'95 Del Sol starting difficulty
 

I recently picked up a '95 Del Sol (23K miles) and it has a problem starting.
When cold, it cranks but will not start. If I gently pump the gas while cranking, it starts and idles rough for five or ten seconds and then smooths out. It runs great, starts fine until it sits in the drive overnight. The next day the problem starts all over again.

I have seen improvement after throttle body cleaning, plug replacement and fuel treatment. This car sat for a few years before I bought it so I suspected bad fuel. I'm about to start on my second tank of fresh gas and treatment. That my take care of the problem. As I said it 's very difficult to start but when it does it runs like new.

Any ideas?
Thanks!

Welcome to the forum,it could be low fuel pressure,first check your fuel pressure it should be 21-30 pounds. if weak,try replacing the fuel filter if still a problem fuel pressure regulator or move on to fuel pump.

I had the pressure checked recently and was told that it was good. I will try the fuel filter and regulator. I wonder if I'm doing harm by pumping the accelerator while cranking? It's the only way it will start when cold. When the engine is still warm it fires off very easily. Thanks for the info, I'll give it a try.

It sounds like to me the pressure is leaking down over night,try holding the pedal down when cranking.

That sounds logical, what component allows that to happen? Do you think I cause any harm by pumping the pedal while cranking

Two most common areas of concern are the fuel injector nozzles and the pressure regulator. If the regulator valve has a poor seal, fuel will leak past the valve seat area and, since the pump is no longer running, pressure will quickly drop off. The causes for this could be a worn valve, weak spring or defective diaphragm. An internally leaking regulator can cause long crank times as it takes the pump longer to build pressure in the system.
The other potential problem area could be the fuel injector nozzles. The nozzle may be leaking due to a deposit build up on the nozzle or a worn out internal valve seat. In this case, fuel leaks directly into the engine’s cylinder. Depending on the number of injectors on the engine, this could be a real problem if more than one injector is leaking fuel into the cylinders. This is a common cause of long crank times and hard starts. When you get it started in the morning is do you see a puff of black smoke?

When I had the pressure checked I was also told that the injectors weren't leaking. So it sounds like I should follow you suggestion on the pressure regulator.

Update: I went out to start the del sol today and it didn't start, but in a new way. I did hear the fuel pump start but when I turned the key the engine would turn over but not attempt to fire.

I'm hoping that whatever the intermittent problem is, has become permanent and hopefully easier to identify.

Okay so maybe this isn't a great development but it may indicate an electrical problem and not fuel, perhaps?

I'll stay after it.