I have a 97 chrysler sebring that wont start on its own. If i go out to it jump in and hit the key it will just crank then i stop and try again sometimes it will fire sometimes it wont. Now its to the point that it wont fire at all, it just cranks and cranks, but if i spray some starting fluid in the intake hose itll fire right up and run fine then if i shut it off and start it again right away it will fire right up but if let sit for 5 mins or more it ,95% of the time wont start, what could be causing this problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

also forgot to mention that once in a while id say maybe every 3 weeks to a month it will randomly just stall and then givee me a hard time refiring it will just crank for a couple tries then after a many tries will finally fire.

 

Well jonboy_4x, this may be your lucky day. As it happens my 97 was just doing very similar things. I found 2 causes for mine, but replaced many parts first. The actual problem appears to have been the ASD (Automatic ShutDown) relay. For a description of that and it's location see my other post from today titled ASD information (97 Sebring). That system controls power to the ignition and fuel injection circuts. Mine just needed cleaning (I think). So far no problems, but it has only been but a single day since I fixed it.

Other items of particular interest are the EGR valve, distributor, crankshaft position sensor and the Idle Air Control valve.

EGR problems usually (but not always) show up more when the engine is warm. If it bleeds inert air during the starting or idling processes it makes a mess of both.

The Idle Air Control, if it fails to open during start, can prevent air from getting in. However you should be able to start the motor with the throttle cracked open a bit.

Best guess (as well as the least expensive, possibly free) is the ASD. Follow that with the EGR (replace, don't repair or trust it). After that the crankshaft position sensor (below distributor on 2.5L) then the distributor (Not cheap! Not cheap at all!!).

Best of luck.