Mitsubishi Repair: 93 eclipse 4cyl manual, rubber gasket, adequate pressure

Question
I have a question on the fuel system of this 1.8.  I have had problems starting this car since i bought it, and after taking it to a mechanic, and spending a considerable amount of money on it, nothing really changed.  I then started putting HEET and fuel injector cleaner in when i filled up one time.  The car started great for the whole tank.  then my daughter(she drives it) forgot to put in some HEET on the next tank.  towards the end of the tank, it went back to its old ways.  so the next time, we added the two again, and no problems.  Now, it is starting with difficulty most of the time when its the first start of the day.  20 minutes to get it started can happen.  the car will fire, but not take, you will go through this until it finally grabs enough to run a minute, and eventually, you can goose it into starting, and running.  I had asked on this earlier, and we had talked about the ECM and all.  But after the use of additives helped, i am curious as to if I should replace the injectors, and on that note, if they are getting fouled, do i have a fuel line deteriorating, or something causing this?  

Any insight into precedence on this problem would be great.

thanks
Andy

Answer
Andy,
There may not be adequate pressure in the fuel lines.  The HEET you were using may have helped by giving the gasoline an extra boost in combustibility.  Instead of replacing your injectors right away, you may want to just have the injectors pulled and thoroughly cleaned.  Also, get your fuel pump checked to be sure it's producing enough pressure.  It's possible the screen filter on your pump is excessively clogged and reducing the pressure.  Along with having your fuel pump checked, replace your fuel filter if it's been longer than 2 years since you've replaced it last.  Here is a list of items to have checked:
- Gas cap (check the rubber gasket, and replace it necessary
- Fuel pump (make sure it's producing enough pressure)
- Fuel filter (replace this if over 2 years old)
- Fuel injectors (have them serviced; pulled and cleaned)
- Fuel pressure regulator (this controls the pressure in the fuel lines)
- Fuel return lines

Try a full tank of the highest octane gasoline (93-94 rating) from your local gas station.  There are octane additives sold in the store, but those are not as good as clean high-octane gas from the pump.  Fill up, and use the HEET if you want.  If you get the chance, take the car to your mechanic and have those fuel items checked.
Good luck!