dodge stratus 96

Need details! How long does it run? Two seconds? Minutes or hours? Will it restart right away or does it have to cool down a half hour? What have you checked so far? Do you hear the fuel pump run for one second when you turn on the ignition switch? Have you checked for diagnostic fault codes?

when it does start,sometimes it will run for seconds and other times minutes..sometimes it will star right away and other times it may take a second..i do hear the fuel pump for a second when started..and i don't know how to check fault codes

Chrysler is the only company that makes checking codes real easy. Cycle the ignition switch from "off" to "run" three times within five seconds, leave it in "run", then watch the code numbers show up in the odometer display.

When the engine stalls, a good clue can be found by measuring the voltage on the dark green / orange wire at the coil pack, any injector, or the back of the alternator. You should see battery voltage for one second when you turn on the ignition switch, (that's when the fuel pump runs for one second), but what's important is that voltage must come back during cranking. If it does not, suspect the camshaft position sensor or the crankshaft position sensor. They often start to fail by not working when they get warm, and they'll work again once they cool down. Hopefully there will be a fault code pointing to the bad sensor or circuit.