Hard Starting 95 SE with 3.3L

[Mango113]

Original owner; 180K miles. Only repair to date new water pump (knock on wood!). Always started in 2-3 seconds. One day, cranked ok - no start. Replaced fuel filter. NG. Towed to dealer. They found "broken wire in main feed to PCM harness." Now it starts, but it takes 8-10 seconds or more of continuous cranking every time - cold start, restart, etc. Stepping on the gas makes no difference. They cleaned the throttle body and fuel injectors as part of the same service. Do I have to live with this or can the original starting be restored?

[slantsixness]

something else is wrong.

check the engine start conditions.

Fuel pump on for short burst
injectors squirt once
Idle air control valve opens
crank engine, and it should start.

one possibility is that your dealer rewired something wrong,
or your IAC (idle air control Valve) is bad,
Or possibly your TPS sensor is bad (throttle position sensor)
Other possibilities are:
temp sensors
ASD relay
Fuel pump

[Mango113]

Thanks for the great feedback. Dumb question - what's the easiest way to check that the injectors squirt once?

I think the IAC is probably ok because the idle is fine once the thing starts. No problems at any other performance point except a minor stumble at idle that's been there for ~20,000 mi. Only the delayed starting sequence is new and different.

[slantsixness]

listen for the clicking/ remove one and point it in a cup.

[Mango113]

Update - starting was getting worse with time. It was taking 2-3 10 second cranks before it would sputter to a start. Back to the dealer who "fixed" it. Putting on new fuel pressure regulator. Will let you know if it does the trick!

[lakeman]

I had a similar problem, turned out to be fuel pump.

[Mango113]

OK, it's fixed! Turned out to be the fuel pressure regulator. I found the part at various places online for anywhere from $80 to $120. The dealer charged $100 plus $150 labor for diagnosis and install. So this whole shebang from broken wire to pressure regulator cost me $625!

I don't understand why the car ran fine after it started if the fuel pressure regulator was the culprit. Now it still runs fine, and starts within 2-3 seconds of turning the key. Go figure.

[slantsixness]

I've never seen a regulator go bad and cause this.
It's nice to know that it did.

If the regulator was bad, then it may have not allowed enough pressure to build up and fire the injectors right off, so it does make sense.

Slantsixness