Toyota Repair: 1989 Toyota 4Runner 3.0 V6 4WD SR5 5 speed manual transmission;hard to start and fuel smell problem, toyota 4runner, noticeable drop

Question
hi.my 89 4Runner(3.0 V6 4WD 5 speed manual transmission with 280K miles on a rebuilt head)has started to give me problems when trying to start it,at first just in the mornings but now at anytime.it has a new alternator(6 months old) and a rebuilt head done a year ago.im thinking it's either the battery or the battery connections,but im not entirely sure as the battery is only 3 years old and the connections are pretty clean.i dont see any drop in power from the battery when it's running so im thinking the alternator is working properly.in addition,i recently have been noticing a fuel odor after running the truck,but im unable to locate where it's coming from.there's no noticeable drop in mileage and the weather doesnt seem to play any factor.it has the original EVAP canister(charcoal) by the way(ive heard that this can cause the fuel smell).i havent attempted to make any repairs yet until i can get some feedback.thank you for you time and i appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide.

Answer
When it doesn't start does the engine turn over but not fire up? If so this may be related to the fuel smell, check the fuel pressure dampener at the rear of the engine near the firewall, it's mounted at the end of the fuel rail, it's very common for those to leak causing a hard start condition, the dampener may be hard to see, look at the right side of the engine just behind the air intake chamber.