Hard start, no start (lots of details)
 

Ok, my car is having a really hard starting problem and ever since it started hitting 90's it's been not starting. It'll crank a few times and start or crank forever and not start. After it cranks forever it just gives up.

So I searched and did a lot of testing today. I tested the fuel pressure, it's 42 and drops to 39 after the pump stops priming. No leaking down or back to the fuel tank. I tested the voltage on the batter and it's 12.6X, and the voltage to the alternator is 12.4X while the car is sitting. The car normally runs at 13.9 or 14 even volts, but here the past couple of days is going 13.2 or 13.3. All of the not starting has happened after it stopped charging as much.

I don't know how to test the voltage to the starter, but I took a guess and stuck the hot lead to the wire that goes from the batter to the starter and held the ground lead to the metal underbody (I cleaned off a spot for the ground first) and it has about 4 volts when someone turned it over. The area around the wire to the starter got really hot real quick when we did this.

Any ideas on what it is?

I took the battery to Advance and they tested it, said it was good. Something else I figured out, if I go a decent distance (~8 miles) it still starts, just struggles. Anything like shopping and going from store to store, it's dead.

I read on someone else's post (unfortunately I can't find it right now though) that they had a problem between the starter and the battery with the wires, and I'm hoping that's it for me. Since I had only 4 volts to the starter when it cranked over is there anything I can look for? Hoping Injuneer or Shoebox can step in here and give me some insight.

If your engine is cranking, it's probably not starter related. When do you have this problem with hard starting? When the engine is cold? At operating temperature? Has it ever just suddenly died on you? Have you verified you're getting spark when you have this hard starting problem?

Hard starting all the time, regardless of temp. Here in the past 3 days is when it's been bad (when the temp has been 90+), but that could just be coincidence. It's never died on me unless I take my hand off the key before it finishes starting. It runs fine (minus the lower than normal voltage here lately, but even that's not consistant) once it starts up, so I'm guessing I've got good spark.

Do you have any vacume leaks anywhere in the intake system. Check were the elbow were it connects to the t/b. Have checked for consistant spark from one of the wires. I would start from the wires and then check the coil and the icm. I would also see if you have any stored codes and have them cleared and ee if any come back.

Make sure your ignition relay is pulling in. (with the key on the INJ 1 and 2 15Amp fuses will be hot.) I had a bad ground on my Ignition relay & it about drove me crazy finding it.

Just traded out the starter yesterday. It starts amazingly better now for the most part. Sometimes it clicks though a few times before it starts, like the starter is out of alignment, but the old one didn't have shims so idk what's up with this one. Seems to just do that the first time I start it up of the day though, after that it lines out. Apparently it's been on the last leg of it's life for the two years I've had the car so I'm glad to put the old starter to rest.

Thanks for the input on it though guys.