hey guys/girls
as some of you might know, i've had my STi for a little over a week now. its awesome, its great, and i really want it broken in... however in the meantime, my integra has been slightly neglected. i plan on using this integra for hpde's and hopefully in ECHC if i can stop spinning. i went to fire her up today to find out that she just didnt wanna start. i cranked the motor and it sounded like it wanted to start up, but just wasnt. i gave it gas and lit up that starter motor and it sputtered and died. then i did it again and again til about the 5th try or so when she finally weakly started up. she was shooting a lot of thick smoke from the exhaust. not quite white, not quite blue, but perhaps a mix between the two...i let it run for awhile, and the smoke eventually cleared up. she ran alright and seemed to be without problems after those initial starting problems. i check the oil level, which was about a half quart low, (but she's always been drinking oil) and topped it off.
so i guess my question is:
what kind of maintenance do you race car owners do to make sure she starts up all the time everytime even if she isnt being driven for awhile? is this something that can be solved by me just running her for a bit every 3 or 4 days? or is this a sign of something more alarming and/or expensive?

thanks in advance

-brian

 

that aint no racekar, boy!

i think you should name the kar "<FONT COLOR="blue">WR</FONT>my wing can hold more paperbacks on it than yours<FONT COLOR="blue">X</FONT>

 

Replace your fuel pump. If you had enough battery life to crank it for so long, I would think that your fuel pressure was leaking down, and the pump wasn't putting it back. Also, clean your contacts in the distributor, replace your fuel filter, make sure your air filter isn't too clogged, change the plugs.
My car sits for 2-3 weeks at a time looking forlornly at me as I daily drive the Miata, but it starts without issue every time I ask it to. (as long as you ignore the black soot that stains the driveway under the tailpipe.)