car is hard to start....

[vr4gasm]

but only one time a day and thats 1st thing in the morning it cranks a few times before starting... it seems like it just started doing it after i moved and got a garage.. about a month now... battery is less than a year old Optima yellow top.. any ideas?

[Mogobs30th]

Re: car is hard to start....

Battery or starter.

[vr4gasm]

Re: car is hard to start....

its only once a day and thats first start up of the day... i can leave it set 8 hours after that and it fires right up.... you think the starter would act like that?

[Mogobs30th]

Re: car is hard to start....

Both could if they're cold. Lot of people don't understand that the starter in our cars is located RIGHT NEXT to the Y-pipe. Electricity and heat usually go hand in hand, both good and bad. Cold may interfere, and heat WILL interfere if too high. There is a medium that is usually pretty good for both parts that make them perform a little better than usual. But it could be either part really. If I had to take a stab at it, I would look at the battery.

[cam98aro]

Re: car is hard to start....

i would say change the fuel filter

[vr4gasm]

Re: car is hard to start....

fuel filter is changed every 12k

[shock_core]

Re: car is hard to start....

Battery or starter. More likely battery. Go to autozone and have them test your electrical system for free.

[Rob Bell]

Re: car is hard to start....

Vr4gasm, when you say it cranks a few times, I take that to mean that the starter is cranking OK, just the it won't start. If that's the case, it sounds like a fuel regulator problem. Have you checked that? It may be slowly allowing fuel to drain back to the tank overnight. Pull the vacuum line to it and see if there is any liquid fuel at all. If there is, then it's definitely a bad regulator. However, absence of fuel does not necessarily mean the regulator is good. I don't know if there are other tests that can be done on it though. It's probably pretty cheap to replace.

Does any one here know of other tests besides pulling the vacuum line to check for raw fuel?

[Docta]

Re: car is hard to start....

What if when it's really cold, like it gets in Colorado, it takes a few seconds of holding the key where it should crank before it does?? After it cranks it runs fine and whatnot And ONLY when it's cold. Normal temp it starts just fine.

Don't mean to steal the thread....

[firebird19_99]

Re: car is hard to start....

its probably not the battery or starter, i have the same problem as you and i changed both and still have the problem. My bet would be the fuel pressure regulator because i think mines been going out since i smell fuel when i turn the car on as well as i see it kind of wet around the manifold where the regulatory is.

[ssms5411]

Re: car is hard to start....

I would check your grounds , around the Batt. and also make sure theirs no batt. draws from anything. Other than that the solenoid on the starter could be going out but thats like the last on the list since it still cranks.