Painless obviously needs no introduction, their reputation for producing easy to install wiring products is well known. What might not be so well known, is this little gem – the “Painless Perfect” LS1 engine control module. One of the biggest causes of anxiety among those of us dropping LS engines into just about anything, is how to get it to run the way we want without hiring a NASA engineer. Well, Painless did their homework and made it a whole lot easier to run EFI with a setup that is easy to install, straight forward to tune, and doesn't clutter up the engine bay.


In these two boxes is everything you need to run an LS engine – hardware, wiring, and software. You'll need a laptop to tune, with a serial port or a common USB-to-Serial adapter.





Installation:
It doesn't get much easier than this – every connection is terminated, and clearly labeled. Start plugging things into the various sensors, coils, etc. on the motor and you'll find the harness basically lays itself out how it should go. Nice and clean, this part literally takes you 10 minutes to do. Once you have the harness plugged into the motor, you're pretty much left with just your basic power and ground wires, starter switch, mounting the diagnostic link, check engine light, and other pretty obvious stuff. The manual is incredibly detailed, walking you through every connection step by step.








The controller:
Three mounting screws, two connectors. That's all it takes to mount and plug this little guy in and make magic happen. This was the most surprising part to me -- the physical size of the unit controlling your motor! Take a peek:





Now that looks pretty small – but to really get an idea of scale, check this out:





The controller looks to be weather sealed, with nice weatherpak connectors and all, but Painless recommends mounting it inside the vehicle – they even include the grommet for the hole in the firewall. Nice and complete, the attention to detail is definitely there!




In the next few posts, I'll detail the tuning software, installing it on the car, and firing it up. Stay tuned!

 

is the controller the same as the computer, ecu, etc, etc-how ever many diff names they call it-i know, im computer stupid, but if all this is in one setup, i might start right out with f/i, skip a carb-will this system allow for ind adjustment of injectors, and does it to map, and exhaust sensors?
and price, i know its gonna be high-i'll be interested in your install-thanks

 

cant wait to see a price, id like to see how it compares to other standalones using factory PCM's. Sure makes things quick and easy thats for sure. Maybe i wont sell my truck intake and start saving up for this.

 

This unit is actually nothing new at all. All painless did was purchase the technology from Umi Racing. You used to be able to purchase a similar kit from Umi on their website but now you cannot obviously as painless has the rights to it now. I just hope painless makes the price reasonable.

 

Keeping an eye on the thread.....


But if Painless hasn't changed in the last 5 years, their pricing will be through the roof!

 

Yep, you're right. http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...0002_378821_-1

 

That's for the kit with a cam...

This is the kit with programming software...
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...0002_960847_-1







$2,022.99!!!

 

Ouch! If I remember correctly when Umi Racing was selling a similar kit pricing was around $1000.

 

That's what happens when "the PR machine" gets involved....

 

yikes $2K!!! Can it do a x58 reluctor wheel motor with drive by wire?

 

Thats a Delhi MEFI computer, they have been running sandrails and boats for a long time.
MEFI tuner
Except for the lack of wire loom.
My only complaint with painless harness's

 

Looks like the kit without the caTool software runs about $1200.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

definetly out of my wallet's range.

My question is, does the controller work with the available tuning software like HPtuners and Efi Live or do you need to buy their software as well?

 

Nice but pricey.. hopefully they will drop the price at some point..

 

that amount of money will buy a lot of gas for a carb. and pay me to change the jets a couple of times. I'm not sold on F.I. yet.

 

And whats controlling the trans? I'll be going with speartech .JOHN

 

If you want easy, use a factory PCM with a tune and harness from someone like Speartech.

 

For that price, everyone, but old "classic", will be.....

 

ya, i dunno. I can get a standalone harness from Current performance made exactly how i want for $700 and run the stock PCM i already have in my garage. It may be good for someone with nothing to start out, but i cant justify it. I too will stick with my carb for a little while longer.

 

hey you called me "old".....................

 

Guys am I missing something here? I'm a newbie, I just purchased a complete ls1 with auto trans. It is a complete pull out from a 2002 ss camaro. It is suppose to be delivered with all the wiring, sensors and ecu in tact. I was assuming all I have to do is connect a few wires like ground power etc and find a home for the factory ecu to mount. I have purchased a ls1 wiring manual and guide to accomplish this with the help of you guys as needed. I am aware that I will need to reprogram to match my gears etc and remove security and emisions stuff that want be required for my 1965 cutlass. Am I on the right path or is there something I have overlooked in making this work?