I HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELP A RIV OWNER OUT. I TRYED TO START MY CAR THIS MORNING AND IT CRANKED BUT WOULDNT START. I CRANKED IT AGAIN, BUT THE THIRD TIME, I PUMPED THE ACCELERATER ACOUPLE OF TIMES AND IT STARTED. HOWEVER UNLESS I KEPT MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATER THE RIV DIES. I CAN REPEAT THIS PROCEDURE AND IT DOES THE SAME THING. IT REMINDS ME OF A CARBURATED VEHICLE. ANY IDEAS WHERE TO START. IS THE FUEL PUMP IN THE GAS TANK. ALSO HAVE HAD A TUNEUP IN PAST 3 MONTHS.

I just went through something similar with my 91 Regal. Different engine. It was low fuel pressure. There could be many things that could cause this. I take mine to a good shop for these types of headscratchers.

BTW - All bold print sucks - release those caplocks. :)

My sister has a 1995 Riviera Supercharged and it does the same thing. She never took it in to get it checked yet.
She has remote start and so it just keeps cranking and cranking if she doesn't listen and stop it. Like I say, she hasn't taken it in to get checked yet, and now that it'* been doing it for about 3 months when it does start it blows a cloud of blue smoke just as it fires up.
You might want get it checked out so this doesn'y happen to you. Looks like her valves or rings are going now.
If you find out what it is my sister would be more than happy to hear. If she gets hers checked out soon I will be sure to put the diagnosis on here.
Good luck,
Martin

To me... It sounds like eaither a fuel pump or a fuel pressure regulator... and yes the pump is in the tank. If you dont want to smell like gas for like a week I suggest you let someone else take care of this one. :?

Hey just for info on my Riv situation. I tryed to start it a couple more times with giving it a little gas the same way during this past weekened same results. So I figured i would ask my buick guy at autozone and he said it was probably one of 3 things: fuel pressure regulater, idle air control, or the throttle position sensor. He was aiming more towards the IAC $50. So I went out and found it on the throttle body and unpugged it and left it unplugged a couple of minutes while i inspected the wires. Plugged it back in and it started. So far so good.

So it was loose I guess?