights ON or Headlights ON position. This wire,
along with all the other wires and splices it is associated with, can be seen in the Tail
Section Schematics on pages 127 & 128.

• This wire also provides power to the left taillight. The marker light and the taillight will
need to be wired together, as shown above.

• Route the taillight wire to the marker light and cut to length. Strip ¼” of wire from the
#929 wire and the piece of excess wire you just cut off. Your factory socket will need
to be re-used, there are generally white molded ¼ turn sockets. Splice the #929 wires
to one the wires on the socket. It does not matter which wire goes where.

• The other wire on the socket will need to connect to a ground source. This can either
be to the threaded stud used to mount the side marker light or an installer supplied
ground wire.

122
LEFT TURN / BRAKE LIGHTS

Connection to the turn signal/brake lights depends on if your vehicle has integrated
or separate turn/brake signals; both are explained on page 86.

To begin making connections to the turn/brake lights, locate the wires in the tail
section dedicated to these functions, they are:

YELLOW: 16-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] << #949 TO LEFT
TURN/BRAKE >> [TAIL SECTION], this wire provides power to the left turn signal.
This wire has power anytime the turn signal is in the down/left position and the ignition
switch is in the ON/RUN position. For vehicles with integrated turn/brake signals, this
wire is also the brake light power. The wire has power anytime the brake pedal is
pressed or anytime the hazard switch is activated. This wire can be seen in Tail
Section Schematics on pages 127 & 128.

ORANGE: 18-gauge wire, printed [TAIL SECTION] #950 TO BRAKE LIGHTS

(SEPARATE LIGHTS ONLY), this wire provides power to the brake lights on vehicles
with separate turn/brake lights, or a third brake light, and has power anytime the brake
pedal is pressed or the hazard switch is activated. This wire can be seen in the Tail
Section Schematics on pages 127 & 128.

Notice there is only one separate brake light wire going to the Tail Section. Since
Painless has no idea if this wire will be needed in your particular application, and since it
is not used in most applications, we only provide one wire to prevent additional unused
power wires to be taped up in the harness. If separate turn brake sockets are used, it will
be up to you to splice or link this brake light power to both brake lights.

If you have integrated turn/brake lights and no 3rd brake light, install an insulated
terminal on this ORANGE #950 wire and tape it up into the harness, this wire will not be
used.
Your factory turn signal sockets must be re-used. Splice the Painless harness wires to
the factory wires coming from your sockets.

• Loosely route the YELLOW #949 turn signal wire to the turn signal. On integrated
brake/ turn housings/assemblies with a dual filament bulb, this will be the brighter
filament. If you have separate turn/brake lights this will connect to the socket with the
yellow lens.

• If you have separate turn/brake lights, route the ORANGE #950 brake light wire to the
closest brake light as well. On housings/assemblies with a dual filament bulb, this will
be the brighter filament.

• If your housing requires a ground source, installer supplied ground wires need to be
connected at this time.

Cut the wires to length and connect to the appropriate contact/wire in the
housings/assemblies. Consult the manufacturer’s instructions if you are using aftermarket
assemblies

123
LEFT TAILLIGHT

In most cases, your rear exterior lights have at least one housing/assembly with a
dual filament bulb. The taillight connections attach to the dimmest filament(s) of this type
of housing/assembly. 1 wire is provided in the tail section for these connections, it is:

BROWN: 16-gauge wires, printed [TAIL SECTION] #929 TO LEFT TAILLIGHT, this wire
provides the taillight power. This wire receives power from the headlight switch and
has power anytime the headlight switch is pulled into the PARK/TAILLIGHT ON and
HEADLIGHT ON positions. This wire can be seen in the Tail Section Schematics on
pages 127 & 128.

• Your factory taillight sockets must be re-used. You will need to splice the Painless
harness wires to the factory wires coming from your sockets.

• Loosely route the BROWN #929 taillight wire to the taillight. On housings/assemblies
with a dual filament bulb, this will be the dimmer filament.

• Cut the wires to length and connect to the appropriate contact in the
housings/assemblies. Consult the manufacturer’s instructions if you are using
aftermarket assemblies.

• . Splices are provided to make these connections.

REVERSE LIGHT
Two wires are provided in the Tail Section for reverse light connections, it is:

LT. GREEN: 16-gauge wires, printed [TAIL SECTION] #956 TO LEFT REVERSE
LIGHT, this wire provides power to the left reverse or back up light. Power for this wire
comes from the reverse switch and will have power anytime the shifter is in the
“REVERSE” position with the ignition switch in the “ON/RUN” position.

• Your factory, reverse-light sockets must be re-used. You will need to splice the
Painless harness wires to the factory wires coming from your sockets.

• Loosely route the #956 reverse light wire to the reverse light.

