Wire Issue Under Hood - '88 b2

[Avery3]

This connector is on the driver's side under the hood. I noticed the wire was all frayed and partially broken so it seemed logical to cut it and reconnect it. Then when I cranked the truck the wire promptly burned up. I then replaced the small section of wire with a new wire and it burned again.
The wire wasn't burned at all before, just badly frayed. Does anyone happen to know what this wire is and what might cause it to get so hot? Thanks for any help

 

[jhammel85]

Its grounding out somewhere. Try tracing it back and see if any other wires are laying on metal and grounding out the circuit.

 

[Avery3]

Thanks. That seems to have fixed it. I found two wires closer to the firewall near the middle of the engine compartment that are unused and not connected to anything but were touching each other on the ends. I taped them and then went back and fixed the burned wire again and this time it worked without frying.