When I turn the ignition key, I don't hear the engine roar until after a split second of sputtering. Very short delay before the roar. Always starts, but never instantly... always a very slight delay. Car has 53,000 mi. What do you think is problem? Thanks!

 

How old is the battery? Mine seem to last 36-40 months, whatever the vehicle. Very snowy here.

 

Battery and perhaps need that expensive starter wire retrofit....

 

The wiring harness retrofit is usually the solution for a slow cranking issue. You describe yours as a firing issue, which I'm not familiar with, but that could likely be plugs/coils. If the car cranks slowly, then it's likely the battery or harness - if it cranks normally, but is slow to actually start, then you likely have a different issue.

 

Thanks guys. I think mine is a firing issue, if I understand the difference. When I turn the key, the engine takes a split second to fire up. One it fires up, all is ok. During that split second delay, I hear that sputtering sound that you hear when a battery is dead. So perhaps the battery is weak, as suggested. Thanks for the advice!