• Cut the wires to length and connect them to the appropriate contact on the
housings/assemblies. Consult the manufacturer’s instructions if you are using
aftermarket assemblies.

• If your vehicle does not have reverse lights, these wires will not be used. The wires
only have power if they are connected to a reverse switch so there is no need to
insulate the ends. The wires can also be removed from the harness if it is not being
used.

124
FUEL SENDING UNIT

The fuel level sending unit sends a ground signal to the fuel level gauge. The float
inside the tank moves up and down with the level of fuel in the tank. This raising and
lowering of the fuel level moves an arm/contact across a resistor of the sending unit. This
sends a resisted signal to the fuel level gauge. The amount of resistance the gauge sees
is evident based on the reading of the gauge. For the fuel gauge to work properly, the fuel
level sending unit operating range must match the gauges operating range. See the table
below for the most common fuel level sender resistance.

MAKE YEARS Ohms Empty Ohms Full

GMC UP TO ‘64 0 30
GMC ’65 - ‘97 0 90
GMC 98 AND LATER 40 250
FORD UP TO ‘87 73 10
FORD ’87 AND LATER 16 158
MOPAR UP TO ‘86 73 10
TOYOTA/NISSAN ’85 AND LATER 90 0
VDO - 10 180
STEWART-WARNER,
CLASSIC
- 240 33
INSTRUMENTS, &
AUTOMETER

TAN: 18-gauge wire, printed [INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION] TO FUEL GAUGE <<
#939 >> TO FUEL SENDER [TAIL SECTION], this wire sends the ground signal from
the fuel level sending unit to the fuel level gauge.

• Route the TAN #939 wire to the fuel level sending unit.

*Note: If a hole must be drilled in the trunk pan, be sure to not puncture the fuel
tank. Also, before a hole is drilled, make sure there is no other way to get the #939 wire
to the fuel sender.
• The parts kit provides insulated terminals to make this connection.

• The sending unit must be grounded to work properly; Painless does not offer a wire specifically
for this. Some sending units have a tab for a ground connection while others may rely on the
sending unit mounting. If your sending unit has a ground tab, run a wire from a clean chassis
ground source to this tab.

If you do not have a ground tab, and the sending unit is bolted into the tank, run a ground
wire from a clean chassis ground source to one of the mounting bolts of the sending unit.

For vehicles with sending units that mount with a lock ring, ensure the contact area of the
ring and the tank are free of paint, dirt, and road grime. This is especially true with those doing an
install on vehicles with new gas tanks as the tank may have paint or powder coat buildup.

125
LICENSE PLATE LIGHT
The plate light is the next connection that needs to be made. This light is tied to
the rear marker lights and taillights and will illuminate the license plate when the headlight
switch is in the park light “ON” or headlight “ON” positions.
BROWN: 18-gauge wires, printed [TAIL SECTION] #929 TO PLATE LIGHT, this is a
power wire for the license plate light function. This wire has power anytime the
headlight switch is in the park light ON or headlight ON positions. This wire, along with
all the other wires and splice it is associated with, can be seen in the Tail Section
Schematics on pages 127 & 128.
• In most cases, your license plate light will have a socket/bullet terminal connection.
Insulated terminals have been provided in the parts kit to connect to these types of
plate lights. You can cover the insulated terminal with heat shrink once connected to
clean up the look of this connection since colored insulated terminals can often look
out of place.

• Your factory light socket must be re-used. Splice the Painless harness wires to the
factory wires coming from your socket.

RIGHT TAIL/ TURN/ BRAKE/ REVERSE/ MARKER LIGHTS

The connections mentioned above all connect in the same manner as those on the
left/driver side. The only difference you will find is the turn signal wire for the right turn
signal is a different color than the one used for the left turn signal. The right turn signal
will be:

GREEN: 16-gauge wire, printed [TURN SIGNAL SECTION] << #948 TO RIGHT
TURN/BRAKE >> [TAIL SECTION], this wire provides power to the right turn signal.
This wire has power anytime the turn signal is in the up/right position and the ignition
switch is in the ON/RUN position. For vehicles with integrated turn/brake signals, this
wire is also the brake light power and has power anytime the brake pedal is pressed,
or the hazard switch is activated. This wire can be seen in the Tail Section Schematics
on pages 127 & 128.

126
127
128
 TESTING THE SYSTEM
Use a small (10 amp or less) battery charger to power up the vehicle for the first
time to test the circuits. If there is a problem anywhere, the battery charger's low
amperage and internal circuit breaker will provide circuit protection.

• Make sure the negative

(-) battery cable is
connected to the frame
or engine block, and
make sure there is a
ground between the
engine and frame. The
negative battery cable
should still be
disconnected from
the Battery

• Connect the positive (+)

battery cable to the
positive side of the
battery and make sure the other end of this cable is connected to the B+ side of the
starter solenoid.

