my car has had trouble starting for a few months now, and ive been reading up on the topic a lot.. its most likely the fuel pump check ball thats not retaining pressure to start it. all it does is crank and wont start until the second time i try to crank it. if i start it shortly after i shut it off, it starts right up. if i wait overnight sometimes it will start right up, but more often than not it will take a few cranking times, sometimes even 3.

my question... is it possible for it to be the check valve of the fuel pump if it starts right up from time to time? the reason i ask is i have at college during the week, and i come home on the weekends, and after sitting for a week, it consistently always starts right up as if nothing was ever wrong. but after that first drive, i shut it off for a few hours and go to start it again and the problems remains. just wondering how that check ball problem works. thanks!

hm i dont know if its called a check ball or check valve, its check something

 

The check ball retains fuel in the line so that it is there for a quick prime and startup. If the ball is not sealing it lets the fuel from the lines back into the tank.

Yours could be sealing sometimes and not others.

Depending on mileage and cash on hand it might be time for a new pump. Never fun to be strainded because of a high mileage pump. The check ball not sealing on the other hand does not mean that the pump is going bad just takes longer to start up.

 

You need to use a fuel pressure gauge to verify that the loss of fuel pressure is your problem.