2005 Honda Elite headlight cuts out / flickers

[ScootinCoot]

I started up the scoot after dark two nights ago and when I got maybe 20 yards down the road when the headlight cut out entirely. Then came back on when I hit a bump, then flickered on/off a bit.

I took it home, shut it off, The next morning, I disassembled the headlight and checked the connection, which seemed clean and fine. I started it up and the light came on normally, quite bright. I drove it a couple of miles doing some short errands, got gas (still worked fine), stopped at the Walgreens, then when I started it up, no headlight. It came back on while driving, then went off/on a couple of times.

The headlight bulb itself is relatively new (less than a year old) and, as I mentioned, comes on quite bright when it is on.

My Honda manual is silent reagrding this kind of problem. Anybody got any ideas what might be going on?

tia,
-Bill

[BWSman67]

It could be a poor ground connection or a break in a wire. check the connections & wires from the headlight back to where it goes into the ignition switch & to where it is grounded.
Since the problem is only with the headlight; I would rule out the switch.

Does it do that with both the high & low beam or with just one of the two? That might help to narrow it down.

[ScootinCoot]

>> Does it do that with both the high & low beam or with just one of the two? That might help to narrow it down.

Good question, exactly what the guy at the cycle shop asked me. I decided to run it during the day to do a better diagnosis, and wuddayaknow, I got halfway to work and when I pulled up at a stoplight, I smelled gas and the engine died. I barely got it started, nursed it home (would only run steadily in the high Rs), and yesterday afternoon, got back to it.

Looks like the carburetor float valve was stuck. I freed it, cleaned everything up, reassembled, and then, no start.

I did some checks -- no spark at the plug. Now, getting the carb off was a job. I had to take off the muffler and rear tire fender/guard to access the rear bolt. I also removed the "choke" apparatus, and in the process, pulled the wires out of the unit (though they might be push-ons, NOT). Replaced them with the green wire up (50% chance of error . . . ). This, of course, could be the source of the new problem. I'll get back to it in the morning. Live and learn.

So oo, the headlight problem may or may not be a part of this trail. We'll see.