ICQ>

There are several things that you should check. First, try ticking the starter about 4 times without starting the engine - you should hear the fuel pump run about 1 second each time. Then try starting. If it starts fine, replace the fuel pump check valve. Next check the operation of the cold start injector. Use the Bently manual procedures to check it. If this doesn't work properly, the car will be hard to start cold, but will run fine once going. Check ALL vacuum lines, and especially the lines connected to the disto and the delay valve (small plastic piece in vacuum lines near disto).

Next, run a can of BG44K through the engine with a full tank of gas (you should do this at least once a year, not more than 2x/year on these K-jet systems to keep the fuel distributor and injectors clean). Plan on changing oil soon after as the BG44K is strong stuff and can contaminate the oil with the blowby gases.

Consider removing the intake manifold and inspecting the intake ports for buildup of carbon - used to be a common problem when gas wasn't so good. If yours are a mess, may need to be blasted with walnut shell media to clean. THe porous carbon absorbs fuel when starting making the engine too lean to start. IT also interferes with the injector spray patterns and the engine doesn't run as well as it could. Regular additions of AMSOIL 'PI' or Techron fuel additive (every tank) will, over time, clean this up also and prevent recurrence. I find that the AMSOIL 'PI' seems to help the K-jet systems a lot - particularly in those areas with 'oxygenated' fuel.

Clean all the electrical connections and treat with dielectric grease (None on the O2 sensor lead please!) - you would be amazed at what a difference a volt or two makes with the various engine signals to the computer. Clean ground terminals and treat with OxGuard or similar (see comments in 'Opinions' forum). Don't forget the fuse panel! And don't forget to check the battery - sometimes dirty terminals or a weak battery will crank the engine fine, but the voltage drop does not permit proper operation of ignition system!