Gets gas and spark still won't start

Likely dribbling injectors and/or bad spray patterns.

Many older fuel injected cars can sometimes get themselves into a sort of bad mood where for no apparent reason they fire briefly when the key is turned and then stop and further attempts at starting just wets the spark plugs.

Pulling out the fuel pump fuse and cranking with the throttle wide open will usually restore the engine to health until the next time.
I notice opening the throttle prior to starting does tend to overcome the problem, being careful not to over-rev the cold engine which means very quickly lifting off to a fast idle without actually lifting off altogether.

If it turns, then the battery is OK. Either spark plugs are not firing in proper order (wrong firing order), no power to spark plugs, or no fuel because of fuel restrictions (dirty fuel filter). Inspect the air filter to ascertain its not clogged air. If you smell gas, then you saturated the spark plugs, which is why it refuses to run.
Let it sit for half hour to let spark plugs dry. Inspect to ascertain its not dirty spark plugs, which will also prevent engine from running. After ascertaining its proper firing order, spark plugs are clean, and there's power to distributor cap, ascertain there's fuel in fuel lines by squirting half second (short squirt) of starting fluid into air filter. Close the air filter housing to trap flammable starting fluid gas. Turn engine without giving throttle. Let starting fluid be ignited by spark plugs. If it won't start, then spark plugs are not firing to ignite starting fluid gas. If it starts briefly, but won't run when you give throttle, but catches when a 2nd person squirts more starting fluid into air filter just before engine stalls, then its a fuel restriction issue or no fuel in fuel lines.

with a glass.. like a shot glass poor half a shot into the intake. have a fire extinguisher handy and try starting it if it tries to start could be fuel pump or fuel filter

If this is a sudden occurrence and nothing suspicious happened prior, you most likely lost either gas or spark to the engine. You need to check for both.

Do you hear the fuel pump in the gas tank buzz on for a couple of seconds when you turn the ignition key to ON? Unless the fuel pump turns on and puts gas under high pressure at the fuel injectors, the engine cylinders won't get gas to start. Correct fuel pressure is crucial to know if you have a fuel pump (or fuel filter) problem. If the pressure is correct, it is probably not a fuel problem but a spark problem, although there are less common instances where a fuel injector circuit may malfunction.

The ignition system not producing spark at the spark plugs is the other common problem of no starts. Buy a cheap spark tester at a parts store, plug it into one of your spark plug wires, then crank the engine over and watch for a strong blue spark. You might need a helper to do this. If you see a consistent spark, the ignition system is probably good, although you should probably check more than just one plug wire-sometimes one bad ignition coil in a coil pack will cause no starting. Good luck.

check for 1-air- is your air cleaner clean, 2- fire- good spark plugs and wires,3 fuel- getting gas- fuel filter not plugged/fuel pump running- check fuses for ignition,fuel pump

You need air, fuel, and spark to start your vehicle. It may be the fuel pump, filter, fuel pump fuse/relay. You should be able to hear the fuel pump kick on when you first turn your key. Fuel goes to the pump, filter, lines, and engine. If it is getting gas, you need to check for spark. Spark plugs/coil wires, distributor, dist.cap, cam sensor, ect. It can be anyone of them. Check for gas and spark.

Sorry about you luck. but here goes how to check it. Pour a little gas in the air inlet ( take the hose off the thriolle body.) crank it and you got fire up briefly then you know you got spart but no fuel. If it runs the fuel pump and the amount of gas in the tank are to be checked. Fuel pump fuses and relays, amount of gas in the tank. Let's say it didn't do nothing but crank, Maybe it doesn't have spark. Take a plug wire off the easies plug you can get to put an old plug or a screwdirver in the end of the wire lay it on metal and crnk it and watch for spark. ( don't hold it in your hand as if it is working it's shock you bad enough to kill you, In the worst case) You see spark and it still won't flash start with extra fuel added. Then you'll have to take a plug out to see whats going on in there. With the plug out it could be soaked with gas, antifrezze, oil, or anything else under the sun. But it could be dry and normal looking too. Test this plug in the end of the wire laying on the exhaust maniflod. If no spark your back to that or it sparks your back to gas. But let's say you still can't get it to pop off any. Maybe it over heated and the engine has little or no compression. ( with the plug wire and the plug out of the way put your finger over the hole the plug came out of and crank the motor if it blows your finger out hard its good but if you can hold it it's bad) ( blown engine ) Your not done yet ,! Put a little motor oil in the plug hole and crank it again if the pressure picks up lot it might start if you do the same to all the cyclinders and then with it all put back together start it. (It'll smoke like crazy so be ready for that) But it still might nor start. The timing chain could have skipped and the timings off enough that it won't start. Most likly it doesn't have sprk and the dist. cap is behind the water pump and it's hard to check as you need to remove the water pump to get to it. The coil wire can be removed first though and check for spark at it. No spark and the dist is turning the crank senser and or the ingition module could have failed. Take the module off and that it to the auto parts store and they can test it and sell you a new one if its bad. If you find no spark first then get the module tested before you do anything else. If the crank senser is bad you can unplug it and cross the wires the are in the plug with a paper clip on off on off and the coil should fire with a good module and the key on. If it does change the senser and you have spark and it'll run if you put everthing back together right. The cap and rotor are bad about failing on this car and they're expensive. The coil wire will fire even with a bad cap and rotor so don't jump to this till you getr good spark at the coil and not at the spark plug. Coil wire can fail too. The cars old enough that all the parts are in question till their proven good.

The engine cranks but will not fire? If checking for spark finds sparp at the plug wire at the plug. add fuel to the air intke to see if it'll fire some on the added fuel. if theres no spark then the crank senser may have failed and the test is to unplug the throttol postion senser and measure the voltage with the key on. then unplug the cank senser ( at the back of the intake manifold ) and if the voltage at the TPS changes then the cranksenser is bad change it and you'll be good to good.

Lots of reasoons for a no start this answer is as if it was running OK just the other day and was starting OK. The gas tank has gas? Spinning real freely indicates to me that the timing belt broke. The oil cap off the valve cover look in there to see the cam and crank engine you should see it turn. The fuel pump may not be coming on. The fuel filter could be frozen not letting the gas go though. The spark may not be happening as A senser or also a plug wire or other wire off inspection of these things something off can be the only problem

need to have a fuel pressure test also make sure egr is not open at idle car wont run with egr open at idle