I have a 96 SE, great car but giving me problems. About 8 weeks ago it had trouble idling and would shut down, engine light was on, dealer replaced the Mass Airflow Sensor and that seemed to fix it. 6 weeks later it died while driving and wouldn't restart. Turned over fine but sounded fuel starved. Fuel pump pressure was low so dealer replaced pump, in tank filter and fuel line filter. A couple of days later same thing. It just dies all of a sudden and will turn over but not catch or will sputter. Again it seems fuel starved but I can smell gas. I have taken it to 2 dealers and neither can find the problem. They say that if the engine light doesn't come on (it doesn't) they can't get a code. Of course they can't duplicate the problem as it usually happens at night or on the weekend and when I have it towed in it starts the next day for them. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Sounds like a number of things. First, I would have checked the pressure regulator before replacing the fuel pump, but I'm not a greedy dealership, either. (Note: replacing the fuel pump is a great money-maker for dealers due to the high labor $$$) Next is the cam position sensor. If it is faulty, it should throw a code. It could give the PCM incorrect info as to how the engine is running, thus causing an over-fueling issue. All of the sensors would give a code, so I'm going to lean towards the pressure regulator. If it'* bad, it could starve, then drown the engine. It'* also one of the only items that is not PCM controlled, thus no codes.

Thanks for the advice. I'll pass it along to the mechanic who presently has the car and ask him to check the pressure regulator before doing anything further. Presently he is leaning towards the crank and cam sensors and wants to replace both.

Thanks, hopefully I'l get it back tomorrow night and than play the waiting game to see if it'* fixed. Is there any way to tell if the sensor is bad once you get your hands on it or is it just a matter of seeing if the problem goes away after changing it?
My mechanic said once he'* in there it'* best to do both cam and crank at once to save on future labor. Does that sound right?