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High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 3:38 am
by 150pcxer
So when I switched on the engine, the low beam is not working, which it usually should. The high beam is working.

I don't think it's the light bulbs, I suspect it is the switch since there was a time when I found it hard to press the switch to switch from low beam to high beam. It felt hard to press.

Currently, I am using a HS5 bulb, 12V 35/30 W

Is this a suitable bulb? Or would it run too "hot" and cause the socket to burn?

what is 35/30 W by the way?

Thank you all.

Re: High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 9:50 am
by Red Thunder
35 watts and 30 watts is the power the bulb uses/ puts out. like a light bulb in your house is 60watts or 100 watts.. If the switch was hard to push I would say it is the switch that is bad. You can spray some wd-40 on the switch button or some electrical contact cleaner and see if the button loosens up and is smoother. There may be dirt and grime built up and cause the switch not to work properly. If it doesn't work I would say the switch is bad.
35 watts is not too hot to burn the socket as long as the bulb and socket are installed properly to allow air to flow around the bulb and they are not touching anything that could melt.

Re: High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2022 12:08 am
by 150pcxer
Red Thunder wrote: Fri Jan 14, 2022 9:50 am 35 watts and 30 watts is the power the bulb uses/ puts out. like a light bulb in your house is 60watts or 100 watts.. If the switch was hard to push I would say it is the switch that is bad. You can spray some wd-40 on the switch button or some electrical contact cleaner and see if the button loosens up and is smoother. There may be dirt and grime built up and cause the switch not to work properly. If it doesn't work I would say the switch is bad.
35 watts is not too hot to burn the socket as long as the bulb and socket are installed properly to allow air to flow around the bulb and they are not touching anything that could melt.
Nevermind the bulb and the socket it is attached to. There was no problem with the bulb and the socket there.

I'm wondering about the switch itself. The switch just beside the left handle grip. That was hard to push. It may seem like a dumb question, but could that switch be melted by the current, because of the choice of bulb I'm using? Or is it unrelated?

Re: High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2022 5:21 am
by Yorkie150
your last comments - I would agree that it sounds like the handle bar switch is faulty - causing the lighting circuit to short out etc

Re: High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2022 1:41 pm
by 150pcxer
Yorkie150 wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 5:21 am your last comments - I would agree that it sounds like the handle bar switch is faulty - causing the lighting circuit to short out etc
can the current melt the switch?

Re: High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 5:58 am
by Yorkie150
yes...I would remove and check the internals of the switch ...may just be possible to clean it etc ?

Re: High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:41 am
by Mel46
I am a bit late coming into this conversation, but I think your model is a 2014 PCX, which still uses bulbs. (Later models have led lights).
I have a 2013 PCX and have HS5 bulbs, but I also have some led lights connected into that same circuit and nothing has blown yet, meaning that I doubt that the bulbs have caused the circuit to overload. Check the switch and the bulbs. Keep in mind that a 9 volt battery will work well to check the light bulb and the circuit. My switch works well, but if you want to check the switch find where the switch connects to the rest of the circuit, disconnect it and use a multimeter to check it.

It is not easy to change bulbs, but it might be easier than taking the bike apart to check the switch. Hope you have small hands. You have to reach up behind the light assembly, find the rubber protection cup over the bulb, move it out of the way, and turn the bulb base counter clockwise. It should come out. Just remember that the contacts are sideways to disconnect the plug from the bulb.

Re: High beam is working, low beam is not working

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 2:23 pm
by 150pcxer
Mel46 wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:41 am I am a bit late coming into this conversation, but I think your model is a 2014 PCX, which still uses bulbs. (Later models have led lights).
I have a 2013 PCX and have HS5 bulbs, but I also have some led lights connected into that same circuit and nothing has blown yet, meaning that I doubt that the bulbs have caused the circuit to overload. Check the switch and the bulbs. Keep in mind that a 9 volt battery will work well to check the light bulb and the circuit. My switch works well, but if you want to check the switch find where the switch connects to the rest of the circuit, disconnect it and use a multimeter to check it.

It is not easy to change bulbs, but it might be easier than taking the bike apart to check the switch. Hope you have small hands. You have to reach up behind the light assembly, find the rubber protection cup over the bulb, move it out of the way, and turn the bulb base counter clockwise. It should come out. Just remember that the contacts are sideways to disconnect the plug from the bulb.
yeah I've changed the light bulbs myself a few times now. I can do it in a few minutes now.

My way is to turn it clockwise, as I prefer to squat down and look at the bulbs at eye level, so that my eyes see the bulbs directly. It makes it easier for me to see what is happening when I turn it clockwise to loosen. But basically what you're saying is the same thing. Your anti-clockwise is my clockwise. Just a matter of where we are facing.