try this link If you have a 80-86 truck that has a computer ignition, and you want to convert it to the dura<!>spark II system, here's a diagram. You will need to get a dura<!>spark II dis<!>tributor and module box with the harness.

 

should be plug and play.the module plugs into existing factory harness,then plug the new harness into the other plug on the module then plug the other end to the dist and coil.

the plug on the existing harness should be somewhat round and it will be plugged into the feedback dizzy.

 

if its plug and play then why did i buy a ds2 conversion harness from painless. with the directions they give you it says mount the new ds 2 module on the fender, my previous module was a part of the dist with no vac advance. anyway mount on fender and plug in 2 module connectors to new harness from painless. on the other end one connector goes to dist. other goes to coil. BUT you also have to run a wire to the I terminal on the starter solenoid. and wire in the new ballast resistor? does that sound right to you. because i dont know how the module is getting power when running? during cranking it will but when running painless doesnt say to hook it up to the ign hot side. very confusing

 

Is there any way you can send the EXPENSIVE Painless harness back? This will be much SO much easier and neater if you can find a junkyard harness. Even if you can't return it, [B]DO NOT USE IT![B] It is way too confusing and you will end up with wires you don't need and unnecessary splices to make. There is a much simplier way to make this happen:

You see, from 1980 - 1983, almost all F150s used Duraspark. From 1984 - 1986, almost all of these vehicles used an engine computer and switched to the TFI-IV ignition. So Ford used the same plug-in connectors for each system. In this way, if your truck happened to have the 351 H.O. or 460 from 1984 - 1986 for example (these did not use an engine computer) Ford just plugged in the Duraspark II harness. If you had an I6, 302, or 351 engine from 1984 - 1986, Ford plugged in the TFI/EEC-IV wire harness that ran off the engine computer.

This is what you do:

Go to a junkyard, and ask for an (Duraspark) ignition wire harness for a 1980 - 1983 Ford F-Series truck. It doesn't matter if it is a I6 or V8. (Or you can use a 1980 - 1986 ignition harness if the truck has a 351 H.O. or 460) All you have to do is unplug the harness from the junkyard vehicle. It really is this easy.

This is how to remove the harness from the donor/junkyard vehicle:

You need to unplug the harness from the distributor, and the two plugs from the ignition module. Then take the horseshoe connector off of the coil. Then unplug the wires and connectors from the oil sending unit and temperature gauge sending units. Gently begin to pull the wire harness out (it will be all one piece) and you will find two more plugs that you will need to unplug toward the back of the truck that connects the wire harness to the truck. That should be it, all one piece and the exact size you need. I paid $25 for mine.

When you get this home, let me know and I will be glad to help you from here. By using the factory harness,it is as simple as plugging it in! There will be NO wire cutting, splices, ballast resistors to wire in, or extra wires hanging around that you don't need. Very neat and factory correct as well. Trust me, I have done this conversion on my own 1985 F150.

I just PMed you.

 

I did forget to add one more thing.

As for the factory Duraspark wire harness for the 1980 - 1983 F-Series (or 1980 -1986 with 351 H.O. or 460, see post above for more details), there are a couple very slight differences:

If the truck has a V8 and a factory tachometer, there will be an extra connection for it included in the wire harness. This extra connection will be grouped with the ignition module plug. There will be both a green and a black wire. The green wire is to power the tach and the black wire is a ground that is needed in order for the tach to read correctly on all V8 applications.

*If there is no tach, the plug will not be there and you will have to wire it in another way yourself if you want your factory tach to work.*

**If you use this harness on an I6 engine, you will have to cut or remove the ground wire or the tachometer will read too low.**


If the truck has an I6 and a factory tachometer, there will be an extra connection for it included in the wire harness. This extra connection will be grouped with the ignition module plug. There will be a single green wire. This green wire is to power the tach.

*If there is no tach, the plug will not be there and you will have to wire it in another way yourself if you want your factory tach to work.*

**If you use this harness on a V8 engine, you will have to find a way to ground the tachometer, or else it will read too high.**

Other than the tach connections, all the harnesses should be the same. Good luck and let me know when you find one. I will tell you where to connect it to your truck's existing harness and how to find the factory ballast resistor wire your truck already should have that is activated when pluged directly into the junkyard/donor Duraspark wire harness.

 

the painless harness is plug and play, it replaces the old factory harness. better to use it than an old one from the jy you won't have to splice.you don't have to hook in to i terminal of the starter relay,the power wire for the module is already in the factory harness,just unplug the old TFI_IV,and plug the duraspark module in.

when i do my I6 i will take pics of the conversion and a step by step description.

 

The Painless Duraspark is absolutely NOT plug and play. It is a "universal" Duraspark harness made for ANY vehicle that you would like to change to Duraspark. Like if you are going from points ignition to the Duraspark electronic ignition. Our trucks already have much of the provisions for Duraspark already wired into our trucks. You just have to know where to look and have the right factory harness to plug into to make it come alive.

I actually bought the Painless harness ($150!) and had it on my truck for a while before I knew better. I got it to work, yes, but it was a major PAIN to try to figure it all out on my specific application (1985 F150). About a year later, I found a really nice harness from an '83 F150, took off the Painless universal harness, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it plugged right in w/o any modifications whatsoever.

For example, with the Painless harness, they tell you to wire in the supplied flimsy ceramic ballast resistor. Our generation of trucks already has a factory ballast resistor wire already in the harness on a plug that is not used with the TFI/EEC-IV ignition. You wouldn't know it if you don't look for it. Get the right factory harness and you can just plug it in instead of having two extra connections to an external balast resistor that may potentially come loose or get wet.

Also, Painless tells you to run a white wire all the way over to the starter relay on the other side of the truck. Our generation of trucks doesn't need this because this wire is already wired in at the steering column and it is hidden under the dash with other wires. It comes out the other side of the truck and connects to the relay with a single connection. Again, the TFI system doesn't need this, but Duraspark does for better hot starts. Get the right factory harness and you don't have to worry about running the extra wire; it is already there, just waiting to be plugged in.

The factory Duraspark harness already has the two wires included for the oil sending unit and the temperature sending unit and the right size. When you remove the TFI harness from your truck, these two wires are tangled all up in that MESS of wires and then you will have to re-wire them to your truck. I counted SIXTY wires in that gang wire mess that goes through that rubber grommet on the firewall to the computer under the dash. Not to mention about TEN that went to the TFI module and coil. Get the factory Duraspark harness, and you can remove that ENTIRE harness and computer COMPLETELY from your truck and simply PLUG IN the factory Duraspark harness.

And then there is the tachometer situation. Painless doesn't have a neat plug to use like the factory harness uses. You will have to manually wire it in yourself. No so with the correct factory harness.

The Painless harness will work, yes, but you will still end up with unused plugs on your truck, some wires that are too long and some that are too short, extra connections, and extra wires you don't really need. And after removing that MESS of wires that was needed for the TFI/EEC-IV ignition. I like my new, neater engine bay.

I spent a lot of money and time on the Painless harness to make my truck work correctly. But I never liked all the splices and extra connections that went along with it. The factory harness was much neater and it IS a simple plug and play.