Hey guys, thanks for reading. Forgive me if re-iterate something that may have been addressed. I've tried to streamline my search and find some semblance of an answer/cause..I hope someone can shed some light very puzzling issue. Please bear with me as I am not a mechanic, I"ve literally been learning everything on the fly so there are still many components on a vehicle i may be unfamiliar with..Still trying to grasp the whole mechanic/physics involve.... and if I misuse any terms forgive me..but my inclination/curiosity has me searching for answers.

I have a local mechanic/friend who's been working on this for me. The car will not start and by that I mean it will crank. There is spark, air, fuel. What started out as seemingly a fuel pump issue has become a nightmare(so it seems for us anyway). We've replaced the fuel pump/fuel pump relay, spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors, valve cover/intake/head gaskets, air cabi filter, catalytic converter, , timing belt/serpentine, multiple throttle bodies, battery.. New ECU,timing is good....it's not a security issue He did a compressiion check on engine. He's checked the fuses, According to him he's gone through many parts of the wiring harness for shorts(again as i am very unfamiliar with this I can't say what all yu can check here) . New water pump/radiator(not sure if that's totally relevant here) Now am I correct in saying the '04s do not have a fuel filter?....she WILL RUN IF we spray carb cleaner through throttle body, and it only takes a little bit to get her 'steady'...then when we cut it off supply she will stutter lose power, idle roughly and cut off...Most recently I found that bad ECT/coolant temp sensors can cause bad idles too, confusing the ECU on the fuel mix, right? However, when we REMOVED the ECT, she ALMOST idles correctly, a little above 1k rpm??? I thought removing the ECT would cause engine idle issues though?? Replaced coolant sensor... Is there something missing here? Bad crankshaft/cam sensor, EGR valve/IAT.? We did not get a chance to test fuel pressure because literally no local auto parts store had the right adapters we needed and other cirumstances prevented me from getting it online quickly. I'm not informed enough to say otherwise, is it really something in the fuel system/some minute elctrical short that will impossible to trace?.. I know the wiring harness is ungodly expensive. Some sort of vacuum in the fuel system? Something in the engine components themselves?.. ....I know we had that fuel craze a while back so if it's something ridiculous as bad fuel I will be highly pisssed.(Running lean means not enough fuel right?..What are the properties of carb cleaner in this case that is causing her to run ...has me asking questions and the ECT!!!.....When she is 'sputtering' alot of white smoke is coming out of the exhaust, is that just the carb cleaner?)

I am speaking on behalf of my mechanic friend who sadly is moving due to other opportunities with family. I have some other friends who will be looking at it soon, so if you have questions i may not be able to answer most of them lol as i do not have someone more qualified at hand/nor the vehicle readily accessible...I am speaking for my friend who's worked day and night on this issue for nearly three weeks straight. He is one of the most hardworking and honest people I've ever met; he deserves 10x the amount I'm able to pay for his time.It's been nearly a month. I've never seen someone so keen to find an answer; he's poured his heart, soul, blood sweat tears into that car, lost sleep searching for answers online. I think most people would deem to scrap the vehicle...and I am humbly blessed to have not been charged the scope of the labor involved...but being the romantic/sentimental person that I am, regardless of what happens I'm not getting rid of that car.. lol...If you've made it to the end, I greatly appreciate it. If anyone has ideas please help Thank you so much for reading.

 

If it runs on ether and u have compression, you likely have a fuel delivery problem. The one thing you can't check is the fuel rail pressure.
can you hear the fuel pump start up when you turn the key?

 

Thanks for your reply!...Yes, the fuel pump is cutting on.

 

Have you checked the main relay?