Fuel Problem...I think

[MickeyRat]

First let me say I know the Saturn S-Series but, not this Nissan. So, I'll apologize in advance for anything I did that sounds stupid.

The Car:

MY stepdaughter's 1997 Nissan Sentra GXE it has the smaller engine don't remember the size (1.6L I think) and I couldn't find it on the sticker. It has an automatic trans and A/C.

The Problem:

Out of the blue it wouldn't start. The starter does turn the engine over and it will almost start but, it won't quite catch. It was at my house at time and my stepdaughter was taking off for cruise the next day.

What I did:

It was about time for a cap and rotor so I did that. I also replaced the coolant temp sensor (If you know anything about Saturns, you know why.). That didn't help. I could smell gas like it was getting flooded. Made sure it was getting spark and then pulled the fuel pump fuse and tried starting it. It started just fine and ran great for about 30 seconds. Put the fuse back in and it wouldn't start. So, I pulled the vacuum hose on the fuel pressure regulator. Now I was getting somewhere. The vacuum hose smelled like gas. I replaced the FPR and started the car. It started right up and ran just fine. So, I thought problem solved but, when my step daughter got home, it was hard to start. My wife finally managed to get it to start but, she only got maybe 1/2 mile before we had to get the car towed back.

The symptoms were identical. So I put a new vacuum hose on the FPR and tried cranking it. Sure enough, when I checked the new hose it smelled of gas. So, I went and got another FPR and replaced it. The car started right up, and I was able to drive it up and down the street maybe 1/2 mile. It died without warning, thankfully it died right at my driveway. After that I did manage to start it a couple times and it would idle and I could rev it but, if I put it into gear and attempted to move it, it would die instantly. I didn't smell anything in the FPR vacuum hose this time.

I'm out of ideas. I'm hoping you experts can help me with this one.

Thanks

[SHAWN]

Make sure the base idle speed is at least 850 RPM...Have you replaced the plugs with NGK since the bad regulator ??