Whoa! PCX first part fail - cracked reserve tank outlet tube

[montliz44]

Just had my first part fail on my 2013 PCX 150, and just when I got home from bragging about Honda reliabilty to a gullible stranger down at the Whataburger. Coincidence? I think not...

I rode home from lunch and parked the scoot in the garage and when I came back out thirty minutes later the little feller was sitting in a pool of anti-freeze about three feet wide, with the sweet stuff still dripping out of the bodywork just in front of the taillight. A quick bit of detective genius revealed that this was the location of the reserve coolant tank, just visible behind that little clear plastic bubble at the back of the underseat storage compartment.

Close inspection revealed that the little tank was empty, so I said "I can fix that!", and filled up the tank with nice fresh Honda HP coolant, which immediately began dripping onto the garage floor. "Eureka!", said I, along with a couple of other things, so I put a pan under the scooter and went back into the house to ponder my next move.

Later that same day, after a few minutes of Tupperware removal (OK, 45 minutes, but that's not important right now) I had the little coolant tank in my hand, and I could see that the outlet nipple was cracked right next to where it exits the tank (it's all one piece of molded plastic). Of course, being the outlet, it's at the lowest point in the tank, thus explaining why the tank was completely empty (again). I don't know why it had cracked, as it didn't appear to be under any stress and hadn't been struck by flying road debris (it's well protected by the body panels) but sho nuff it was broken and just holding on by a thread.

"No problema!", said I, so I fired up a small batch of two-part epoxy mix and applied it to the crack, after washing out the tank in Grandma's kitchen sink and sanding the tiny area around the break for maximum adhesion. Turned out there was one small problem, though, in that the epoxy wouldn't stick to the plastic tank AT ALL, and rolled off of it like hot butter in a pan. Hmmmm, I thought, it's beginning to look like I may have to spring for a new tank.

So, long story short(er), I ordered a new tank from Partzilla ($7.15 plus $7.95 shipping) and it'll be here in a week or so, and I'll be back in business and back to bragging down at the Whataburger. I just wanted to share this story with you folks and also to ask if anyone else has had this problem. (!!) BTW, I bought the scooter new last summer and it only has about 3000 miles on the clock.

Whaddya think?

Johnny

[gn2]

I remember reading about this fault before, so you're not alone.
Wouldn't be doing any more bragging about Honda reliability if I were you.
Honda two-wheeler reliability is a myth created by their marketing department.
In their history Honda have released some simply appalling shite on an unsuspecting public.
Many (all?) models manufactured in Thailand have sufferered design flaws and/or reliability issues.

[PCX-MOB]

Why 1 week after I buy my PCX, and after months of researching am I just in the last few days starting to see everyone rag on Honda's quality? I couldn't find anything on this board but people with positive things to say about the reliability of their PCX... now, mentions everywhere about quality control issues. Should I have got something else?

[Mel46]

This problem was on a PCX? I haven't read of this being a problem. I purchased my wife's PCX in August of 2012 and it has not had that problem. Neither has my PCX, which we purchased in 2014. I can't imagine what would cause that problem.

[montliz44]

I agree, Mel. I can't see any reason for the crack, either. There's no stress on the line and the tank is completely enclosed by the bodywork. It's made of fairly thick plastic and I suppose the outlet could have been designed one size bigger and thicker but you can see why Honda thought this size would do the job. After all, it's just a reserve storage tank and not a pressure tank.

@gn2 - Thanks for remembering that there have been other reports of the same problem; I figured there might be, as it appears to be a design/manufacture fault, but, as I said, it doesn't look like it should fail, so I can see why the Honda engineering group would sign off on it. It's clearly a warranty issue, but I'm fixing it myself because it's cheaper and easier than taking it to the dealer.

