ok, lets see now......last first, the car may not 'die'
but the idle should noticably change [rough, uneven
NOT be the same] and yours sounds like it does this AND, you've already eliminated a number of things by checking that! I HATE THROWING DARTS
right off the bat but you've descibed ALL the classic
symptoms of a sticking 'Air Flow Meter'. Other components can cause some of your problems some of the time, [fuel press. regulator, NTC, connections] BUT none of those cover ALL those bases you've just touched. The 'AFM' is the aluminum 'box' with the two big hoses connecting to it over the top of the engine. one goes straight
to the intake manifold, the other to the air cleaner box.
Try this, while it's running badly [not too fast, just off idle will do] smartly smack it's housing [the part that looks like a little waffle iron] with a piece of wood........don't try to break it but hit it hard enough to cause it ' a little pain ' . IF the engine 'clears-up' for even a moment or longer, YOU"VE found your problem........These aren't cheap
and we want to be SURE, BEFORE replacing it......jb.