A few days ago I was heading over to my buddy's house and got there with no problem but when i put it in park the rpms dropped and the car stalled. i could get it running again but only if i kept the rpms above 3000, as soon as i let off it would sputter and stall again. I've checked the battery and alternator and the battery was discharged so i brought it to work to charge it. After that i went back and it started right up so i drove it to autozone and couldn't get it started again. I found a small fuel leak and fixed that. I waited a couple days and it started right up again, but then i shut it down and went back to work for another hour, then came back and it didnt want to start, so i gave it a bootful of gas and it fired up under protest but was running like shit.
My car has 155000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Fuel is a possibility but so is air induction particularly the idle air control (IAC) valve. The IAC valve may be sticking which would explain the first symptom you report which is everything was great until you simply put it in park and at idle it died. It would be good to address the battery/charging system issue so as not to complicate the diagnostic. That is be sure the battery passes a load test and that the charging system output is within factory limits, typically around 14.5 volts. If all checks out OK with the air induction system, including sensors and controls, of which the IAC is just one component, and yet the car continues to stall, check fuel system pressure. You could have a failing fuel pump, pressure regular, clogged fuel filters or plugged injectors. If, at any point, you want a certified mechanic to resolve this, please simply request a stalling diagnostic and the certified mechanic will come right to your location, find the root cause and estimate the repair.
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