Ray, I believe you're wondering if those wires are part of the engine wiring harness assembly you've researched so thoroughly. It's hard for me to tell by the pictures, but if you follow the wiring from the main bulkhead behind the battery, see if any of the wires branch out to the wires you presented. If not, then the problem needs to be dealt with separately from replacing the engine wiring harness.

The wiring in the whole car is made from this brittle insulation. It's the heat from under the hood that accelerates damage to the engine wiring harness, and makes this problem mainly confined to the engine wiring harness.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K