1989 Ford aerostar van sputters and stalls.

Could be crankshaft sensor,take too long to show a code.

change your fuel pump filter and put some injector cleaner through a half tank of gas and drive

Usually the problem is due to a dirty throttle body or a faulty idle air control valve. Stalling in reverse and not in drive is unusual.

Two of the most common causes of stalling when hot are the ignition module and pickup coil. It is very difficult to diagnose a problem like that. Sometimes you have no choice but to pick one component and replace it then drive the van until you're either satisfied the problem has been resolved or it stalls again. If it stalls again replace the next component and repeat. If you have the expertise and equipment to diagnose such a problem you'll have to carry it with you and when it stalls try to get it diagnosed before the problem disappears and the van starts.

Sounds like the EVC is screwed up to me. Did you change the computer with the engine?

did you try your fuel filter , as for the white smoke that could be a number of things does it smell ,does the truck over heat?

ive run into this problem a few times and it also drove me out of my mind,one of the few i worked on was a control module,cold it was okay then when warm it would die when ever it felt like then start when cold, the other few ended up having bad computers, yes the computer its about 80.00 rebulit, try the computer frist, hope this is helpful let me now the results.

check for vacume leaks most common problem for symptoms listed its hoses on engine look for dryrot cracked, or broken hoses or lose come off

AM temp 55 car started but stalled out after starting. Attempted to restart and did not hear fuel pump. Tried again and then fuel pump kicked in. Checking fuel pump inertial switch and fuel pump electrical supply.

most likely a fuel filter problem. try takeing a rubber mallet {not steel} and pound on the bottom of the gas tank. this will sometimes dislodge whatever is clogging the filter screen. Your engine fuel injected and needs a certain amount of pressure to operate correctly. You can have a repair shop do a pressure test on the system.