No brake lights on Forza 300

Whitestix · Post by **Whitestix** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 5:32 pm

I dumped the bike getting gas a while back and took it to the dealer to get a replacement front cover. I replaced the brake lever and checked to see if the brake lights came on when depressing the level. The rear lights are on, but do not brighten when the brake levers are depressed, either one of them. Can you knowledgeable folks help me out to troubleshoot my problem? Perhaps it is a fuse issue? Many thanks.
Whitestix in Sacramento

Mel46 · Post by **Mel46** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:37 am

Check your fuses and the bulb (it is a dual filament). Then check to make sure the brake lever is fully engaging the switch. Those are the simplest things to check.

I have a PCX but I think they all work the same way. Either brake lever should activate the rear brake light. If neither one does, then get a wiring diagram out...after you have done the initial checks above. (On the PCX the fuse handles the turn signals, the brake light, and the horn. Yours may be a little different.)
Also on the PCX there is a plug in the front cover area that affects the brake light. Just a thought.

Simple things first.

Then, if you don't find the problem, either go after the problem yourself or take it back to the dealer.

WhiteNoise · Post by **WhiteNoise** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 1:52 pm

Thread moved to proper location, where help will be found

Whitestix · Post by **Whitestix** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:21 pm

Gents,
I have spent the last hour with the shop manual for the Forza and I am totally perplexed as to how to DX this problem. The tail lights are on, but neither the left nor the right lever will turn on the brake lights. Honda has foolishly hidden the fuse boxes and other than the one under the seat (access to which requires removal of the seat), which is the main fuse box and likely has nothing to do with my problem, the location of the other fuse boxes remains a mystery. From the wiring diagram, it appear to make sense to check out Fuse Box B, but I have no idea where to find it or to access it. It seems to be that the likely culprit is a fuse as either brake lever activates the brake lights, but neither do.

Any help would be very much appreciated. A trip to the dealer is gonna cost me big bucks at $120 an hour shop rate.

Thanks, Whitestix

fish · Post by **fish** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:41 pm

Dumped the scoot?
Broke filament in both bulbs, not likely with two bulbs for the brakes.

Fish

Whitestix · Post by **Whitestix** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 4:24 pm

Fish,
Yeah, that has to be last thing that is the problem, I would think. Logically, the problem is a fuse, but I can figure out where they are located. I'd take it to the Honda dealer, but they have zero familiarity with the scooter as they have sold only a few of them. And they have backlog of 2+ weeks for repair work.

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 5:46 pm

The fusebox is under the right side dash top panel, open the glovebox, there are two screwheads in the top edge of the opening, remove these and the panel lifts out.

GeorgeSK · Post by **GeorgeSK** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:59 pm

The description of what GN2 is describing is on page 2-12. Looks like you pull out the two screws and then finesse the tab at the back of the panel to slide it backwards, exposing the fuse box. I guess. I have not done it. Yet. They tell you how to remove the panel, but not why one would like to.

I can understand your frustration. I just went through my copy of the manual. There is no mention of the word "fuse" or "fuse box" in the index, and fuses are one thing that any owner should be able to access and replace. The people that wrote that manual definitely don't think the way I do - following the trail of instructions to get a major panel off is a back and forth between sections and pages that is a nightmare to navigate. i resorted to yellow stick-on tabs and a pre-job list of what pages I needed when. Don't get me wrong - the manual is WAY better than nothing, but it is not what i would call user friendly.

You can get at the main fuse panel in the seat, but it is a real PITA with the seat on. A fuse puller is a must. Probably more than a bit handy for "Fuse box B" as well.

Good luck - you will get it eventually.

GeorgeSK · Post by **GeorgeSK** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 7:10 pm

I looked at the regular user manual that came with the scoot. I found actual, useful information.

: blown fuse 1.jpg (149.68 KiB) Viewed 1688 times

: blown fuse 2.jpg (150.65 KiB) Viewed 1688 times

GeorgeSK · Post by **GeorgeSK** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 7:33 pm

While I am here, and on the off chance that some screwy power surge toasted the fuse AND both brake lights....

: brake light bulb.jpg (168.08 KiB) Viewed 1688 times

And the mysterious clips, which I fiddled with for at least fifteen minutes when I first met them:

: clips.jpg (110.35 KiB) Viewed 1688 times

I was pretty happy with myself for figuring those clips out.... Too bad I didn't just RTFM.

https://www.hondapcx.org/viewtopic.php? ... ng#p113730

davenowherejones · Post by **davenowherejones** » Wed Sep 04, 2019 11:06 pm

Most of my plastic clips broke and I replaced them with sheet metal roofing screws and spring nuts.

I also replaced most of my lights with LED equivalents.

Whitestix · Post by **Whitestix** » Thu Sep 05, 2019 3:14 pm

Thanks for showing me where Fuse Box B is located. I tested all the fuses and they are fine. Dang, I was hoping for a simple fix, but alas it escaped me. I assume the fuse in the fuse box hidden under the seat by the battery is the main fuse and should not be under suspicion.

As I said, I dumped the scooter on the left side, breaking off the left brake lever. All I can think is that is that I damaged the left brake housing, shorting out the brake lights. Still its seems logical that the right brake would still be functional, but not so. If the wiring for the brakes are in a loop, then one malfunctioning unit might affect both sides.

So, unless you helpful guys have another other suggestions, I am off to the deal for his DX. Thanks a million for the help!
Whitestix

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Thu Sep 05, 2019 4:34 pm

The brake switch on the left lever is prone to failure, I went through four or five.
Failure of brake lights on both front and rear would suggest to me a wiring fault in the brake light circuitry or a bulb failure.
Both front and rear switches unliikely to fail at the same time.
Could be something as simple as a dislodged connector from when the front cover was replaced.

Mel46 · Post by **Mel46** » Fri Sep 06, 2019 10:28 am

Here is a trick that I found a long time ago.

The objective here is to see if there is a problem with the left switch or the wires going to it. Both are possible. If you can, find the circuit to the tail light...brake light as well.
Find the switch for the left front brake lever (that was the one that broke, correct??) and disconnect it.

Now you can do one of two things, or both.
1. Using a 9 volt battery, connect leads to the wires that go to the brake light (not through the switch) and see if it comes on. Remember, hot is "+" and ground is "-". It makes a difference.
2. Keeping the left leads separate, turn the bike key to 'on' and squeeze the right brake lever to see if the brake light will come on.

davenowherejones · Post by **davenowherejones** » Wed Feb 05, 2020 8:00 pm

I assume this has been fixed by now. Do the easy things first. Replace the bulbs.

The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

No brake lights on Forza 300

No brake lights on Forza 300

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