hi, i have a 97 z28. every time i go to start it the car just seems to take a while of cranking before it actually starts. sometimes up to 15 seconds it seems. i was just wondering what this could be or if these cars have this problem. the guy i bought it from a while back said he took it to the dealership for it and they told him it was just a common problem this car has. i have tried changing the spark plugs, the spark plug wires and the fuel filter, non of which made any difference. people i have talked to say to check the cold start relay or fuel pump relay and see if switching it out works but i dont know where it is. it isnt under the hood or between the dash and the door. if anyone has any clue as to what might be causing this or point me in the right direction i would be grateful. TYIA.

 

First, turn the key on, not start, and listen to hear the fuel pump prime and switch off. Does it? If it does, do that two or three times, and then try starting the engine. If that makes a difference for the better, then there's things other than the pump relay to look at.

 

what a tease, lol. if the car starts easier after priming the pump a few times its most likely a fuel pressure regulator or fuel pump. if you have a fuel pressure gauge handy do a pressure test at cold start and see whats happing.

 

i could hear the whine of the pump when i turned the key so i used a fuel pressure tester on the shrader valve and when i turn the key to on i guess its suppose to hold pressure in the 40 psi range. mine goes up quick to 20 psi then drops to nothing. is this the pump or the regulator?

 

The answer is yes!
There is a small vacuum hose on the fuel pressure regulator, remove it and look/smell for gas. When a regulator goes bad, it leaks gas past the diaphragm and into the return line back to the tank, and sometimes that vacuum hose can pick it up as well. That's an obvious sign of a bad regulator, but a bad one doesn't necessarily have to show a leak. It also could be the fuel pump, not internally holding pressure as it should, and letting the gas run back into the tank. The regulator would be the easier and cheaper one to check first.

 

cool. thanks for the advice and i will get working on this as soon as i can. thanks for the help and i will kep you posted on what happens.

 

so i took off the vaccuum hose and i did get a faint smell of fuel. so when i get the money i am going to replace the fuel regulator and hopefully that fixes it. thanks again for the help.