New to me 89 w/ questions

So, I just picked up an 89 LX-i about a week ago for $400 from my neighbor, and like I do with every car I buy, went looking for a good forum for it, and found this place. The car is in pretty good shape considering the age, and the 215K miles, but it does have a few problems, so I figured I'd introduce myself and ask some questions.

The first problem/s I noticed are that the car doesn't like to start, sometimes unless I spray starter fluid. Once it does start, it stays at around 2k RPM, and never drops, even after it warms up. AND, once I turn if off, the fan stays on all the time unless I disconnect the battery.

The second set of problems I was told about by the previous owner, and may be related. He told me that once the car gets warm from driving a while, it shuts off and won't restart, which is why he stopped driving it. I haven't been able to test this myself, since it's cold out, and the tags are expired.

After doing some research here, I'm thinking I may need a new computer? I tried to get a code from the computer, but it doesn't blink, just turns on and stays on. As for the fan I'd imagine is the fan relay, and the dying when hot makes me think distributor, since I've had that happen before.

Anyways, sorry for the long post. Any other opinions would be great, so I don't buy the wrong parts.

my fan used to stay on aswell, but it just stopped one day and works fine ever since.
and correct me if im wrong but i think when the light stays on the ecu is bad.

Welcome! The fans sound like a defective fan timer. Cooling fan malfunctions are a mystery we still haven't fully divined here though, so you'll want to check any parts before replacing them. The ECU light staying on would tend to indicate that it's defective. That could be why the car doesn't start. The hot start problem could also be ECU or more likely, the ignition control module. A bad main relay can also cause a warm start problem and is very common on these cars, though it usually is most problematic when the interior of the car is warm.

The factory service manual is available here. It is an invaluable resource. The cooling fans are explained starting on p. 25-110. The main relay is on p. 12-66. The ICM really isn't discussed anywhere in the manual so replace it as a last resort.

400 Bucks ? Are you for real ? Steal .. the ecu can do lots of damage on how the car runs .id for sure get one then see what it does. your idle issue can be air bubbles in the anti freeze . If its the fan thats on the ac pump side mine does the same thing too. i just took the relay out .. i need to look into that my self

Welcome! Thats around the same price I get mine for. The high idle could be caused by the fast idle valve that got stuck open.