Intermittent no start, doesn't quite fit LMS symptoms

[sleddriver]

Another thing I suspect with regard to several relays is aging electrolytic capacitors. Their value falls over time as they dry out and they stop acting like capacitors. They can be OK when cold, but unstable when hot. They live a hard life under the hood. I've wondered the same for fuel pump relays. Mine's never failed. I have both a capacitance and an ESR meter though. I'll add new EC's on my next electronic parts order to replace them.

Also, tryingbe's right: It could also be a faulty/corroded/loose harness connector. I had to rebuild the ECT sensor harness as it just crumbled due to heat/ozone rot/wire insulation breakdown leading to corroded copper wiring, etc.

[conceptchris]

my cps is not oem, but my plugs, plug wires, and tps are. Cps is less than 2 years old. . . .

Yes I tried starter fluid right into the piping going into the tb. at first this did nothing at all. After an hour of messing around and charging the battery back, it made a very slight effect on it trying to fire. My experience with starter fluid is that it should make it start very quickly or else there is something very important not working correctly. This evening I will get out at try to replicate the problem (started right up cold this morning)

[polskamafia mjl]

If the addition of starter fluid did nothing then it points to a spark issue.

[sleddriver]

On the spark side, your coil may have cracks in it. Try misting it with water, in the dark with the engine running. Look for a blue glow.

[conceptchris]

Well, hopefully I have solved my no start problem. I first checked the fuel injection relay/connector and found a really awfully dirty grimy oily relay. The inside was ok, but the connector was terrible. The rubber boots around the bullet connectors had disintegrated and the wires were starting to pull out. I redid the connector and cleaned everything and put it back together. I also checked my other sensor plugs and cleaned them all really well and put it back together. I haven't gotten the car to fail to start since, but I've only driven it one day. Time will tell, but hopefully I solved the mystery. Thanks for all of your help and ideas!

I think that I will replace relays just to be on the safe side. They aren't ridiculously expensive and its a good safety measure, I agree. The coil is only 6 months old and is the MSD coil kit that IPD sells. I've done the coil, Air intake, silicone intercooler hose, and turbo control valve upgrades as well as a new pcv system including intake hose and ptc sensor. On that topic, BEWARE the pcv hose kit that FCP Groton sells is poor quality, the hose that comes straight up and into the top of the valve cover has already softened and fallen apart and it hasn't even been a year so far! I had to splice in a new piece to keep my system sealed, not fun.

[abscate]

I fear you have been UROd on the PCV hose....

[conceptchris]

UROd? uh oh, I'm guessing there is something else I need to know about this. . .

[abscate]

It's a value oriented line of parts that don't seem to hold up as well as OEM parts. Rubber parts are really suspect.

[kaneelschep]

sorry for the long story but I had exactly the same issue.
I could start. Go everywhere without any issues. But if I stopped, it would just not start. Until it finally decided it was enough and would just start again.
No performance loss or anything. just no start. Also no drama like smoke etc after it would finally start too.
Mostly it just took some waiting time to get it back to life. Or just some long starting. I never got stranded. It always started in the end.
Just one time I drained the battery trying. So I went home by train and came back next morning. It just ran perfect on first startup... Like there was no issue at all.

I could always feel it when it was about to start. It would suddenly make some sort of hickup against compression feeling sound in between starting turns and then it would start like normal.
The car allready had this when I got it.
People point to the relay at the cooling fan quite fast for any of these kind of problems. The location is of course a very bad one. Since lots of heat...
So after a lot of reading and trying, I just swapped the injection relay for a new one.
Also swapped the little wiring harnass there because the wires going into the connector for the relay were really bad. insulation coming off etc.
These cars have that a lot. My abs pump wires had this too.

Problem stayed away for more than a year, but came back almost the same. it changed into always taking a very long time to start at second start. Half a minute to a minute was not strange for me. Especially in warm times.
Then I swapped out the benzine pump relais in the fuse box.
The issue hasnt come up again but I always keep two relays in my dashboard now. Wich is not uncommon, I read here

Now I have the maf connector seperating while driving problem

Also had lawnmower syndrome once because of quickly moving the car on the driveway. But that was clearly not the same issue. Since then it will feel very fast at starting because of the lack of compression.
And its also very easy to fix. Once I knew about it of course.. because of here
Take out the benzinepump fuse. Start a few times, put the fuse back in and it will run.