Ford Repair: 1993 Mercury Tracer Electrical Problems, 1993 mercury tracer, mercury tracer

Question
Hello Dennis,
I own a 1993 Mercury Tracer. 1.9 L, 4 cyl. Milage:153,950. It is having sudden electrical problems. I will describe in detail...

While I was driving one day I noticed a strong electric smell like something 'shorting out.'
After a couple of miles the car lost power. I pulled it over and shut it off. Now it won't start. I found part of the problem. There are 2 relays mounted directly in front of the engine's computer. The one on the left was partially melted! My parts store called it an access relay.
I had it replaced but it still won't start.
And now there is no lights, doorbell, radio, ect.
I'm sure the battery is ok and all fuses seem to be ok.
This problem began suddenly;never had electrical problems with it before.
But a month before this happened the heater core had a bad leak. I did notice some coolant on top of the engine's computer.
I believe coolant has caused something to go out.

Any ideas what could be wrong with this car?
This is odd...when it stopped running it had all the electrical accessories working. Then they stopped working.
Thank you for your assistance.

Answer
Coolant leaking onto the PCM is common on these, even tho you fixed the heater other parts may have been damaged, especially the PCM. I would look for corrosion on any connectors in that area, many times you will see a green color mold like stuff where coolant and electrical parts have met. Be sure you are checking all the fuses, I believe there are some under the hood too. The coolant could migrate to a different are once it gets into the wires. May have caused other problems.

Even if the PCM is damaged, the other items you mention should still work, so I suspect you may have a main fuse that is bad.