• At this point connect the RED #915 from the MIDI fuse to the positive side of the
battery, either through the starter lug or the battery lug.

• Connect the Battery Charger's NEGATIVE cable to the automobile chassis, engine
block, or the disconnected Negative Battery cable. Do NOT connect the Battery
Charger's NEGATIVE cable to the Battery.

• Connect the Battery Charger's POSITIVE cable to the automobile's positive battery
terminal lug.

• INDIVIDUALLY turn on each light, ignition, wiper circuit, etc. and check for proper
operation. Turn off each component before testing another.

Note: If you try to test more than one circuit at a time, the charger will not
provide enough amperage for each circuit to work correctly.

• After all circuits have been checked, disconnect the battery charger and attach the
vehicle's negative (ground) battery cable to the battery.

• Once testing is complete, re-install any panels, lens, or other parts that were removed
during the harness installation. You are now finished installing this Painless Harness,
congratulations!

129
 WIRE INDEX
• The index is listed in the same order in which the manual instructed components to
be connected.

• The BLUE descriptions indicate sections found throughout the harness.

• ORIGIN indicates where the opposite end of this wire is.

HEADLIGHT SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Blue 18 #925 TO RIGHT FRONT TURN SIGNAL Turn Switch
Light Blue 18 #926 TO LEFT FRONT TURN SIGNAL Turn Switch
Tan 16 #909 TO HEADLIGHT LOW BEAM Dimmer Switch
Tan 16 #909 TO HEADLIGHT LOW BEAM Dimmer Switch
Brown 18 #927 TO FRONT PARK LIGHTS Headlight Switch
Brown 18 #927 TO FRONT PARK LIGHTS Headlight Switch
Light Green 16 #908 TO HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAM Dimmer Switch
Light Green 16 #908 TO HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAM Dimmer Switch
Green 14 #924 TO HORN Horn Relay
Grey/White 18 #901 ACC/COOLING FAN RELAY ACT. Acc. Switches

ENGINE SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Pink 14 #920 TO COIL + (IGN. POWER) Fuse Block
Green 18 #921 TO TEMP SENDER Instrument Panel
Lt.Blue/Black 18 #922 TO OIL PRESSURE SENDER Instrument Panel
Purple/White 18 #923 TACHOMETER SOURCE/COIL (-) Instrument Panel
Red 18 #954 TO ELECTRIC CHOKE Fuse Block
Black/White 14 #902 A/C COMPRESSOR ACTIVATION A/C Heat Switch
Purple 12 #919 TO STARTER SOLENOID NSS

WIPER MOTOR

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Black 16 #979 LOW/PARK Wiper Switch
Light Blue 16 #977 HIGH Wiper Switch
Black/Yellow 16 #905 WIPER MOTOR POWER Fuse Block
Black/Yellow 16 #983 WASHER PUMP POWER Fuse Block
Blue 16 #984 WASHER PUMP ACTIVATION Wiper Switch

130
 START/CHARGE SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

White 14 #914 TO ALTERNATOR REGULATOR EXCITER Fuse Block
Red 14 #995 ALT. REGULATOR POWER (BATTERY) Fuse Block
Red 10 #916 TO MIDI FUSE Fuse Block

DIMMER SWITCH SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Light Green 14 #908 HIGH BEAM Headlight Section
Tan 14 #909 LOW BEAM Headlight Section
Blue/Yellow 14 TO DIMMER SWITCH #907 TO HEADLIGHT SWITCH Headlight Switch

HEADLIGHT SWITCH SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Red/Black 12 #928 TO HEADLIGHT SWITCH (POWER B+) Fuse Block
Orange 14 #959 TO HEADLIGHT SWITCH (POWER B+) Fuse Block
Blue/Yellow 14 TO DIMMER SWITCH #907 TO HEADLIGHT SWITCH Dimmer Switch
Brown 18 #927 TO FRONT PARK LIGHTS Headlight Section
Brown 18 #930 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING Instrument Panel
Brown 14 #929 TO TAIL LIGHTS Tail Section
White 18 TO DOME LIGHT GROUND #961 TO DOME LIGHT Dome Light

WIPER SWITCH

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Black 16 #979 LOW/PARK Wiper Motor
Light Blue 16 #977 HIGH Wiper Motor
Blue 16 #984 WASHER PUMP ACTIVATION Wiper Motor
Orange/White 16 #905 TO WIPER SWITCH (POWER B+) Wiper Motor

TURN SIGNAL SWITCH SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

White 14 #918 TO BRAKE SWITCH (INTEGRATED LIGHTS ONLY) Brake Switch
Blue 18 #925 TURN SWITCH (RIGHT FRONT) Headlight Section
Light Blue 18 #926 TURN SWITCH (LEFT FRONT) Headlight Section
Green 16 #948 TO RIGHT TURN/BRAKE Tail Section
Yellow 16 #949 TO LEFT TURN/BRAKE Tail Section
Brown 16 #951 TO EMERGENCY FLASHER SW. B+ Fuse Block
Purple 16 #952 TO TURN SWITCH (TURN FLASHER) Fuse Block
Black 18 #953 TO HORN SWITCH Fuse Block

