Alright, here is the story. A week ago my car overheated because I left it on for too long. Radiator cracked so I replaced it. The day after it started having a hard starting issue. It would crank for a long time then it'd finally catch and stumble then it'd run completely fine. Sometimes it would start right away but most of the time it takes a while. I assumed it was the distributor but when I took it to my mechanic friend he said that wasn't the case since it had spark. After checking a few other things he said it was the Main Relay. I took his word and bought a brand new one and changed it. It's been a day since then and it is still having the same issue.

I also smell a weird smell when I try to turn it on. Mechanic friend says it's just the smell of radiator fluids but I am not completely sure on that. Could it be something else like the fuel pump or something among those lines? I appreciate all the help I get.

Oh and I used the search bar/google but to no avail.

 

With the overheating, the problem could be with a head gasket. This is something that you won't blindly replace. You need to test first.

A compression test may detect a problem. You could also rent on of the radiator pressure testers. Put about 15 psi on the radiator. Remove the spark plugs, then look in each cylinder to see if coolant is visible.

 

I'm really hoping it isn't a blown head gasket. Though it isn't leaking any oil and there is no coolant/oil mix when i check the dipstick. There isn't any white smoke either. Nevertheless I will try doing a compression test or use a radiator pressure tester. Thank you.

 

Similar to what PAHonda said, next time you have a hard time getting it started, don't keep cranking until it starts. Remove and check the plugs for water and get a flash light and look in the cylinder. The cooling system will have been under pressure for some time after you turned the car off and some amount of water will get in the cylinder if the head/gasket is bad (assuming the cooling system still has enough water in it).

I had rough idle issues that eventually led to a no-start. When I pulled the plugs, I was able to see water on the #2 plug and noticed a nice (or not-so-nice) shiny surface on top of the piston. Bumping the car produced a little wave on top. Vacuuming out the water allowed me to start the engine.

Another thing you can do is check for bubbles in the radiator with the cap removed. The radiator will burp out fluid frequently if the head gasket is leaking. There's a youtube video somewhere that shows this, but I don't have the link handy.