1996 Mercury Tracer Owner's Manual - Page 270

If the level gets low, refill the battery with distilled water. If necessary, you can add tap water to the battery, provided the water is not hard or does not have a high mineral or alkali content. If the battery needs water quite often, have the charging system checked for a possible malfunction. If you disconnect the battery, the engine must "relearn" its idle conditions before your vehicle will drive properly. To find out how the engine does this, see Starting your vehicle's fuel-injected engine in the Index. If the battery has been disconnected, you will have to reset the clock and the preset stations on your radio once the battery is reconnected. Help Us Protect Our Environment Ford Motor Company strongly recommends that used lead-acid batteries be returned to an authorized recycling facility for disposal. Battery recycling symbol Because your vehicle's engine is electronically controlled by a computer, some control conditions are maintained by power from the battery. If you ever disconnect the battery or install a new battery, you must allow the computer to relearn its idle conditions before your vehicle will drive properly. To begin this process put the gearshift in P (Park) (automatic transaxle) or Neutral (manual transaxle), turn off 284