01 PT Cruiser fires up but dies

[Asmodai]

My girlfriend's 01PT Cruiser wouldnt start yesterday. It jumped right off, so I changed the battery. The first attempt it fired up but died a second later. Second attemot and every attempt after it fired up and ran fine. I checked it before work this morning. It fired up, but died seconds later all 4 attempts, then nothing. The sterring column was replaced a year ago because it would start sometimes, but not others. What could this be?

[Handy_Cruiser]

First thing to try - disconnect the negative cable and then press and hold the break peddle down with the key on for about a minute. Then reconnect the cable and see if the car starts normally.

If that doesn't work, I'd be thinking about a bad fuel pump. What you described as the symptoms sound a lot like a bad fuel pump. Luckily, the 2001 PT has a Schrader valve on the end of the fuel rail where you can check fuel pressure. But that doesn't usually have anything to do with changing out a weak battery. So I'd look for something else first. Do you have any trouble codes?

[Busted_PT]

Before we jump to the conclusion of the fuel pump. Must first know if you have a gray key or black. You may have a security key issue. In which case it will do exactly as you described. There are grounding issues with the column.

[CREWZIN]

According to the owners manual, the Sentry Key Immobilizer System (SKIS) prevents unauthorized operation of the vehicle by disabling the engine. The system will shut the engine off after 2 seconds of running if an invalid key is used to start the vehicle.