If you can't do a fuel pressure test yet, if you turn the car to the on possession without starting it will prime the pump. turn it off and do it again then try to crank and see if priming the fuel pump works. it'll save your battery if you have to deal with it this winter.

 

.................................................. .............................................. ................there's the problem ! It may be possessed !............(I just love typo's)

 

Better then repossessed!

 

Been fighting this for a while now (almost 2 years), and at this point I'm convinced it is the fuel pump.

It almost always takes two, sometimes three tries to get her started - hot or cold, and regardless of the fuel level - although it is worse when it's under 1/2 a tank.
Plus when the engine fires up, there is a VERY strong smell of fuel in the cabin.

I'm not in the mood to drop a fuel tank, so I've got a quote on the labor ($225.00) from a certified mobile mechanic, and I supply the parts.

I'm seeing "A-Premium" brand on Amazon for under $100, and Delphi on Parts Geek for a little over $200.

I really only want to have this done once and be finished with it, so I don't mind paying for a higher quality pump, but I don't want to get ripped off either.

Is there a whole lot of difference in the quality between the brands of fuel pumps? If so, any recommendations on brands and/or sources?

Thanks!

 

Nearly 2 years, have you tested the fuel pressure yet?

 

That is the injectors not the pump. Put a fuel pressure gauge on that thing. Geez

 

In 2 years you haven't bothered to find out what the problem actually is and now you are planning on throwing $200 at it?
What organization "certifies? mobile mechanics? If you are willing to ham him, why not pay him to diagnose the problem.
My first suspect would be the EVAP purge valve, followed by a rotted fuel or vapor line way down the list is fuel pump (the most expensive).
Are you forgetting to mention a CheckEngineLight?