What does it mean when my car delays staring and then a smell of gas... runs great after and new bat

has new battery, wires plugs, 1996 olds aurora

What does it mean when my car delays staring and then a smell of gas... runs great after and new battery.?nortonantivirus

I can't tell if you said that you've tried replacing your starter and/or starter relay. If not, that'd be my next guess. If that's not it, then it may be your lock cylinder (the thing into which you stick your key on the steering column). Those are notoriously bad in late '90's GM cars. Does the car even turn over, or just sit there dead-silent?

The smell is coming from your fuel pump. When you stick your key in and turn the cylinder, the signal goes to the fuel pump that the engine is about to start, so it starts pumping gasoline through the engine despite the fact that the engine is not actually running. After a period of time, that gasoline goes through the engine and, since it's not burnt, leads to the smell.