85 chevy 2.8 MFI

i have had this cavalier for 15 yrs and it finally had an intake gasket coolant leak that showed up on a bitter cold day in winter.  i waited till weather improved some and pulled it down to find issue then left it that way for over a year. finally had to fix or junk so i got the parts and did the job and when i got it running it was flooding out. that was a yr ago now and i’m ready to tackle this new issue now. i had went check for codes but no response from computer. i had never seen a check engine light so i pulled dash and bulb was gone. installed bulb and tried again thru key trick and nothing. so put reader on port and no response. i cant believe car runs at all without computer involved? and i dont even know where it’s located to check for ground and power. only reason i keep car is cause it’s the GENIE convertible.