Thats a diode and is definitely not a good thing to have on an EM coil
If the coils you used to replace the originals had these diodes on them when you got them, they must've been intended for a SS pin. You did the right thing to cut them as they would've been putting a short across the coil.
Just a thought... are the coils the same part number as the originals??
Cheers...Mitch
