Starting problems with 98 Lumina

[pancakefool]

When I tried to cold start my 98 Lumina this morning, it chugged away a bit before finally turning over. The panel lights came on normally and it went though the normal motions, but with a pretty long (30-60 second) delay before catching.

I haven't had a problem like this before, but last winter I did have starting problems caused by a faulty door lock causing a parasitic battery drain that was pretty easily fixed after a month of diagnosis and lots of jump starts, leading me to wonder if the starter might have been partially damaged during that time.

Since then, the car has occasionaly (maybe once a month or so) has been slow to start, but not lately, and not like this morning. I'm also wondering if it has to do with the fact that I filled the tank during a pretty damp stretch of weather that has since turned cold.

Any help would be appreciated, as I'm getting married on the 30th, and the last thing I need is a car that craps out on me on the big day.

[jeffcoslacker]

My '97 sporadocally will not start on the first try like that, or will huff and chug like it lost track of crank position, but it's done it since it was almost new, and I never worried about it much. I have found that when it does it, if I turn the key back off, and wait a few seconds, it will fire right up. I have no explaination. But this has been going on for 7 years, it is just something I've accepted.

[pancakefool]

Yeah, I think I might just keep an eye on it over the next few days, and if it seems ok, learn to live with it.

It does make me miss my old '90 Olds Cutlass rustbucket, though. That poor little 4-cylinder would turn over on the first try every time---even in below zero weather...