Jason, this could be any number of things. is the car flooding or is running too lean? your cold start valve is easy to check - just unscrew the two allen screws on either side of it, put it in a glass jar or cup, and have someone turn the key. you should see a fine mist in the shape of an umbrella or arc come out of the cold start valve, but only for about a second or so. then it should not continue. also go to your electrical compartment and find your RPM relay. it is the black box with the blue plug of six wires going into it. it is located under the door control module closest to the firewall. or it may already be out and just lying loose back there. pull the black box off of it and jump the brown wire (+12V) with the one diagnonal from it - the white/purple wire. this will jump your fuel pump. also while your are at it jump the brown wire with the one across from it, the yellow/orange. you should hear a buzzing from the engine compartment. that's your frequency valve. make sure both your fuel pump and frequency valve work. the fuel pump is up near your spare tire, in fact right under it and under the windsheild. it should sound like a cooling fan running - no frequency change, just a noticable 'RRRRRRRRRRRRRR......' you get the idea. after that, you might as well start checking for vacuum leaks. replace any hoses that feel stiff or brittle. check for cracks or loose connections. if you have any loose ones, either replace the hose, especially if it is hard, or get some hose clamps. vacuum is a major factor in the operation of the car. also look for any fuel leaks back there or under the car. check your fuel pump to make sure the cover boot is over it and there is no water down where the pump actually operates. this will lead to water in your gas, as i am so fond of by now. since the car will start if you keep giving it gas, it's safe to say that you are getting spark. did the car run pretty well before? if so, it's probably not bad plugs or timing. if you had that problem, it would be gradual, not a sudden change in operation like this. sounds to me like a fuel problem. to check your injectors, remove your air cleaner cover and the air cleaner vent. you can seperate the air cleaner from the hoses right there next to the right hand passenger valve cover. just turn it off but be careful not to crack it! you will see your plugs and injectors right there on the valve side below the air induction system. in case you don't know, the injectors are the ones that have the bolts on top of them with the big thick hoses on top. pull the #3 injector (the one closest to you on the passenger side) out, and put it in a glass or cup. jump your RPM relay to run the fuel pump and observe the gas pattern. does it drip out once every couple of seconds or less? if so, then that's ok. if it drips more frequently, like say, twice a second, either your injectors are old and don't seal well anymore or you are running too rich. if the injectors seem to be pretty dry, then gently press down in the air metering plate in the center of the engine. this should cause a heavy stream of gas to eject from the injectors as long as you push down the meter. if that happens, then that's all good. if you seem to be running too rich, you may want to get ahold of a K-Jetronic pressure testing device and check out your fuel pressures. could be too high or too low. procedures for this test are found in section 2 of the workshop manual. if your pressure is way off, drop me a line because i am in a very similar situation right now! hopefully your problem is something simple and stupid!! Andy In a message dated 4/21/01 12:25:36 PM Central Daylight Time, rowejj@xxxx writes: > Now for the new problem. > I decided I'd go ahead and get the car out yesterday but it wouldn't stay > running right after > starting. It'd run for about 5 seconds if I'm lucky and die. I was able to > keep the car running if > I kept giving it gas but as soon as I'd let off the gas it would then die. > Where should I start? > Cold Start Valve? Thermo Time Switch? Maybe a vacuumm Line? > > Thanks in advance...............Obviously still > Soma576@xxxx 1982 DeLorean DMC-12 VIN#11596 Fargo, ND 58102 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]