Mystery wire in my W108

[R72benz]

I have owned my 280SE for about a year and a half and it has provided many hours of enjoyment (both driving and fixing). I have everything I know of working except the clock, but recently found a loose wire under the hood near the firewall. It is red and originates in a fuse enclosure on the firewall. It is the enclosure closest to the driver side in a row enclosures. I have reviewed the wiring diagrams in the engine shop manual without luck. Any guesses what to check next?

[cth350]

those little fuse bits are for optional equipment, like AC, electric windows and the radio. -CTH

[R72benz]

Thank you cth350. I suspect the cut wire was for the original radio. The current radio was installed in the 90s I believe, complete with cassette player.
R72benz
1972 280se 4.5

[Idle]

Originally Posted by R72benz

I have owned my 280SE for about a year and a half and it has provided many hours of enjoyment (both driving and fixing). I have everything I know of working except the clock, but recently found a loose wire under the hood near the firewall. It is red and originates in a fuse enclosure on the firewall. It is the enclosure closest to the driver side in a row enclosures. I have reviewed the wiring diagrams in the engine shop manual without luck. Any guesses what to check next?

If everything electrical is working then someone has switched the wiring around. Perhaps they could not get any power through that fuse and tapped into another one to power the option that wire is supposed to go to.

Another theory is that when the option the other wire was hooked up to was installed the dealer only had the two fuse add on block in their inventory and the loose wire never went to anything.

It is, without a doubt, there to provide power to an option.