It could be the fuel pump or a bad fuel pressure regulator. Have you checked you fuel pressure yet?

 

uh... no. dont know how. is it easy or do i have to drop the tank and stuff? i come to work early and leave only about 20 minutes before it gets dark so until the weekend i dont have a lot of time to do anything too involved. i googled it last night to try to find instructions but didnt really find anything meaningful (though i only looked for a few minutes).
i have the repair book around here somewhere... i just moved so it's probably in a box somewhere....

 

There should be a schrader valve (Like a tire valve) on the fuel rail by the injectors. Get a pressure gauge and see what the pressure is. It will need to be somewhere like 30-35 psi. Check the FAQ for the service manual to find out where it needs to be.

 

sweet, i might be able to do that on my lunch. thanks man! i will update with the info as soon as i find out.

 

ok, i have to be honest now. the truck is not a dakota. it's a silverado (i use this forum for my neon and everyone here knows way more than anybody else i can find online) so my psi is ~54. specs for the truck are 56-60 psi so it is A LITTLE low, but not enough that i think it is a problem. but like i said, this only happens once in a while. could it be that when it works, the pressure is fine, and when it does not work, the pressure is low? i dont know how i'd check for this because it usually starts on the second (or so) try. :/ or can anyone think of any other problems it could be? thanks guys!

 

my $.02:

when it starts on "the second try" are you turning the key to the off position then turning it over again? if yes, then what is happening is you are priming the pump by turning the key to "off" and back.
Does it give you these issues most often when the vehicle has been sitting for extended periods (ie over night or something). If so, this could go right back to the pressure issue.

My understanding: when you run your vehicle the fuel lines are pressurized by the fuel pump in the tank of the vehicle. after the vehicle is shut down, a valve in the pump maintains pressure in the lines. If this valve is starting to fail a pressure leak would be present and fuel pressure would slowly (or quickly) leak back down the line. What you are then faced with is a "hard start" scenario once the fuel has had time to move away from the engine.

 

yes, it mainly happens after it's been sitting. but then sometimes it can sit a long time and not happen at all. weird. but i think you are right when you say it's priming when i try to start and then have to turn it off and then try to start it again.
so it sounds like it is a fuel pressure issue. what is a good way to diagnose if it the whole fuel pump or just a check valve or something?

 

ok, it hasnt given me this same problem since my last post BUT it did start to overheat after a 2 hour drive. i pulled over and the coolant was low. i cant find any leaks and there are no puddles under the truck at home or at work and the coolant level seems to be holding steady (whew!). just wondering if this could be related. i admit i never really checked the level in the year that i've been driving it so maybe it's been low for a while. maybe this contributed to the rough start?