Cm870 starts then shuts off,starts back up with a puff off white smoke and stays runn

[JimT]

Maybe you have a small leak somewhere in the system, just enough to let air in while it's not running. You start up, hit the air pocket and stall. Next start the pocket is gone and it runs? Maybe the extra time running the lift pump helps eliminate the air? Or maybe the lift pump isn't as strong as it should be and takes more time to prime the system? I have a cm2250, not an 870 so I'm not familiar with the specifics of it's fuel system. Therefore this is total speculation and could be way off, but figured I'd share my thoughts.