It doesn't have any aftermarket equipment, and without doubt the old battery was shot, as it's about 5-years old and it failed on the battery tester. I also checked the output of the alternator which was fine.
My questions is: "Why won't it start with a 3/4 charged battery"? The starter still turns it over fast enough that I feel it should start. Like I said, the average person would never be able to tell it wasn't tuning the engine over as fast as it would with a fully charged battery.
Apparently the starter was drawing all the current away from a component that was needed for the engine to start. It appeared not to be getting fuel, as it didn't smoke when it finally started, like it would if the plugs weren't firing and allowing fuel to build up in the combustion chambers. Does the engine have a means to shut off the fuel if the plugs aren't firing?
I can see where this type scenario could lead someone to replace the fuel pump, poppet valves and everything else before discovering the real problem. It's just weird, and it's something others need to keep in mind when trouble shooting. I don't drive it that often and if it hadn't sit for two weeks to allow the battery to go completely dead, I doubt I would have realized the battery was the problem. By driving it every day the battery would stay about 3/4 charged and would cause hard starting or no starting.
DelC