1996 Olds Cutlass ciera 3.1L stalling

My car has been having a rough time starting. I few weeks ago it stalled as I was driving it. No sputter, just stopped. I would not start bavk up. I talked to a mechaninc and he said it was probably the fuel pump. Back when it was just having a rough time starting he said it was probably the fuel pressure regualtor. Anyway, I went to the car a couple days later and it started right up. I drove it for about 15 minutes and it died again in the same manner. I had the car towed to my house, changed the fuel filter and the fuel pressure regulator. It started right up, no rough start. I let it run for about 45 minutes and called it good. I drove it the 26 miles to work this moreing and it ran great the whole way. It used to surge when I was sitting at stop lights and that was gone now. I left work and it started right up again. No rough starts since doing the work. I made it about 15 miles on my trek home and it started dying, but in a different manner. This time I was able to give it gas and keep it going. As soon as I pulled over and came to a stop it died and would not start back up. I let the car sit for three hours, went back to it and tried to start it. It wouldn't even catch once. I can hear the fuel pump turning on when I put the key in the on position so I don't think it is that. I am lost as to where to look now. is the check engine lite on, or has it been on lately?

even tho u hear the fuel pump, that dont mean its kicking out enough pressure. u would need a fuel pressure test to tell that. if u wanna diy, autozone and some of the other parts stores got a free tool loaner program, and can borrow a tester and check it out. check it with the key on, and then while cranking. if u get pressure, shut the key off and leave the gauge connected and see how far it drops, and how fast. if u can get the car to start, check it that way too. post your results here and we can help u figure it out.

it would allso be a good idea to check for spark on all the plugs. u can get a inline spark tester at autozone too. if the spark is missing or weak, that would narrow it down to a ignition problem.

these are just places to start. let us know what happens and we can go from there. The check engine light has not come on. Once I get the car back home I wiil check with some local auto parts stores to see if they have loaner tools and get back to you. I stopped by the car this morning to see if I could get it started. No go. So this is definately different than what was wrong berfore.....I think....

When I walked up to the car this morning there was a definate smell of gas. So here is my thought. Is is possible that when I replace the fuel pressure regulator the actual pressure in the fuel line increased? If it did increase and the line was near failing, would the increased pressure be enough for it to spring a leak? The reason I say this is because when it was dying yesterday and I gave it gas, it tried to go but acted like it wasn't getting enough gas.

I checked all the connections that I had made and none of them are leaking, so I was thinking the actual line. if u had a fuel line leaking, and the fuel pump is pressurised, youd know it cause it would shoot out a stream of gas like a little fire hose
and youd have a big puddle under the car in a hurry.

can u tell where the smell is coming from by sniffing around? even tho u replaced the fuel pressure regulator, pull the vacuum line off of it and look inside. if the inside of the hose is wet with fuel, u got a bad regulator. allso check around the regulator for leaks from a loose fitting, bad o-ring, etc. and make sure the vacuum line is in good shape, no holes, cracks, etc.

it could be that if this turns out to be a ignition problem, the engine could be flooded from trying to start it when there aint no spark. try holding the gas pedal to the floor while u crank it. this puts it in 'clear flood' mode where the injectors shut off. if theres excess gas in the cylinders, cranking it in clear flood mode will clear it out and it may start.

id still advise a fuel pressure and leakdown test like i said before, and allso the spark test. we aint gonna get nowhere with this till we figure out which system is acting up. I would assume there is a Schrader valve someplace on the fuel lines to connect a pressure gauge. Do you know if there is one for sure and where it is located?

The car is on gravel right now, so I can't really tell if there is a leak or Car Repair Talk's forum.