Mitsubishi Repair: 1997 Diamante Wont start, coolant levels, battery cables

Question
1997 Diamonte, automatic transmission.

Every once in a while, my Diamante will not immediately start after I have made several stops at grocery store, etc.  However, within less than a minute, it will start and run fine.  A puff of white smoke comes out when it starts after failing to do so.  If I have not made several stops, it seems to start alright.

It does tend to idle rough at stop signs.  It has almost 115,000 miles on it.  The timing belt was replaced at 82,000 miles.  

Answer
Lee,
Starting problems may indicate a problem with you starter motor itself.  Everytime you start your engine, it wears the starter motor a little bit each time.  And the more your starter works, the hotter it gets.  The starter is simply an eletrical motor, and when eletrical motors get hot, the resistance in them increase dramatically.  The higher the resistance, the less current is allowed to power the starter motor to turn the engine.  Lack of power results in lack of starting.  Letting the car cool down enough, or bumping the starter by trying a few times, seems to be helping you.  But this is a pretty good sign that your starter motor should be replaced soon.  Have your alternator, battery, and battery cables inspected as well if you get your starter replaced.

The white smoke may be a different problem.  That may inidicate you are burning a little bit of oil or coolant in your exhaust.  Though it may not be a big deal.  I would simply keep an eye on your oil and coolant levels, and check them at least once per week.  The smoke may also just be a build up of unburned fuel due to the inability to start your engine on the first few tries.  This may go away completely with a new starter motor.  Unburned fuel that builds up can cause premature failure of your spark plugs.  I would recommend having those replaced soon as well.
Good luck!