Thanks again guys. I'm still relaying info to Nathan (he has no internet connection at home) and hopefully one of these things will pan out. So far he'* checked the alternator, and the relay...no luck yet. If you have any more ideas, keep 'em coming...he'* trying everything.

I gotta go with crank sensor on this one. Happened the same way to a guy I work with, only this was on a 3.1 V6.

jay

Hey everyone - Nathan here - finally got to a computer! Thanks to Hailey and the rest of the forum for the assistance and suggestions. Here'* where it is:
Replaced the alternator (Auto parts store tested it, said it was dead)
Checked to make sure plenty of gas in it (that would have been a story!)
Because of the suggestion from this forum, I checked the fuel pump - at the moment I cannot hear it when I turn the key to "On", and normally I can hear this from the driver'* seat, so I have proceeded on the assumption that it'* a fuel pump problem.
Replaced the Fuel Pump Relay - No effect, and cannot hear the fuel pump kick in. I can hear the relay clicking when I turn the key to on, and then clicking again after two seconds.

Sounds like the fuel pump needs to be replaced, or that there is an electrical problem between the relay and the pump. I read somewhere that you can bypass the relay and apply 12V to test the pump itself, but I haven't found any explicit instructions on how to do this. I'm also trying to figure out if the faulty alternator could have created another problem, if this is a red herring, or if the autoparts store was mistaken. Any other suggestions? I'm having it towed to a highly-recommended garage tommorrow night (when I get back from the other side of the state) and have it professionally diagnosed - I don't consider myself enough of an expert to remove the fuel tank and change the pump myself - especially in the middle of a parking lot!

Thanks again!
Nathan

Audience: HI, NATHAN!

Question for the others here: Is this really a valid test after the first couple of tries? What I mean is, once the fuel pump pressurizes the fuel line the first time, is it actually going to activate on the follow-on attempts, if the pressure hasn't actually gone back down?

Aside from that, just to doublecheck here:

1) The starter cranks the engine over at a good speed, yes?

2) Does the engine _ever_ fire? Does it sound like it _almost_ does? (i.e. one or two pops, at least?)

3) Have you tried spraying starting fluid in the intake, to see if it will run once fuel (of some kind) is provided?

4) Did you check my question about pulling the vacuum line off the regulator to see if it'* gotten full of gasoline?

Hey Andy!
1. Engine cranks at a good speed - my battery at least is still good!
2. When this problem first started, I had driven the car less than 3 miles in about 5 minutes from a cold start first thing in the morning. No noticable signs of trouble. I stopped the car, ran into the convenience store, came out and tried to restart the vehicle less than 3 minutes later. The first couple of times, the engine would fire, and then immediately die. After doing that 2-3 times, it stopped firing at all, and now it only cranks.
3. I have not tried starting fluid - I can try that when I get back there tommorrow.
4. Ditto on the vacuum line.

One final question for everyone - is there any other switch or relay, like the oil pressure switch, that could be defective and interrupting the fuel pump?

Thanks Andy!

If you're encountering a cold car at that time, and it does start up for you, drive it right home before you do anything else. Don't shut it down again even once along the way.

Please do the vacuum line, because the symptoms you describe above fit a flooded fuel-pressure regulator (among other things).

The VATS system will disable the fuel pump if it detects the wrong key being used to start the car (this is assuming you have a resistor chip in your ignition key...?), but you will have a yellow Security light blazing away solid on the dash for three minutes afterwards if this occurs. You haven't mentioned that at all so I don't think it applies here.

OK - an update on the situation, and additional questions!!!
I had it towed to a highly-recommended garage (private, not a dealer!), and after testing the electrical system, he confirmed it was the fuel pump. Cost just under $500 for parts and labor to replace pump and filter - I didn't mind too much, I can't imagine doing the work myself (novice to automotive work - if it'* not in Haynes, I haven't a clue).
Seemed OK, but at this point I've had it for just over a week and already two problems:

1. Several days after I got it back, I was driving to work. Drove about half an hour, then stopped for two minutes to put air in one of the tires. It started running rough almost immediately, check engine light came on, and it was "jerking" forward. I pulled the car over to the side of the road, turned it off, checked fluids, and tried restarting. Took several seconds of cranking before it caught, but it ran smoothly the rest of the trip. It hasn't repeated this particular problem since then.

2. Last night, I was driving in a city and the "low gas" indicator had just come on. I parked on a side street with a slight downward incline, visited some friends for a few hours, and then came back. Car refused to start. I could hear the fuel pump turning on and pressurizing the line, it would crank, catch for a second, and then immediately die. No response if I floored the accelerator after it caught. A friend and I pushed it to a parking lot at the bottom of the hill that was perfectly level, and tried again. This time it started, ran for the two blocks to a gas station, filled the tank, and so far it hasn't happened again.

Additional symptoms:
There is a strong smell of gas (briefly) when the car is first started (This was confirmed by a friend)
For the last day or two before the second incident, the gas gauge showed random changes, going up and down by over 1/8 of the tank as I was driving.

Any thoughts ? I haven't a clue where to begin testing this, and I'll probably try taking it back to the garage for a second look later this week. But I figure anything I can check in the meantime can't hurt.

History:
Intake manifold was replaced about 2 years ago (hydrolocked the engine in the middle of winter, man was I lucky it didn't kill the engine!)
Recent replacements: Alternator, fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel pump relay, drive belt, water pump.

It sounds like your fuel pressure is faulty and is allowing the fuel pressure to bleed down. That will cause delayed starts and a fuel smell.

Coming through the ventilation system? I'd look under the hood very closely to hunt for gas leaks, and also (if you have some ramps or a lift) under the car along the route of the fuel lines.

Again: Have you pulled the vacuum line off the fuel-pressure regulator yet to check for leakage there?

I wouldn't say that'* unusual; mine does it, too, especially when it'* almost empty. Is it possible that yours has been doing that all along, but you hadn't noticed it until you began really studying the dashboard to find symptoms?

this has the same symptoms of our '95 olds 88 when it experienced computer malfunction. see if your garage can check it somehow to see if it'* performing correctly. our 88 acted like it was out of gas, it would run for a few seconds but then die. no expert, but this is my two cents.