Just found this wonderful problem today. I start my car, and within seconds the engine shuts off. The instrument panel doesn't even register anything. Has oil, was changed recently. Lights and electronics inside work just fine. I can rev the engine, but as soon as I take my foot off, it dies. If I turn the key, but not turn the vehicle over, the oil light and the abs lights stay on. After a short while, the "alarm set" sign comes on.



the car is a '97 with nearly 200k on it.

If you can keep it running by holding the throttle open then I would look towards the Idle Air Control Valve (IAC). It's located on the throttle body. Many times it's port in the throttle body throat gets clogged and kills the idle. Remove the 3 inch black intake duct from the throttle body and spray the port with a can of throttle body cleaner. Wouldn't hurt to clean the whole throttle body and throttle plate area.

The IAC and it's port allow air to pass through to the intake manifold when the throttle plate is closed (at idle). The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) regulates how far the IAC opens depending on conditions. The PCM/IAC control increased idle rpm requirements when the A/C is turned on.