Car Sits Hard Starts

So trying to figure out if this is something I need to worry about now that I am not driving the car at least once every two weeks.
So at around the 3 week mark my car starts to get hard to start, it take 3 or 4 extra cranks and then starts right up.
If it's been less than 2 weeks it starts on the 2nd or 3rd crank on first try.

Here is where I am concerned and not sure if it is really something I need to worry about.
The car has sat for probably a little over a month so I decided I would take it out. Battery was on the tender so no issues with charge.
Was cranking at around 350ish rpms which I think we deemed normal a while back.

Now that the car is sitting more would like some advice for what I should be doing before I start it again or while it's sitting. Tender will be on but I have quick disconnects on both terminals so I can do that too.

If it's still starting on the first try I don't think you have an issue.

If you really want to improve the current situation you could get a block heater to warm it up a bit before starting and you could also run the fuel pump to pressurize the system. It's probably just taking an extra few seconds for the rail to fill after sitting for so long.

Forgot to add that yesterday it took me probably 10 minutes to start it up. Fuel pump is setup to run so the system is pressurized. Maybe I should look into a block heater that might be a good idea.

Oh okay, that's more of an issue then. How's the compression on your motor? You can also try playing with the cranking fuel adj value in link to richen or lean out your mixture depending on how its behaving when it won't start. Fresh plugs aren't a bad idea either.

I will need to get a compression tester and plugs haven't changed for a while so will take a look at them.

Also don't want to goof with the link setting because of how easy it starts when not sitting for weeks, but might see if I can improve both.

No way would you need a block heater at these temps.

+1. ^^^

When was the last time you changed or performed the following?

1. Fuel filter.

2. BLT.

3. LDT.

4. Plugs.

5. Wires.

1. a year ago, I redid pump to rail
2. 3 months ago probably
3. Never
4. 3 or 4 years maybe 15k
5. Do them with the plugs.

Forget about the tender. Check the actual condition of the battery. You could try a boost next time to see if more amps help.

Also, how did you get it started over the 10 minutes?

The battery was working the whole time, I can try a boost as I have the box there so will give that a try.
More amps will get the starter to crank higher?

A bad battery can show fully charged voltage and hold a charge but not deliver the required amps. Adding another battery or a booster in parallel should bring the amps up to what your starter needs.

If it starts better with the boost, you've pretty much confirmed that your battery alone does not perform under load.

Is there a way I can see how much amps the battery has?
I know the CCA rating is a bit low but at full charge it wasn't an issue last winter.

Some testers show you the CCA. You can take the battery to crappy and theirs will.

Here is some info...
www.aa1car.com/library/2004/ic120434.htm

I don't see this as a battery issue. These cars will start even if they crank really slow if the motor is in good condition and things are working well.

Low compression will make a motor hard to start, as well as the presence of oil in the combustion chamber(worn rings/bad valve stem seals for instance).

Yeah I am thinking it's a bad motor, I will grab a compression tester and see where we are at. I imagine if I did a leak down test the results wouldn't be that great.

Now that I have a DD I should be going to get my spare block built.

I suspect air is getting into the fuel lines from pump to rail. Go over all hoses and connections at the fuel pump.

Come on! Scrap the bi*ch and start something new! No excuses this time

Ok that's helpful, thanks Reza will go over the lines.

I have a baby in two month, I would rather have a POS that runs than something I will stop working on in 2 month because of other priorities and then lose motivation. It will definitely happen just let give me some time.

Hey your's starts

Mine does not.

Although with the off season approaching, I'll actually have more time to myself..and I'll roll the sleeves up and get back in her.

I also tend to think it's fuel or spark related.

Are you burning oil?? - Rings are a possibility still.

Battery - If it's cranking 400rpm for 10 minutes, I doubt it's it's the battery.

This is where my head was at when Jason said worn engine, this block was over heated twice in my first 6 months because I was completely clueless when I got the car, although the rings must have been shot then too because it couldn't make it to the next oil change before burning through oil, thinner oils where gone even faster. I am moving over to 40 weight and hopefully that helps a fair bit.

As for Alex's comment, I am going to start keeping my eye out for a shell. I started working on the garage some more (pictures soon) and if I can find a rolling shell Alex's is right I don't have an excuse cause that complete swap becomes pretty easy if it's just the block. I am just a little paranoid that if it's not running when the kid is here that it will be too long of a wait to get it to that point.
I love this board cause you guys are honest, don't ever think I don't appreciate that!

Ah so it's not cranking any slower after sitting. I misinterpreted the original post.
It does seem like the fuel isn't there.

I will do some hunting hopefully this weekend and figure it out, will update you guys when I get the chance. Thanks!!

Should I turn the pump on and hunt for leaks? or am I just checking to make sure everything is tight enough?

The whole area around the car will wreak of raw fuel if there is even a small external leak, if you don't smell fuel its not likely you have a leak. You said that you run the pump before trying to start the car so the pressure should be there in the rail.

I still vote compression and leak down test, I have both tools if you want to borrow them.

It can leak back into the tank though. Does pressurizing the system get it back to the injectors? Maybe they need to squirt.

From my experience pressurizing the fuel system will not expel any air that it may have pulled in. You need to crank it. I have two pumps in my car and one can be turned on before cranking. I have ran into this issue on a few occasions and have tried pressurizing the system to diagnose it.

My theory is that since the rail is the highest part of the fuel system, air will accumulate at that point which needs to be expelled via cranking.

Interesting, certainly seems possible.

Bryan have you pinched the return line after your AFPR once the car shuts off to check the o-ring at the fuel pump? the system should hold pressure for a long time if the return line is pinched, the o-ring is sealed, and your injectors aren't leaking.

Turn your pump on via link and see what your fuel pressure is.

Car smells like fuel so this definitely sounds plausible. I always just assumed it was because I didn't get a perfect seal when putting the sending unit back on. I will explore the rail.

I am pretty sure I have done that before as my AFPR doesn't hold well but will double check. Will replace injector seals too.
I definitely noticed a smell of gas in the engine while trying to crank.

I know I am ok here.

Well does it hold your base pressure?

If it fails to start after 10mins of cranking and is getting fuel you would have flooded it and fouled the plugs having no chance at starting.

Sounds like to me it's a pump problem. Also doubt it's low compression either. My car starts like stock only having 30psi of compression in two cylinders.

Yet another reason why the air in the system makes sense.

Doubt it. It's not a diesel.

Pump problem or your injector deadtimes are outta wack and your trying to start it lean.

Exactly, it would be a severe leak to cause an issue. I have 43 psi within 2 seconds of my car cranking. Even if the line is completely empty, the pump should have pressure up there very quickly, well within 10 seconds.

Ok so going to do some hunting this weekend and hopefully eliminate any leaks.
I haven't edited anything for startups so maybe I will just take a log and see what it looks like.

Anything else I should be looking for?