Weak Starts

What happens if you pump just once?

I start with the easy things to check first when faced with a problem like you describe.  What is the voltage of the battery with the engine off?  What does it drop to when you try to start the engine?  Have someone try to start while you keep a voltmeter on the battery.  If voltage is down, make sure you have water in the battery, then test each cell with a hydrometer.  Your battery may be bad.  If voltage is sufficient, are your battery terminals clean?  Cables frayed or damaged?  Connection to starter clean and tight?  It sounds like you have a voltage drop in the starter circuit.  However, since the starter is normally the highest amperage draw in the electrical system, a more general electrical problem usually shows up first as a hard start.  

When you get the engine started, check the battery again to see if voltage is increasing with the alternator turning.  If not, check alternator belt for tension.  Try increasing engine rpm's to check battery voltage again.  If no increase, your alternator may be bad.  Check for an auto electric shop near you.

There can be lots of faults that cause hard starting, including fuel problems, but the above is a place to start.

You can post a short video direct from your smart phone.  Use the attachment feature at the bottom of your post.

First question is, when first starting does it turn over slowly now, where before it turned over quickly?

If it does turn over slowly that may indicate a poorly charged battery--check the voltage, if it is a wet cell also check the water level in each cell... if it is a sealed cell battery your sol, you can pull the battery and take it to one of the local parts stores where they can check it out, most for no charge, and answer a few questions about the state of the battery.

You can check these at home with a good multi-meter...

Does the battery hold a charge? Does the alternator produce enough charge?

First thing is to check all engine grounds for tightness and of course both battery cables for tightness and/or corrosion. I've found that often just a little bit of corrosion on the terminals can cause similar conditions as can loose battery cables. With these conditions present full voltage to the starter is often not available. Plus the alternator is not able to put a full charge back into the battery.

If all this checks out and is good to go and there is no difference in starting there is a possibility that your Pertronix module is failing...sometimes they just quit other times they slowly degrade...something I've had happen twice with the same car creating slow or hard start problems.

It is just a step by step process and I wish you the best in finding the problem.

The easiest answers are sometimes the best answers.

I really paid attention the last couple times I've gone out to start the car and I found I was pumping the gas more than twice. So I stopped that and pumped it once as Ed (edsnova) suggested and I found that my car fired right up as it had been before.

Somewhere along the line I started pumping the gas pedal quite vigorously which apparently resulted in a what I will assume is a flooding of the engine which led to the weak start, the puff of smoke, and the anemic initial revving of the engine.

So one pump it is.

Glad to be of service. I am like a monkey at a typewriter; every so often out comes some Shakespeare.