There are a few multicolored plugs on my engine and one of them was hacked off by the previous owner. They're attached directly to my wiring harness, so I'm trying to decide if it's important that I splice the missing one back on, or not.

 

welcome to the board.

that's part of the emissions system. around here we refer to it as "the rat's nest". fixing it is entirely up to you. if you choose not to repair it, then there are many threads around the board that can guide you through it's removal.

 

So do you think the vehicle would pass a sniff test if I were to remove it?
I eventually want this thing to be my daily driver, so it's gonna have to pass DEQ.

 

can you pass a test without it? sure. that said, you can also fail tests WITH it, so just keeping it in tact is not a guarantee. keep in mind, i'm not trying to sway your decision one way or another.

i would recommend familiarizing yourself with Oregon's requirements if you haven't already done so, then weighing those against your plans for the car. if keeping all that stuff in tact doesn't interfere with your plans for the car, then it may just be route you should take.

get a copy of the FSM. check out the Gen I FAQ thread, too.