89 lx runs like crap dies all the time

Here's a crazy question:
What about your mass air meter, is it dirty, etc.

I know my car ran like a turd when the mass air got dirty.

Dump the codes and see what the computer says is wrong…Codes may be present in the computer even if the Check Engine light isn’t on.

Here's the link to dump the computer codes with only a jumper wire or paper clip and the check engine light, or test light or voltmeter. I’ve used it for years, and it works great.



See http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/
OR
See http://www.mustangworks.com/articles/electronics/eec-iv_codes.html

IF your car is an 86-88 stang, you'll have to use the test lamp or voltmeter method. There is no functional check engine light on the 86-88's except possibly the Cali Mass Air cars.

Codes have different answers if the engine is running from the answers that it has when the engine isn't running. It helps a lot to know if you had the engine running when you ran the test.

Trouble codes are either 2 digit or 3 digit, there are no cars that use both 2 digit codes and 3 digit codes.

For those who are intimidated by all the wires & connections, see http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16153 for what a typical hand scanner looks like. Normal retail price is about $30 or so at AutoZone or Wal-Mart.

Or for a nicer scanner see http://www.midwayautosupply.com/pc-7208-90-equus-digital-ford-code-reader-3145.aspx – It has a 3 digit LCD display so that you don’t have to count flashes or beeps.. Cost is $30.

Did you just get the car, or did you have it and had the engine built?
Air, Fuel, Spark, which one is missing?

Now, the simple stuff.
Firing order, duh...
Fuel pressure
plugs
wires
rotor button and cap

Does it all check out good?

Factory dist.?

Get a spark tester, looks like a spark plug, and see what color spark you have.
Blue=good
Orange=crap!
The hall effect pickups sometimes go bad, you can always take off the module and AutoZone will test it for free, I had a no start problem when I first tried to fire my car after the EFI swap . Ended up being a bad hall effect pickup in the dist .

Fuel, do you have proper fuel pressure? What size injectors?

You can thow parts at the problem and become poor and frustrated in the process. OR you can do some troubleshooting and find the problem.

The diagnostic connector is wired into the harness up near the driver's side hood hinge. Use the diagram I posted to identify the connectors and jumper them to dump the codes. It is highly unlikely that anyone except a brain dead corpse would hack out the test connector.