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Dear dfeew9,
Hope this finds you well. If the idle air control valve (IACV) has failed, the car will be hard to start: as soon as the accelerator is released after start-up, the tachometer will plunge to zero, and the engine will die. Thus, if the car runs for 1-3 miles, and dies while your foot is on the accelerator - instead of when you're stopped at a light - I think you should check:
- the fuel pump relay (white plastic rectangle, on the main relay block, second row, driver's side of the row).
- the radio interference suppression relay, aka the fuel injection relay, a very dark brown/black rectangle, 2" (50mm) tall, mounted on the inner fender, between the ABS unit and the battery.
If these relays are factory-original, they don't owe you a penny. Even so, you may be able to repair them.
These relays - as with most in the mid-1990s cars - have solder joints on their circuit boards. These joints can develop micro-cracks, that break the circuit. These cracks can be far too small to be seen with an unaided eye. They can be closed by re-flowing the solder, with a 25-watt soldering iron. If the tip is touched to each joint, so that the solder liquefies (changes from dull gray to shiny silver), any micro-crack will be cured.
High ambient heat - plus the heat generated by normal operation - may cause a micro-crack to open up, cutting power to the fuel pump or to the injectors. The engine, starved of fuel, will die. When the temperature drops, the crack closes enough to allow the engine to re-start.
It is well to carry spares for these relays. No tools are needed to change them, although a screw-driver will help you to remove the under-radio storage tray (in the center front console), improving access to the main relay block.
Hope this helps: please post back with your findings.
Yours faithfully,
spook
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