Fuel Pump will not work on first start-up try

[Mark Bartle]

My 99 JGC will not get any fuel pressure on the initial start-up try. Until I turn the engine over a few seconds, turn it off, then re-try to start it, only then will the fuel pump start providing pressure to the fuel rails to 50 psi and the engine start up.
I have tried to just turn the key to the ignition on setting, and the pump will not get power to pressurize the fuel rail. I have tried to start the engine for up to 20 seconds to see if the fuel pump would come on eventually, and it will not.
Seems like their is something that has to be triggered by turning the engine over before the computer will allow the fuel pump to come on.
All gages work fine, and once the vehicle starts (on the second try), there are no problems with full out acceleration, idle or mileage.

[Mark Bartle]

Note this to all Jeep owners. Your oil filter may or may not come with a spring loaded check valve that keeps the oil in the upper block area from draining back into the oil pan. If you use a filter that does not have this, the oil will drain back to the pan, the sensor will not think there is oil is in the block, and the fuel pump will not come on until there is evidence of oil pressure. That's why the engine had to be turned over a few seconds to get oil back into the block. Not sure if there is actually still pressure in the block, but there must be some residual pressure for the oil pressure switch to sense it.
Oil filters with the check valve will have a spring showing right inside the threaded hole in the filter, all others will not.