@PCX-MOB - I still stand by my brags about Honda reliabilty and I LOVE my PCX -- it's my daily rider and my favorite scooter of all time, and I've had lots of them over the years (BTW, the best and most reliable ones have all been Hondas). I think this little fail is not normal and is probably rare, so I'm giving Honda the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Johnny

[you you]

I remember reading about this fault before, so you're not alone.
Wouldn't be doing any more bragging about Honda reliability if I were you.
Honda two-wheeler reliability is a myth created by their marketing department.
In their history Honda have released some simply appalling shite on an unsuspecting public.
Many (all?) models manufactured in Thailand have sufferered design flaws and/or reliability issues.

Didn't you have this problem with your s type

[iceman]

My '14 reg, '15 model apparently LED PCX has had few problems but a recent one was the coolant level very low or reserve empty! (only checked after a thread I saw on here - perhaps Hommie started that one). The filler tank (under the rhs rubber mattering where your foot goes) was empty - myself and another shone a light in there and swayed the bike from side to side - nothing, looked bone dry. No over-heating problems though but this was mid-winter.

Bought some coolant and when I tried filling up the tank it just came straight out. Took my bike in for the 2nd time in it's life but no warranty as only had 1st service done - it was on about 6000 miles by then. Dealer said they found no problem and tank was full!, but charged me a nominal amount for their time. When I got the bike home I checked the little tank and it had fluid in it and looked fine - no leaks since and still looks fine without having to put much effort into checking.

No idea what happened or why the dealer said nothing was wrong - it was empty, fluid just drained out and now it's at the correct level in the bottom tank and easy to see. Both of us who checked believe they did do something but they did not admit it - perhaps they did not want to admit a fault under warranty as at 6000 miles+ with the service book handed in, they said my 600 mile 1st service was due soon - wtf! Dealers, even when they do good they still mess up.

[WhiteNoise]

You crack me up Johnny! Well told and funny. Not the cracked nipple problemo ( ) but the way you told us! That little thingy must've had a thinner wall. Molded plastics sometimes have thinner areas. Tis plastic afterall.
Ex.: Think Red Plastic Fuel Reserve tanks from local store. Some have bottom corners that look and feel thinner compared to it's walls. Ever notice that? I'd check that b4 buying one.
(Oh, and don't let homie know if you do, he hates 'em )
Anywho, back to your cracked and replaced coolant tank nipple...glad You fixed it instead of Honda. Not only do you feel good about doing the do yourself, but you probably did a better job AND...saved $$$. Kudos!
Okay now my time is up. You just Talk too Dang much WN!

Johnny, check out cheapcycleparts.com next time, I think they might be cheaper....
http://www.cheapcycleparts.com/oemparts ... serve-tank

[jims]

I've had three out of four Honda's that I picked up new which had a problem. One was a 2 stroke dirt bike that no oil in the transmission. A street bike that had a bad cam chain tensioner, and my 2013 PCX which had a defect in the head water jacket behind the intake valve.
Honda makes pretty good machines but, I wish the warranty's were a bit longer.
I also have had a bunch of BMW'S which had recalls on them all fixed under warranty. I still love my PCX and my Beemer and hope defects are a thing of the past.
The nice thing about the PCX is how cheap replacement parts are. Got to love summer! Be safe!

[iceman]

Cheap in US and Thailand - parts are three times the price here.

[montliz44]

Iceman is right !!

When I was looking for this part I checked Bike Parts Honda (UK) and they had it listed for 24.40 pounds, including VAT but not including shipping, which is about 35 USDollars (plus shipping). I thought that was a little high, since it's just a little piece of plastic, and so searching in the US I found it for 7.15 dollars at Partzilla. WhiteNoise says they may be even cheaper at CheapCycleParts, and sure enough, they're 6.58 there.

Adding CheapCycleParts to my list; deleting BP. That'll show 'em.

Johnny

[Sasso]

I've crashed 3 times and it's still OK. Body work is pretty "tarnished" but holding up. I love fairings they protect the important bits.

[ScooteringAbout]

5k miles only just got a buzzing sound on mine, pretty much sorted with two turns of a screwdriver on the rear plates. They're built better than some tat on the road that's for sure.