Thanks Chuck, but what took you so long to answer? I posted over five minutes ago.

Okay, I knew the black one was a ground and certainly not original since Mercedes grounds are always brown. I'll remove it while I've got everything apart. I just went out and followed the red wire. It goes back to the battery and is connected to the positive terminal with an in-line fuse. Definitely done by the previous owner. I'll yank it out too.

__________________
Len
'59 220S Cabriolet-SOLD and living happily in Malta
'83 240D 351,500 miles original owner-SOLD
'88 560SL 41,000 miles - totaled and parted out
https://sites.google.com/site/mercedesstuff/home
'99 E300 turbo 227,500 miles
'03 SLK320 40,000 miles - gave to my daughter
'14 Smart electric coupe 28,500 miles
'14 Smart electric cabriolet 28,500 miles
'15 Smart electric coupe 28,000 miles