Electrical WTF?

[03yllwguy]

So I installed a HID Conversion kit for my Head lights. They fired intermittently so I installed a relay harness. Lights worked fine after. I installed a HID fog light kit and relay harness and when I fired them up smoke appeared from behind the passenger side fenderwell right behind where a CAI would go in the fender. I immediately removed the kit. I also noticed that my headlight ballasts were flaming hot after about a 30 min drive. I removed those immediately as well. Here is my problem. I now smell something hot in the same spot I had smoke come from. All I can feel is a thick wiring harness that doesn't seem to have any burn marks on it (by feel). Anybody have any idea wtf I possibly fried?

 

[03yllwguy]

Well, I took the fender apart and found the hot spot in the harness that was burned up. I had to cut away about 6" of burned insulation from the harness. Here is my ?. Does anyone know why the heck teh factory has about 6" of the ground wire uninsulated in the headlight/foglight/turn signal wire harness behind the passenger side fenderewell? The problem is that when I restored the factory lights, my negative wire in teh harness is still hot to the touch which I doubt is normal, however, it seems that the factory has it setup this way. I don't want to burn up anything more but don't see a fix since the harness doesn't have the negative wire insulated? I reinsulated all the other wires, but this negative wire deliberately is not protected.