Cynthia --

It could be a broken timing belt — the recommended (strongly recommended) replacement interval is every 50,000 miles.

Remove the oil cap and watch the camshaft as a helper turns the key 'n cranks the engine. If the belt's broken, the cam won't turn.

It could be a defective fuel pump relay — it's a very common problem, and easy to fix by resoldering the existing relay (OD relay, too). It costs $0, takes 15 minutes, and incurs very low risk. Of course, you must be able to solder.

It could also be an ignition problem, which would interfere with the spark. And this will inhibit the fuel pump relay from driving the fuel pump. Fo safety reasons, the relay requires ignition pulses before "pulling in," powering the pumps.

It could also be the big 25-amp fuse under the hood, adjacent to the hi-low relay. This fuse powers the FI system, and is well-known for corroding.

It could also be bad injector grounds.

It could be a failed air mass meter (AMM). Your car's not a turbo, right? (You can always try the "limp home mode.")

It could also be the result of the well-known and common crumbling engine harness.

It could also be a defective sensor inside the distributor.

And it could be many other flaky things.

It's less likely to be a bad fuel pump. While these do fail, they don't often fail.

Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)