Wiring Harness: Painless, Centech, E-Z Wiring, Ron Francis, ???

[LowCountryEB]

I need a new wiring harness. We are tired of cutting/splicing my factory harness and are having too many problems with it. It's getting warm and we need to roll, not sit in the garage. I have the money to buy any of these harnesses, but want to buy the best for my money obviously. I do have several modifications including all custom guages, stereo, amp, fog lights. My EB is a secondary driver and is usually just driven on the weekends. I don't want to have to mess with wiring for a long, long time after this is done.

Which one of these harnessess would you recommend and why? Who has the best best price on the one you vote for?

 

[Bundy]

the way i see it is the cost of each represents the level of expertise needed. the cheaper ones require more know-how IMO. Some also come with more features like replacement switches etc.

that being said as a novice I ponied up for the painless kit and it was very well done, well labeled, great instructions and there is even a thread on here where Eric asks CB.com to help him design it. It also has 8 additional circuits for your accessories.

Good luck sir!

 

[Madgyver]

I go for the complete kit from painless.
But my answer would be biased.

 

[bad 68]

I bought and installed a Ron Francis complete harness 17 years ago. It took me a weekend.

At that time they needed information llike ignition system and such then sold you a kit that fit your needs. It worked out great for me and I have had absoulutly 0 electrical issues.

At the time there was no Painless or Centech kit availible.

I can't compare them to the other kits but I have been completly satisfied with the quality of the Ron Francis.

 

[Rockin69er]

Do you have a reliable automotive electric shop near by? Painless, Centech an Ron Francis all cost about the same. I had the local electric shop install an EZ style harness with many upgrades (flat tow wiring, headlight relays, aux lighting, elec fan, reverse lights, etc) and the price was less than just the other harnesses.

 

[Knifemaker]

Just installed Painless kit with switches and Power braid kit really good quality workmanship and easy to read and understand instructions little higher priced but I think was worth it.

 

[zbronco]

If you are looking for a direct replacement then the painless harness is the way to go. Painless has the best instructions. I went with an EZ harness, the instructions are limited but it does have a lot of of pieces built in as mentioned. I have used the painless installation as a reference as their documentation is much better. Overall I am happy with the EZ harness, it was less then 200 delivered. Once you understand the flasher switch, horn relay and other are built in the harness the install is pretty straight forward...

 

[Ethansdad73]

My buddy that did my rewire (painless) said that a monkey can instal a painless kit. the centek you need to think a bit and the ron francis kit it great if you want to terminate every wire (even more thinking/ planing.), plug yourself all custom. For him there are all easy, but I would go for the painless kit.

 

[RyanITV]

Went all Painless in mine, and added a bunch of their other parts (door contacts, convenience module, phantom key system... All played nice together and their support has been great.

 

[Tedster100]

There's several threads on this issue and it really does seem to come down to $$$ vs. time & skill. The more expensive harness are more complete and straight forward to install, the cheaper ones require a lot more skill, planning and know how. You can get basic generic kits on the ebay or from Summit but plan on a lot of research, re-using pigtails and connectors. I opted for the Centech kit, it was pretty straight forward but did take some planning and thinking. If at all possible take the dash out to wire it on the bench, your back will thank you and you will be able to see everything. It will also make for a much neater install and allow you to trace and double check everything before you put it back in. Also, invest in a butane torch / soldering iron - no cords and it's really hot and quick. Solder everything possible and heat shrink all connections and you'll avoid a lot of issues later. Good luck with whatever route you go!

 

[Mono]

The EZ wasn't bad for $145: http://www.monosbroncos.com/id90.html

 

[coby]

I went with the newfangled setup, the Isis Powercell. It's a different sort of setup and I haven't installed it yet. However, I am STOKED to get it going. It's a can bus type system, with a input module where all the signals go (various sensors, switches, etc) and then there's one or more power centers where you run power and then the outputs come out. Really, REALLY powerful setup. You can have many inputs into one output, many outputs into one input. You can run your winch off of a remote. You can use your Iphone to control your rig (including starting it). You can add a module that is a motor controller....lets you do all sorts of things. It's well worth checking out. It feels like 10 years ago when SEFI was weird and regarded as useless....till folks got used to it and realized what a boon it actually was.

 

[dave67fd]

Cant speak from experience other than the little research iv'e done. Painless is pretty much the best but you pay for it. Centech IMO is a close second and several hundred less. Both have pretty good instructions with Painless being better.