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  • 1989 auto questions

    I believe I read somewhere that the 89 autos were FI, but had different wiring than the 90+. With that being said, were there any main issues with these cars, that they changed all the wiring in the following year? I have a lead on one, but don't even want to mess with it if they are known to be trouble. With it having all different wiring, I'm sure it is harder to track down problems than with the 90+ wiring. Any advice on this would be helpful. I am thinking about going to look at it later this week, depending on the verdict from you guys / gals. Thanks in advance.
    The normal is not always normal... MOST is not ALL... And any job can be hard if you don't have the right tools!!!

    My Fleet:
    89 L 4spd (Daily Driver(if it isn't broke down)) "Spanky"

  • #2
    My first Festiva was a '89 LX Auto FI. It was a great car and I never had any problems with it. It seemed to run stronger than my '90 Auto.
    '90 LX

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    • #3
      Really the only thing i have seen the is different is that they still have the vacume advance disty and the vaf is different than the newer cars. But i have not owned one my self and all the ones i have seen are in a guys yard or wrecked and not running.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by wybnrml View Post
        My first Festiva was a '89 LX Auto FI. It was a great car and I never had any problems with it. It seemed to run stronger than my '90 Auto.
        With the 88 4spd I had I always thought it ran better and quicker than the later models.. figured it was my imagination maybe it wasn't.
        91 rusty Festiva 260k

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        • #5
          The 1989 is a great Festiva on its own. Speaking from experience, it is not the best festiva if you are interested in doing swaps in the future. So if you keep it stock then go for it, but if you want to engine swap in the future, you will be doing many things to it such as a full wiring harness swap.
          The car itself is wired fine, its just different than the 1990 that's all. It have some wiring advantages that I found the 1990+ doesn't have. The biggest benefit is the vaccuum support on the auto tranny, which may give it more hp.
          Good luck!

          -1989 festiva auto to standard conversion, bp g5mr white, aspire swap- October 2010 Festiva of the Month
          -1993 festiva stock standard blue, kia rio front struts

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          • #6
            Originally posted by ericsmith32 View Post
            With the 88 4spd I had I always thought it ran better and quicker than the later models.. figured it was my imagination maybe it wasn't.
            My '89 carbed 4spd is a pooch... It is slower than anything I have ever owned. Then again, it has had problems since I have had it, so who knows.

            Thanks for the info everyone, I think I will check into it. I can probably get it for $500 or less. I haven't seen many pictures of it, and I am not sure how well it runs, but I will let you all know how it turns out.
            The normal is not always normal... MOST is not ALL... And any job can be hard if you don't have the right tools!!!

            My Fleet:
            89 L 4spd (Daily Driver(if it isn't broke down)) "Spanky"

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by doylerl View Post
              I believe I read somewhere that the 89 autos were FI, but had different wiring than the 90+. With that being said, were there any main issues with these cars, that they changed all the wiring in the following year? I have a lead on one, but don't even want to mess with it if they are known to be trouble. With it having all different wiring, I'm sure it is harder to track down problems than with the 90+ wiring. Any advice on this would be helpful. I am thinking about going to look at it later this week, depending on the verdict from you guys / gals. Thanks in advance.
              I love my 89 auto. It seems to have more pep than the 93 5 spd I had. Maybe just me who knows but.............

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              • #8
                Check the ECU plugs.. It will either have three or four plugs... The four plug ecu is the better of the two, it will swap with almost anything like any other efi car.. The 3 plug is a fluke and was only put on those very odd cars lol...
                1988 Ford Festiva "Sonic" BPT g25mr MS2 standalone ecu, FOTY '11, Best Beater FMV, Fan Favorite FMVI

                1989 Ford Mustang GT 5.slow

                1996 Ford F-150

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