technical: starter, solenoid?

my 95 gt is hesitant to start. i am not sure if its the starter, or its solenoid, maybe even ignition. it starts eventually but is rather embarrasing. it will turn for about 7 seconds, then i stop and turn it again and itll fire right up. i am just worried that if its the solenoid that it may die on me at any time now and i would be stuck with a car that wont start. any thoughts, advice, experience? i would like to fix this myself, as i can do the work, but cant pinpoint the problem.

i wouldnt say its your solenoid, the should be 2 on you car by the way one on the starter itself and one on the fenderwell. whens the last time it had a tune up?

i'd tighten and clean your electrical connections - it could be as simple as that.

Just wondering are you letting the fuel pump to shut-off (finish building pressure) first? that will cause what you are talking about if you dont wait for the pump to have pressure built up then it will crank and crank.

to allow pressure to build, i should just turn the key to on and wait a few seconds? i'll try this. --- which electrical connections are you suggesting i clean and check? are you talking about just wires to the starter, ignition, and perhaps plugs? thanks guys!

battery, alternator and starter connections. I doubt your plugs will be a problem considering that the vehicle does start and run properly - if the plugs were fowl you'd notice a difference in the way your engine behaves.

I know most Ford motors have a problem with cold starting, thanks to the fuel pump.
For now try "priming" it like mustangkid5 said, and also check your battery if it sounds slow when cranking over.

If your starter does crap out on you (and you have a manual tranny), you can push start it with some help.