Ok, I didn't drive my Max yesterday (98SE). It was parked overnight outdoors, on a slightly inclined driveway, in wet weather. This morning it wouldn't start. It turned over fine, and just as it was about to start, it would sputter and then just keep turning over. After a few intermittent tries it finally started, roughly, and blew out a big puff of white smoke from the tailpipe. A little smoke rose from under the engine.

This thread says it may be a clogged fuel injector problem:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....arting+problem

But logic tells me that a clogged fuel injector would just make it hard for the car to start. Is it possible I had an impurity in the gas, and that's why it smoked and smelled (not the sweet smell of antifreeze, just regular burning smell)?

Any ideas?

Incidentally, I drove the car for about an hour, parked for about an hour, and came out and it started right up -- flawless as usual. This is the first problem I've had with the car PERIOD.

 

Does anyone have any ideas?