Chrysler Repair: electrical problems, plymouth breeze, ohmmeter

Question
I have a 98 Plymouth Breeze and it will not start.  It keeps blowing the PCM/ASM fuse beneath the hood.  It blows as soon as the key is turned.  I recently saw smoke coming out of the left side of the hood.  A week later, it just shut off.  One of the fuses to the radio was a 30 in the place of a 20A, I am not sure if that had anything to do with it. I do not have the owner's manual.

Answer
Hi Brianna,
I unfortunately don't have a wiring diagram for the Breeze. But I do have one for the '96 Cirrus/Stratus which probably has a very similar design, at least in that part of the circuit where you are having trouble. Can you tell me what the abbreviation "ASM" means (I think it might be automatic shutdowm module, but I haven't seen the actual term before)?
If that is what you think it means, then I would start by pulling out that relay and then seeing if the fuse blows. It if doesn't, then you will want to check each of the socket connectors from the now removed relay socket to see which one of the 5 pins is grounded (reads 0 ohms with an ohmmeter placed between the connector and the chassis or - post of the battery which is 'ground'). If none of the them are grounded and have at least 100 ohms of resistance, then that branch of the circuit is o.k. The PCM is then the next part of the circuit to check for a short to ground. It is going to proceed like this until you/we find a component that is blown or a wire whose insulation has melted and been grouned for that reason. So let me know what you find and whether the "ASM" is what I think it is.
Roland