88 ranger with 2.9 sudden loss of power and rough running, and accelerating

[NID_FTL]

It started all of a sudden yesterday. at first I thought I had over heated due to the pinging sound when I tryed to accelerate. then realized I had not driven far e-nuff for it to even get heated up. I have checked the cap, rotor, wires and plugs. all were fine, cleand and regaped. checked for vacum leaks, and checked the injector connectors.
still runs like crap. what can happen all of a sudden and cause theese symptoms? on my last trip it started fine, and drove like normal for over a mile, and then like that id started sipiting and sputering and pinging. another problem I am having , I can't seem to find the eec or obd code reader connector. everything I read here says it's under the hood, but my 88 ranger has 2 connectors under the center of the dash postioned faceing the drivers floor.

PS: things I have noted from reading around this fourm
Fuel pump relay?
PCM relay?
clean the IAC?
check fuel pressure?
fuel filter and fuel pressure regulator? can the filter cause something like this to arise suddenly?
inerita switch?

any help will be greatly appreaited. Jimbo...

 

[35Remmy]

http://fordfuelinjection.com/?p=13
This page has everything on how to run the codes yourself.

 

[NID_FTL]

no fuel filter in the cannister,

ok, b4 I go replacing lot's of expensive electronic part's, I thought let's rule out the fuel filter, low and behold as I remover the canister, there is no filter.
and looks like there was never a filter in there, I had to remove 2 bolt's and swing a large bracket out of the way. and then remove the bolt's holding the canister bracket to the frame, in addition the filter I got as replacement seems like half the size that would be needed to fill this canister's space, even the center stem indicates the filter should be taller. however the O ring that came with the new one is the same size as the canister. This is nut's.
anybody got any ideas? I have to wait till after 5 pm to get ride to return the wrong size filter. also I think someone must have cut the test connector out of this truck, for the life of me I can't find it. I even have the haynes manual and nonthing is relational to this connector, the previous link was also not helpful finding this connector. however will come in handy if I do. HELP! Thanks in advanced Jimbo...

 

[NID_FTL]

also this thing is a 2.3 not a 2.9 I was mistaken

 

[The-Fox]

I have the same truck and I find that if you take the throttle body off and clean the build up off. It ran better when I did a quickie like that until it went back to its current start.
Nick