New '92 Mighty Max,FIXED!!! NOT ECU!!

5 speed. I think we have a winner on the issue. Mine is doing the exact same thing. Cool maybe I will just fix it and sell it for more LOL!.

the cold start is most likely ur choke went bad. thats what happened to my 2.0 and i just put a manual choke in and fixed the problem plus gotta pump the gas a few times but thats it

You may be onto something here...... when I turn the key on I can hear a relay click on the passenger side(like it's working), and when it tries to start, it will have a really rough idle and stumble for a few seconds and die, it will do that a few times before it finally starts and stays running. I have to keep my foot halfway into the gas pedal. It will rev up but as soon as I let off it will start stumbling again like it is starving for fuel. I really hope it is the fuel strainer and not the ecu....

Ok, so I am trying to get the fuel pump out, to check the strainer, and I have found that there is supposed to be an access hole to get to the pump? I can't for the life of me find where it is...... Is this true, or do I have to drop the fuel tank to get to the pump/strainer?

You have to drop the gas tank and pull it all out as a unit from the top. When you drop the tank make sure you don't damage the wires to the pump. Before I dropped the tank I would pull the supply fuel line off and run the pump to see if my issue was in the fuel pump. There is a connector in the engine compartment that is just for testing the pump.

Got the tank dropped (safely) and got the fuel strainer out, it is very brown and rusty, but I don't really know that it is clogged......

And I don't really remember ever hearing the fuel pump kick on before, are these pumps really quiet? I guess I may as well test the pump while I have it all apart...

I removed the pump and tested it with jumper wire to a battery just long enough to hear the pump run..... But I cannot hear it run when I turn the key on...... I'm gonna check for a relay

Seems the relay for the fuel pump is also the relay for the starter so if the starter motor cranks than that should mean the relay is good...... I have no power to my pump with the key on, I used a voltmeter to check and I am getting no voltage.

The fuel pump works when you try to crank the motor, but not with the key on.... is that normal?

I replaced the fuel strainer and put everything back together, tried cranking it up, the same problem still exists, it will start, but it stumbles around until it finally just dies.

Pull your computer and get it rebuilt. The fuel pump only comes on when the starter is cranking. You cannot hear it run, usually. If you want to hear it run, use the connector under the hood that goes directly to the fuel pump.