Why won’t my car stay running?

gbateman98

I’ve got a 2001 Saturn SL. At first, I was only having a problem with rough idling and occasionally, it wouldn’t start. My dad has been trying to fix it but right now, it’s got all of us stumped. We replaced so many parts on it. It runs really great while it’s running but now that’s the problem, it wont stay running! Before, it wasn’t starting at all, it had too much fuel pressure, and was giving us P0172 and P0133 codes so we replaced the fuel filter and O2 sensor. Now, it will start for a couple seconds and then immediately die. It isn’t giving us any codes when we can get it to stay running. It’s also confusing because it isn’t being consistent. Sometimes it’ll stay running and sometimes it won’t. The check engine and service lights are both on and have been for a while so we figured it was because the fuel filter but they still stay on. Could it be an ignition problem or something with the fuel injectors? 

thecardoc3

gbateman98 said:

We replaced so many parts on it. It runs really great while it’s running but now that’s the problem, it wont stay running!

Right now the routine needs you to forget everything that has already been done, and just concentrate in the problem at hand.

gbateman98 said:

Before, it wasn’t starting at all, it had too much fuel pressure, and was giving us P0172 and P0133 codes so we replaced the fuel filter and O2 sensor.

This is one of the reasons why I started with forget about what has been done. Having excessively high fuel pressure would have nothing to do with the O2 sensor and the fuel filter. While they may have been replaced for justifiable reasons, they don't associate to the suggestion that the fuel pressure was too high. How high was the fuel pressure? How high is it now?

gbateman98 said:

Now, it will start for a couple seconds and then immediately die. It isn’t giving us any codes when we can get it to stay running. It’s also confusing because it isn’t being consistent. Sometimes it’ll stay running and sometimes it won’t.

Let's concentrate on the issue.
When it stalls are you losing injector pulse, fuel or spark?
How long does it run for when it starts?
When you restart does it fire right up or is it difficult to start?
Can you get scanned data, graph it on a PC, capture it and upload it?
Will it continue to run if you use alternative fuel, such as propane?
Will it continue to run if you keep working the throttle?
Does it jus die out or does it turn off like someone turned the key off?
Have you taken a fuel sample to check for contamination?

gbateman98 said:

The check engine and service lights are both on and have been for a while so we figured it was because the fuel filter but they still stay on. Could it be an ignition problem or something with the fuel injectors?

The "could be's" are an extensive list at this point. A solid testing routine will rule out what is working so you can identify the failing system, subsystem, component, and then ultimately the exact failure.