i have had a small problem with my car ever since i got it...it doesnt startup consistently. it usually starts up very quick when warm, i only have to crank it a little when it sits for i'd say more than 3 hours.

the problem is especially bad when the car has sat overnight. i have remote start on my car i think set around 1.6-8 seconds of crank time, and this fails to start the car, or barely starts it in the morning.

the problem i know is fuel. to make things easier on the car i usually let the fuel pump go for about 5 seconds until i crank (by turning the ignition on) and this helps a lot. the problem is slightly worse when the tank is low (i'd say below 1/8 tank) but is very apparent no matter how much gas i have or how long i let the fuel pump go before i crank. the only variable that seems to have an effect is how recent the car was run, and sometimes that can be inconsistent.

today the problem hit its peak and the fuel pump didnt come on at first. i cranked the car over and over, and it wouldnt start. i have a switch on my fuel pump fuse, and after flicking this and trying it again about 5 times, the car started (thank god). this now has me to the point where i think i should fix it because not only is it becoming a pain in the rear, but i know all this cranking and whatnot cant be good for my car. besides the startup problem, the car runs perfectly, idles a little high in park and neutral, but thats not a big deal to me.

i searched a little and have read about problems similair to this, and i will try replacing the fuel pump relay. however, im also wondering if somthing else may be wrong becuase when i turn the ignition to "on" i can hear the pump going, yet the car still doesnt start properly. this coupled w/ the car running fine otherwise has me puzzled. btw my fsm is on the way (i think, darn ebay) so either reply or ill figure it out on my own...maybe...i think lol

ok, im done lol

 

can be:
clog fuel lines
maybe bad fuel pump
(mine) power wire (or any wire)for pump was barely on

 

good idea on the clogged fuel line dealie...ill look into that, is that common atall?

 

Fuel pump could be weak or a host of other things.

Try measuring your fuel pressure with the ign "on".

You also haven't confirmed the basics. I assume you have air. Do you have fuel? (ie.. above) and do you have spark?

confirm these very basic questions then follow up.

 

Or it could be your Air regulator if the 3rd gens have one. The air rgeulator opens up when the car is cold to get more air into the engine while the car is cold and as it heats up it closes because its not needed after that. It causes starting problems such as yours when faulty with our 2nd gens. The only cure is to check the connector to see if its corroded and get a new one or just get a new Air regulator. Most of the time its the connectors that have corroded that leads to its failure check that out first. Hope this helps

 

i just got my fsm in da mail yesterday so im kinda goin thru it...i imagine i have spark b/c the engine turns over, and somtimes itll start, but then dies, i just have to crank it forever...
i like what some1 said (and this is in the fsm 2) about the clogged fuel lines...its not my filter b/c i changed that recently hoping that was it and it didnt help. basically im just hoping its not the pump cause then i will **** myself over the $ i will spend...ill check the fuel pump relay 2 and see what happens...
jeff, i imagine i need a special toolamabob to check the fuel pressure, unfortunately i am i poor college kid w/ no tools or guages n stuff so ill try taking to the shop maybe...i was thinking about that, but i have no means of testing the fuel pressure...hmmmmm