Jeep Repair: Hard Start, jeep grand cherokee, fuel pressure regulator

Question
I have a 1994 jeep Grand Cherokee with 146,000 miles on it.  it's been great to me but now when I go to start it it will crank and crank and crank.  If I turn the key to on and let it sit for awhile and then do that two or three more times then it pops off right away.  I was thinking fuel filter first but it idles fine and runs down the road good.  Then I was thinking fuel pump but after reading a bunch of these Q&As i thought I would ask ebfore I did anything.  Thanks

Answer
It sounds like a bad fuel pressure regulator to me.  Basically, what happens is when you turn the key to the on position (not crank) you're turn on the fuel pump.  This is done to pressurize the fuel still in the lines from the last run cycle.  

Your jeep on the other hand sounds like it doesn't have that fuel VOLUME anymore and has to first build that in order to then pressurize it.  So, by you turning the key in to the on position and waiting, you're giving the pump enough time to fill the lines up with fuel and that gets the jeep started.  A bad fuel pressure regulator will allow pressure and volume to both bleed back in to the tank.

If I'm not mistaken the 94's have a fuel return system meaning the pump pushes fuel to the rail, a regulator at the rail maintains a set amount of pressure and the balance of the fuel is then sent bakc to the tank.  If you do have this set-up then you will simply need to get a new one and install it at the fuel rail in place of the old one.  It's going to be the bubble shaped component at the end of the rail closest to the two fuel lines leading under the car.  

Another thing to check is to make sure the vacuum lines are good since it's a vacuum operated diaphragm.  

You should also check the fuel injectors for leakage as well.  Replace ALL of them if you find even just one leaking.  The original design (silver) will not tolerate much handling while replacing the known bad one.  Frequently you can replace one or two only and then a week later the rest will develope leaks.  I would suspect leaking injectors as much as a leaking regulator on this particular model.
Doug