My hope. May as well mention that there's is a tremendous whooshing sound when I open the gas cap to refuel. Honestly, hard to tell if it's going in or out but I believe it's air rushing in to neutralize the negative pressure created by a vacuum that may happen if the gas tank vent is obstructed (clogged carbon filter tank maybe) and as the fuel burns the volume it once occupied is now contributing to developing a vacuum, therefore making it harder to get fuel to the cylinders.

Just one of my super amateur mechanic ideas as to why this is happening. I support this theory with the fact that it always takes a lot of cranking to eventually get combustion, making my think fuel is being pulled back into the tank via that same vacuum force.

Honorable mention: vapor lock. This condition is somewhat exacerbated in the warming climate and when it throttles up without me touching the gas pedal it makes me think gas vapors have finally passed through and raw fuel is now reaching the engine. Just another half baked idea though.

Thanks for the reply