Griff,
No it's not the battery. It has been hard to start since I got it about 10-12 years ago. It has had a couple of batteries in that time and it has always been hard to start. If the battery was low it would never get started since I have to crank the engine for 5 minutes or more. And I keep it on a battery maintainer. And I usually top it off with my big charger before I even try to start it.
Fuel pump--my bad, I meant I didn't think it had an electrical fuel pump. I'm concerned that it takes so long because a mechanical pump is only working when the engine is turning. With an electrical one you can turn it on and wait until the fuel line and carb are full before even trying to crank. Electric fuel pumps weren't the norm in 1979, were they?
It also starts right up if I squirt engine starting fluid into the carb. But, of course, that is not easy to do on a regular basis since you have to remove the engine cover and air filter to do it.
A leak in the fuel line sounds like the most probable issue. I will take a look at it. I should probably just replace it.
Thanks for the input.
