for those you don't know, Toronto, Canada had some major rainfall last night..a Toronto record. 120 plus mm of rain during the evening. causing flash flooding..people were trapped on transit vehicles and cars were stranded in 4-5 ft high water. funny thing. this was all happening during a much need late afternoon nap...my bike was covered but there were a few small holes..I went to start up the bike this morning anddd noo cigar. lights still went on and the starter gear just spun. at first I heard a loud pop from the exhaust then some other sounds coming from the pipe...I'm wondering if water in the pipe would cause this. since its a slip on, would taking it off and draining water fix the issue. or since I tried starting it like that, have other problems may of occurred?
help needed from your friendly neighbour in the north
Was the bike ever in a significant amount of sitting water?
Quote from: junk301 on July 09, 2013, 12:43:06 PMI went to start up the bike this morning anddd noo cigar. lights still went on and the starter gear just spun. at first I heard a loud pop from the exhaust then some other sounds coming from the pipe
When you say "the starter gear just spun" ... do you mean that you could hear the starter motor "whir" on its own without turning over the engine ... or was the engine turning over too? (Because of the "loud pop from the exhaust" I'm going to guess the latter, but
correct me if I'm wrong.)
Having been a "victim" two different times now, my suggestion is to go through the electrical connections related to the ignition system. Pull them apart and make sure they're clean and shiny. In my case, the slightest bit of what I will call "aluminum oxide" (very fine white dust on the connectors) has either prevented the bike from starting, or prevented the alternator from charging the battery. The first case was after the bike sat in my shed over the winter, the second case was after riding the bike through the rain and then letting it sit for a couple weeks.
It's possible that your spark plugs aren't firing at all, or are firing intermittently. The "loud pop" could have been caused by unburnt fuel vapor being pushed out of the cylinder and then being ignited "late" somehow.
Oh ... which connectors should you look at? I would examine most of the "rectangular" connectors shown in this diagram
(http://bbburma.net/Scans/Haynes_IgnitionWiring.jpg)
(especially the connections going to and from the
Ignition control unit ... the "black box" near the frame-mounted petcock) which you should be able to locate by consulting the full wiring diagram (http://bbburma.net/Scans/Haynes_WiringDiagram_US_97.jpg). (NOTE: This diagram is for GS500E models ... things may be arranged a little differently for later models.)
If you see any sign of "aluminum oxide" after pulling a connector apart, use fairly fine sandpaper (say, 220 or 320 grit) to clean up the connector surfaces. For female connectors, use a tiny screwdriver (or equivalent) to scrape the paper across the surfaces.
If you have a tube of dielectric grease, applying some to the cleaned connectors should prevent this kind of corrosion in the future.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
If I'm totally off-base, and this exercise doesn't improve things ... come on back! :thumb:
OK an update..but to start I'm very confused..OK so to answer questions...no. the bike was not sitting in water and no..the bike did not turn over. OK so the following afternoon after the bike was in the sun all day..it started up fine.but something did come out of the pipe..not sure if it was water vapour or gas..I drove it to a restaurant, ate then started it back up on no choke..rode home with no issues..then this morning the bike did NOT start.. I heard the same initial pop as before then not wouldn't want to turn over...before I check the connecters as kerrs recommendation, any other tests I can do?..I'm reading that water may have gotten into the float bowls so I can try that.
Sounds like my assumption (that the starter motor was spinning the crankshaft) was incorrect. Since that's the case, you can ignore all of the info about checking wiring connections ... at least for now.
I've only pulled one starter motor from a GS500, and that was only to see if it would spin
at all when disengaged from a seized engine. But I know that there is a mechanism that connects the starter motor to the engine when you push the Start button, and then disconnects it when you release the button. I've heard it called the
sprag or
sprag clutch.
I just now searched the forum for
sprag. The following post (only one among many search results) sounds a lot like what you've described:
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24881.msg256513#msg256513 (http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24881.msg256513#msg256513)
You might do the same search and read through some of the other results....
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Long-ago memory: When the
opposite problem occurs (the
sprag clutch won't disengage from the engine when it should) the starter motor gets spun up to RPMs that it wasn't designed for (by the engine running at
its normal RPMs) and you can end up with "
starwalt's disease". (See his avatar photo for the end result!)
I show the starter parts in my video on tightening down the magnet rotor.
The starter motor has an intermediate gear that then drives the main starter gear. Main starter gear rides on the crank shaft next to the magnet rotor. There is a one way clutch - actually 3 small steel thingies on springs that allow the starter gear to catch the magnet rotor (which is bolted to the crank shaft) then turn the motor. When the motor is running, that one way clutch allows the starter gear to just sit there on the crank shaft and the magnet rotor & crank to rotate.
Without the 1 way clutch (purely mechanical, nothing electrical nor any solenoids) the starter motor would continue to spin as the motor ran, wearing out the starter motor really fast.
All of that sits in the oil under the left engine cover.
If the magnet rotor comes loose (which happens more than yu think) when you press the starter button the starter motor turns and spins the starter gear. With the magnet rotor not fastened to the crank, it too just freely spins making a whirring sound (also demonstrated in my video).
With that information, exactly what sound are you hearing? Watch the video and tell us if that is what it sounds like.
If the motor is really cranking and just not firing, then you could have wet and/or corroded electrical connections.
Link to the video:
okay. I feel like I may of misinformed you..sorry if I meant the starter is whizzing..it only sounds like it does when the battery usually doesn't have enough juice to start the bike..exact. like I said..after the bike was in the sun for half a day it started with no choke..but the following morning..full choke wouldn't start it. I'm going to empty the float bowls as soon as I'm home.then try again..if nothing I will update. thank you for all your very detailed responses
is it possible that water somehow got into the gas..and into and into the float bowls?
Things could still be wet. Battery could be weak.
Check battery voltage.
Remove seat and leave in the sun to dry out all the electricals under the seat (where much of it is located).
i changed the plugs and it started..:p unfortunately havent had sun in a while.. thanks for the tip adidas
clean your battery contacts.
My bet is the battery, or connections like the starter switch, battery cables, etc.
My bike sits out now...no garage. Buy a cover.
Quote from: jestercinti on July 14, 2013, 06:00:43 PMMy bike sits out now...no garage. Buy a cover.
I don't even have a cover for mine. It faces the elements and starts right up every time I hit the ignition. I should stop being cheap and buy a cover though...