Hi All:
I've been messing with an '85 245 for more than a year. it was free and not running. now it runs, but poorly. The timing is right. The compression is good. It idles fine but won't accelerate evenly and smokes. My latest suspects are the engine harnesses, (which aren't made of the crumbly stuff). I took them out and they both check for continuity but the engine harness (not the ignition harness) has some black wires that connect to the MAF, the hi temp sensor, a test loop next to the computer plug, and the computer plug. In a test on the computer plug for shorts, pole numbers 5, 11, and 19 show a common connection between all 3, except when the test loop is removed.

My questions are:
1. are those black wires supposed to be connected that way?
2. will a broken + wire to the alternator make it run like crap?

thanks Bill :)