Car won't start cold...help

[gar598]

It seems recently my '97 Volvo 960 in the mornings (or when it hasn't been used for a few hours) is difficult to start. On the first crank it doesn't appear the engine is catching or firing fully. The second crank it catches after a few seconds, though not as cleanly as when the car has been run for a short period or later in the day. As far as I can tell, the car runs just fine once it's started.

I took it to one shop and they couldn't diagnose the problem (he suggested I get a new car). The car has around 126k miles; the spark plugs/coil wire were done 23k miles ago.

Any ideas? Fuel pump issue?

 

[geno]

All the help you'll need.

 

[tasmanian]

Your battery might not be strong enough. Or park your car in a heated garage. They also have battery or engine heaters.

Edit : See cold cranking amps. See me.

 

[gar598]

oops sorry...I should have posted to the garage.

I had the battery tested at Autozone and it came back fine. The battery is six months old.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

How are your grounds?

 

[CrackRabbit]

Fuel pressure regulator perhaps? It sounds like the pressure is bleeding off when the car is off.