1997 Pontiac Grand Am Hard Starting, Poor Gas Mileage, Occa

Thanks, Paul!
I tried what you suggested this morning. I turned the car over and it was cranking and tried to start but then died so tried what you said and that didn't work. Usually if it doesn't start the first time, I try again and it starts but if the second time doesn't work then when I turn it over again I push on the gas pedal and it starts right up.

I've noticed that when it doesn't start the first time and I have to either try a second or third time, after it starts the engine revs up and down right around the 1000 rpm mark a couple times until it settles at a little under 1000 rpms and there is a very distinct smell. The smell is hard to describe, if I had to say a kind of fluid it smells like it would be gasoline but it's a sour, unpleasent smell. Not sure if that sparks any ideas in your head but I thought I'd let you know!

Thanks again for the advice! I appreciate what you guys are doing on here!

Well I got the car checked out again! Turns out the fuel pressure was lower than it should be so they fixed that and now it starts great. I also had the check engine light diagnosed. The code is P1655 purge valve, EGR, or shift solenoid "A" circuit. They checked everything out and it all seems to be working great so they cleared the code. The light came back on shortly after I left and so I brought it back up there. When I brought the car up again the light had gone off. They checked all the wiring and circuits involved but still couldn't find a problem. Since the code was not active they couldn't pinpoint the exact problem either so they asked me to come back in when the light was on. Light came on again today and so I brought it back in! They checked everything again and still no luck. They suggested a new purge valve even though the one in the car tested fine. I declined and asked about the shift solenoid and if it would cause to the car to hesitate on acceleration. They said it was possible. After talking costs it seemed like a good option to just drive the car since it already has over 150000 miles on it! I also asked if any of these problems would affect the gas mileage and they said no not really so I'm still not sure why the gas mileage is so poor but oh well, I'll live with it! Thanks for all your help on this problem! I hope my post can help someone else!