funny smell and smoke

[Nasool]

Hi,i own a 2002 GS500 and when i went to start it this morning it made like a fff sound when i hit the starter button and a big cloud of smoke came out from under the seat sumwhere that smelt kind of sweet or sumthing like a real strong smell.does this sound like it was the starter motor going cactus and if so are they repairable or do you have to buy a complete new starter?.was quoted a price of $664.00 AUD for a new one so am hoping its able to be repaired.
If anyone has had a similar thing happen could they please post waht they did or had to get done please.
Thanks in advance for any replies  

Nasool

[coll0412]

Yeah, its happened to me.

When its kinda cold and the engine cranks over slowly,  i have found that  if I let go of the starter button too soon, the piston is about to fire, but since i let go of the starter early the pistons stops with the intake valve hanging open, the pickup still fires the plug and the fuel in the intake boot lights up forcing the expanding gases back out the airfilter and from under neitth the seat, smells sweet like when you run your bike rich.

[The Buddha]

Hi,i own a 2002 GS500 and when i went to start it this morning it made like a fff sound when i hit the starter button and a big cloud of smoke came out from under the seat sumwhere that smelt kind of sweet or sumthing like a real strong smell.does this sound like it was the starter motor going cactus and if so are they repairable or do you have to buy a complete new starter?.was quoted a price of $664.00 AUD for a new one so am hoping its able to be repaired.
If anyone has had a similar thing happen could they please post waht they did or had to get done please.
Thanks in advance for any replies  

Nasool

Then what happened ... no more electrical ... Then fuse ... you may also have had starter solenoid ... the GS starter is tough ... will not die that easy ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[71buickfreak]

Honestly, it sounds like Ozone to me. Ozone is the smell that comes from buring up electrical components. Look under the seat, I'll bet you smoked something there. Solenoid possibly.

[Kerry]

My bet is on "electrical" too.  I would think the starter relay is a fairly tough component, but look it all over anyway.

Follow all wires from the battery and around the wiring harness.  It's possible that a wire had its insulation rubbed off over time, and that it shorted against the frame.  At any rate, you will probably be able to spot a BLACK patch somewhere along a wire bundle or at an electrical connection / electronic component.

[Nasool]

I had a quick look under the seat and around the wires but could not see any burnt wiring or black marks on the frame.
When i got home last night i went out and checked to see if the starter still cranks and it does so im thinking it could be that i took my finger off the starter as it was about to fire and that it was more what coll0412 described, it just freaked me out seeing a big white cloud come out so i put bike straight in shed and got a lift to work.
I also got the Electrician at work to burn out a motor and it was nothing like the smell that came from the big puff of smoke.
It has been very cold here too so my battery hasnt been that flash early in the morning so i may get a new one and see if it fires up okay this afternoon.
Thanks again for your replies i shall post what the outcome is.
 Nasool

[Kerry]

Now that you mention it, I guess I wouldn't describe burnt-up electronics as a "sweet" smell, either.

Glad to hear that all may be OK after all.

[Nasool]

oh the relief,charged up battery and she kicks over like a charm must have been the fuel lighting up after i let off the starter like was said before,Thanks so much for your help all

Happy Nasool

[starwalt]

This is a mystery.  I bet the "fff" sound was something vaporizing. The smoke following the sound is a classic electrical stimulus-response.
Possibilities:
Water/fluid under the starter motor cover causing a momentary short?
Water/fluid in contact with the starter relay (aka - solenoid)?
Soft drink spill in any areas mentioned above?
What does hot battery acid smell like?

The "sweet' smell is throwing me off. If it were a critter, it should smell like protein burning. He has gotten a nose full of burned electrical wiring/components from his electrician buddy so... :dunno:

[coll0412]

Nah...he is an aussie so its cold down there right now, cold(ie thick) oil plus a weak battery equals a backfire through the carbs. My bike used to do it when you would first start up when it was cold and i would let go of the starter  too early. The fff noise is the sound of the expanding gasses coming out the filter. ANd it smells sweet like when the bike is running really rich.

[EDub]

Ive burnt a few electrical components in my engineering classes, the trick is to wave your hands real quick so the odor goes away before the professor smells it  :lol:

[wurci]

The same thing just happened to me yesterday morning, so i searched the forum and i found this thread, with your suggestions.

It was just another morning when i tried to start the bike up, without success for the first time and when i let go the starter i saw the big smoke come from somewhere undernieth me which smelled funny. Then i tried to start it up to see if I have to start looking for a new bike or not, and surprise surprise it ran just fine and started up easily. Anyhow I was so scared that i didn't dare taking it to work.

But at work i found this thread, so i tried to start it up again this morning, and it was running just fine like on any other day so i rode it to work today without any problems.

I just called my mechanic about the problem, and he said if all the electrics are working and the bike is running just fine, then it was just probably just "leftover" gases like coll0412 wrote it. So there is nothing to worry about.

I'm going for a short trip this weekend so I hope the bike won't fall apart while i'm riding it, and it really only was the unusual phenomenon of gases burning in there with the intake valve open and the exhaust closed.

Well these are all my experiences with funny smelling smoke coming out of different places. Once thing for sure, I was scared like shaZam! when I saw the smoke, i though my ass is on fire... but it seems like it was a false alarm. I will take the bike to the mechanic anyway next week to change my chain and sprockets so i will have it checked out by him.