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 IGNITION SWITCH

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Red 12 #934 TO IGNITION SWITCH (POWER B+) Fuse Block
Red 12 #934 TO IGNITION SWITCH (POWER B+) Fuse Block
Orange 12 #933 TO IGNITION SWITCH "IGN" Fuse Block
Brown 12 #932 TO IGNITION SWITCH ACC Fuse Block
Pink 14 #931 TO IGNITION SWITCH (COIL IGN) Fuse Block
Purple 12 #919 TO STARTER SOLENOID Starter/NSS

REVERSE SWITCH

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Light Green 16 #958 BACK-UP SWITCH B+ Fuse Block
Light Green 16 #956 OUTPUT SIDE OF BACK-UP SWITCH Tail Section

BRAKE SWITCH

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Orange 14 #917 TO BRAKE SWITCH (POWER B+) Fuse Block
White 16 #918 BRAKE SWITCH OUTPUT Tail Section

INSTRUMENT PANEL SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Blue 18 #938 TO RIGHT TURN INDICATOR Turn Switch
Light Blue 18 #937 TO LEFT TURN INDICATOR Turn Switch
Pink 18 #935 TO VOLTMETER SOURCE (IGN POWER) Fuse Block
Green 18 #921 ENGINE TEMP GAUGE SIGNAL Engine Section
Lt.Blue/Black 18 #922 OIL PRESSURE SIGNAL Engine Section
Purple/White 18 #923 TACHOMETER SIGNAL Engine Section
Tan 18 TO FUEL GAUGE #939 TO FUEL SENDER Tail Section
Brown 18 #930 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING Headlight Switch
Lt. Green 18 #936 TO HIGH BEAM INDICATOR Dimmer Switch
Orange/Black 16 #955 TO ACCESSORY (IGN POWER) Fuse Block

RADIO SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Yellow 18 #940 (CONSTANT HOT) Fuse Block
Red 18 #941 RADIO POWER (SWITCHED) Fuse Block

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 ACCESSORY SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Grey/White 18 #906 ACC/FAN SWITCH (IGN POWER) Fuse Block
Brown 14 #904 TO A/C / HEAT (IGN POWER) Fuse Block
Grey/White 18 #901 ACC. OUTPUT TO ENG. HARNESS Engine Harness
Black/White 14 #902 A/C COMPRESSOR ACTIVATION A/C Compressor

TAIL SECTION

Color Gauge Wire Print Origin

Yellow 16 #949 TO LEFT TURN/BRAKE Turn Switch
Green 16 #948 TO RIGHT TURN/BRAKE Turn Switch
Brown 16 #929 TO LEFT TAIL LIGHTS Headlight Switch
Brown 16 #929 TO RIGHT TAIL LIGHTS Headlight Switch
Brown 16 #929 TO PLATE LIGHT Headlight Switch
Orange 18 #950 TO BRAKE LIGHTS (SEPARATE LIGHTS ONLY) Brake Switch
Light Green 18 #956 REVERSE LIGHT Reverse Switch
Light Green 18 #956 REVERSE LIGHT Reverse Switch
Tan 18 TO FUEL GAUGE << #939 >> TO FUEL SENDER Instrument Panel
Orange 18 #945 TO DOME LIGHT (POWER B+) Fuse Block
White 18 TO DOME LIGHT GROUND #961 TO DOME LIGHT Headlight Switch

Painless Performance Products, LLC

Limited Warranty and Return Policy
Chassis harnesses, fuel injection harnesses, and Trail Rocker units are
covered under a lifetime warranty.

All other products manufactured and/or sold by Painless Performance are

warranted to the original purchaser to be free from defects in material and
workmanship under normal use. Painless Performance will repair or replace
defective products without charge during the first 12 months from the purchase
date. No products will be considered for warranty without a copy of the purchase
receipt showing the seller's name, address, and date of purchase. You must
return the product to the dealer you purchased it from to initiate the warranty
procedure.

133
 Bulkhead Template for Vehicles with No Bulkhead Hole

The dimension photo below shows how you can cut the bulkhead hole
clean and precise using a 1 ¼” hole saw to cut 4 holes, using a jigsaw or cut off
wheel to connect the outsides of the 1 ¼” holes and using a ¼” drill bit for the
fuse block mounting holes. Mark the centers of all 6 holes (the 1 ¼” holes as well
as the ¼”) holes before any cutting is done.

134
Painless Performance Products LLC
2501 Ludelle Street
Fort Worth, TX 76105
Phone (817) 244-6212