Baffling, intermittent hard to start issue
ThomasAn
The vehicle has 230K miles now. I plan to take it to 400K and it has:
-New fuel pump,
-Oil filter is lifetime but has been replaced at 150K
-New Fuel injectors,
-New Fuel pressure regulator,
-Cleaned/decarboned throttle body and Air-Idle-Control valve
-New distributor entirely (including the cap)
-New plugs,
-New Ignition-control module,
-New master-vacuum sensor,
-Checked vacuum hoses
-New Idle-control vacuum sensors
-New water-temp sensors (all four sensors around the thermostat are replaced)
-New valve stem seals (that was an expensive repair two years ago 210K)
-Timing and advance are properly set
The problem is still there. After sitting for a few hours, the vehicle cranks, catches and straggles for a second before recovering and running fine and smooth.
For the life of me, there is nothing left I can think of. It's as if a gremlin lives inside the cylinders and spray-paints the spark plugs while I am gone just to mess with me. Is it a fuel leak? am I loosing fuel pressure ? (there is no smell anywhere) HEEEEELP :-)