Everything I've researched on here seemed to indicate that it was the FPR. I replaced the FPR but it did not solve the problem. The car went from only sometimes starting to outright not starting at all. It will turn over but the turnover sounds washy, not really strong. Battery checked out fine and starter is turning over, just won't fire. You can tap the gas and it helps it along during starting but as soon as you let off the gas the car dies. There is also a strong gasoline smell when doing this. The car has had a Cylinder 2 misfire for a while that my girlfriend only just told me about so we've got the ignition coil and spark plug to replace, but do you all think this will solve the issue? Any other ideas? She's on the verge of buying a new car and I'd like to solve this issue so she doesn't have to.

 

Sounds sort of like this:

 

Watching that video One notes that the plug you have removed for inspection is only sparking intermittently.
You should remove clean or replace and reset all the plugs to the correct gap.
Also check the coils and leads.
(turning her over in a dark location can show arcing from old leads in need of replacing)

 

That is actually not my car, just some video I found online. The car just sounds similar to that and I was looking for advice. Thank you for writing!

 

Check the Idle Air Control motor. You will need a new gasket with this check as it's a thin paper gasket and will normally be destroyed when removing the IAC. It's very cheap though. Anyway, remove the IAC motor from the intake (engine cold). Then place your thumb over the open square shaped hole. Now, have an assistant crank the car while you move your thumb to vary the amount of air into the engine. If the car starts and idles just fine you have found the issue. (Make sure your assistant shuts off the engine if the revs get too high.)

 

Thanks Hudini, I saw that suggestion pop up after doing a little more research. I was about to check it because the ignition coil and spark plug replacement didn't resolve the issue when I saw the lid for the air filter box had one of the four latches undone. I latched it and out of sheer curiosity tried the car to see if that fixed it and the car started right up. We stopped and restarted no less than 5 times and drove it around and the car sounds normal. I was thinking it could have been an air flow issue maybe? Anyone ever heard of those air filter boxes being temperamental? I'll be sure to check the IAC if the issue reemerges! If it is the IAC, how do I fix it? Is it just dirty?

 

Throttle body or MAF spray cleaner will remove the built-up gunk inside the air passage. If it's the stepper motor then it's usually "remove and replace" with new. Unless you are really good with small electric motors.