The hard start is most likely the fuel pressure regulator. And when these go out fuel is getting sucked into the intake manifold through the vacuum line that is attached to the FPR. I'm not sure if the two problems could be related... but having alot of unmetered fuel being sucked into the intake co...

Actually I mentioned 3 things. Clean things first. Be careful when cleaning the MAF as those can be somewhat fragile. Don't clean the internal wires with a brush, rag etc. Try these things first before delving into changing parts. Hate just throwing parts at things. Take note of the condition of the...