Wish I would have saw this post originally..those wires come from the board on the furnace and go to the 220v contactor inside. basically they are 24v signal wires. Usually the red and white are used for the outside condensing unit. In shhort your 220v contactor was closing because the 24v signal wasnt getting through and pulling the contacts down.
I didnt read how you fixed it, but you can simply cut the wire and wire nut / electric tape them to keep moisture out.