The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

New problem with my PCX. It won't start.

I've just gotten a new battery and a multimeter reads it at 12.87 volts, i installed it into the bike, and still will not start. When i turn the key to the "on" position, the fuel pump works but when I press the starter button, all i hear is a "Click" then nothing.

Any ideas? Could the starter be burned out? It's a 2018 model but I've only had it for about 2 years.

Some new information.

So the click seems to be coming from the fuse box, one of the relays. I hooked up a multimeter to the battery when I press the starter button and there's no noticeable drop in voltage. Only .1 from the brake lights coming on.

Battery still showing 12.8v when sitting there.

Op3l…Just a thought…have you checked to see if the ‘kill switch’ on the right handlebar is in “run” or “off”?

StillThumps wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 5:29 am Op3l…Just a thought…have you checked to see if the ‘kill switch’ on the right handlebar is in “run” or “off”?

My version doesn't have a kill switch. I've made sure side stand is up and I'm grabbing both brake levers hard while hitting the start switch, and all I hear is a click from the relay in the fuse box area on top of battery.

I've tried the new battery out on another carburetor scooter and that one started right up even though the factory battery is a 7ah vs 5ah for the pcx.

Kind of at a loss as to what's causing this issue.

Hmmm….l know if the side stand switch itself is bad, you can check it by connecting its 2 wires together. If the scoot starts…then the switch is the problem…helped me out on another bike.

StillThumps wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 6:49 am Hmmm….l know if the side stand switch itself is bad, you can check it by connecting its 2 wires together. If the scoot starts…then the switch is the problem…helped me out on another bike.

I don't think it's the side stand cause when I have it down there's no click from the relay after I press the start button. When I have the side stand up, there's a click from the relay.

I'm currently suspecting it might be a bad relay as after I held down the start button for a few minutes, one of the relays got slightly warm but all it'll do is click. It'll click every time I press the starter with brake held in, but that's all it's doing.

Hopefully I can pick up a relay tomorrow and check it out... I will update if I find anything new.

I just wonder if it’s a defective battery in some way. A 12 V battery maxes out at 100% charge at 12.6 so 12.8 is a little bit hi and may be an indicator of something wrong. Check all your connections going to the battery and make sure that you don’t have some type of film or debris that is causing a mis- connection. Also you could do a load test on the battery at the auto parts storeto tell whether it was really good or not. Or do a jump from another battery to see if that pushes it through.

Jge64 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:43 am I just wonder if it’s a defective battery in some way. A 12 V battery maxes out at 100% charge at 12.6 so 12.8 is a little bit hi and may be an indicator of something wrong.

I tried hooking up the new battery to my other carburetor scooter and that one cranked right away. But the same battery on the PCX gets nothing but a click sound from one of the relays. It will click every time I press the start button but that's all it does.

I had a multimeter hooked up to the terminals and when I press the start button there's barely any voltage drop, so don't know if that's an issue with a bad relay or the starter motor(if there is one in the PCX) is bad?

op3l… as you hear a “click” when you press the start button, that sounds like the “starting/charging” relay is actuating but it’s contacts may be bad. Also the ECM/ECU controller is what receives the relay’s output and then sends battery voltage to the starter (hope it’s not that!) On many electrical problems I’ve found that it ends up being a loose connector plug, loose/corroded wire connection, or a loose pin in a connector is a very likely culprit as well.
Wish you luck!

Maybe start by checking all connectors on relay, ECU and look for loose connections, pins, wires etc

StillThumps wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:48 am Maybe start by checking all connectors on relay, ECU and look for loose connections, pins, wires etc

That's what I'm afraid of. I'm gonna just figure out a way to get it to the shops as it's still in warranty... So much for Honda reliability I guess.

Thank you for the help.

From memory, I believe my 7 year old PCX battery measures 13.8 volts when not being used - for a new battery to be 12.8 seems low to start with. Others need to confirm.

Reading a battery at 13.8 is when the engine is running, and you’re not reading the battery, you are reading the charging system. A 12v battery at rest (with the engine off) is 12.6 -12.7 fully charged.

https://www.mmbalmainauto.com.au/PDF/St ... teries.pdf

So an update...

Took it to the shop and they've tested the battery which is good, the starter relay which is good, and also tried a new starter motor which also didn't start the bike.

So now my PCX looks like this. https://imgur.com/a/CdkSSPM

So that's great... Don't really trust the local shop to put it back together properly, so even if it gets fixed, gonna be riding with the though the bike will just come apart probably in the back of my mind.

Honda reliability yay~

Jge64 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:07 pm Reading a battery at 13.8 is when the engine is running, and you’re not reading the battery, you are reading the charging system. A 12v battery at rest (with the engine off) is 12.6 -12.7 fully charged.
https://www.mmbalmainauto.com.au/PDF/St ... teries.pdf

I measured when my engine was off - it was 13.x (I know about the alternator/starter and I had my engine off). I'll check again if I remember.

So my PCX was finally fixed. It was a problem with the stator. Got a OEM part in and started right up. The tech was pointing to the surface of the stator but I don't understand enough of the local language to know what he was referring to. Still not sure how with Honda's reliability a less than 3 year old scooter would have a bad stator, but oh well.

Fingers crossed nothing else will go bad.

Total damage about $100.

op3l wrote: ↑Sun Oct 03, 2021 9:39 pm So my PCX was finally fixed. It was a problem with the stator. Got a OEM part in and started right up. The tech was pointing to the surface of the stator but I don't understand enough of the local language to know what he was referring to. Still not sure how with Honda's reliability a less than 3 year old scooter would have a bad stator, but oh well.
Fingers crossed nothing else will go bad.
Total damage about $100.

Good that it's solved. Replacement of the start/alternator here would cost a lot (doubt a dealer would offer to replace a small part of it).

iceman wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:25 amGood that it's solved. Replacement of the start/alternator here would cost a lot (doubt a dealer would offer to replace a small part of it).

Any tips on how I can look after this part? I've been using the start/stop function sometimes on lights longer than 20 seconds(there's countdown timers here) but if that puts added stress to the part I will just leave it idling. The fuel savings just isn't worth the trouble or the money to replace this part again in the future. I would have thought Honda designed for this starter to be more durable considering they make the stop/start feature a big part of advertisement for the PCX.

Also is the starter and alternator the same part in the 2018 PCX?

There’s nothing you can do , it was just a bad stator, Yamaha’s had a few of those on the 2018 X max…

Jge64 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 9:28 pm There’s nothing you can do , it was just a bad stator, Yamaha’s had a few of those on the 2018 X max…

Yeah, my 2017 Tmax 530 DX bought new in autumn 2018 and with only 2,000 kilometers on the clock does not start.
Should never have traded in my 2013 V-strom with only 27,000 kilos on it and in perfect condition!!