I've been having an intermittent starting problem with my '98 2.5L V6 for a while now that seems to be slowly getting worse.

It takes quite a bit of cranking to get the engine going (for an injected motor anyway). Once it starts it coughs and farts and runs rough for five or ten seconds, then runs smoothly like nothing happened.

It happens both when hot and cold. The check engine light hasn't come on at all and I put a bottle of injector cleaner in the tank a while ago but with no improvement.

Any Ideas?

Have you pulled the plugs to look at them? Sounds like a weak spark.

Put new plugs in about 5000km ago. No difference.

Try cleaning the connections of the coolant temperature sensor.

Make sure the fuel system is building the correct pressure and holding it. Sounds like your system is bleeding down when you shut the engine off. Causes could be fuel filter, fuel regulator, or fuel pump going bad.

Make sure the fuel system is building the correct pressure and holding it. Sounds like your system is bleeding down when you shut the engine off. Causes could be fuel filter, fuel regulator, or fuel pump going bad.

Or a leaky or sticky fuel injecter.

We have a couple of the same experiences here in the philippines. the culprit is the cam position sensor. per the suzuki parts catalogue, it comes as a set/assembly, but using the cam sensor from the esteem (that can be bought piece meal) works the same and comes out much cheaper.