Q: Why, after upgrading to a new stereo, am I not receiving any AM stations?

A: The Insight has a small amplifier in the base of the antenna for AM signals. If you aren't receiving AM stations after upgrading to a new stereo system, it is probably due to power not being supplied to this radio frequency amplifier.

Most head units supply power out on a blue lead when the tuner is activated for power (raise/lower) antennas. This will work for powering the AM antenna amp. Connect it to the blue wire on the wire harness adapter that goes to pin 1 of the audio unit connector.

Q: Auto Idle Stop is not functioning for me. What is wrong?

A: If your Insight is never entering idle stop mode, this could be due to any number of reasons. Here are some things you might want to check:

• Is the climate control set to Auto mode? If so, try setting it to Econ mode instead. Auto mode disables the idle stop feature.
• Is the climate control set very high or very low? The Insight may not enter idle stop mode if the interior temperature has not yet stabilized at the temperature you've set it to. To verify whether this is happening, you could temporarily turn off the climate control entirely, and check whether idle stop now functions.
• Is defogging / defrosting mode activated? If so, the engine will continue running.
• Are you pressing the clutch all the way to the floor and/or shifting into neutral? If you immediately shift into first when coming to a stop, this will make the car think you want to go again right away, and the engine will never shut off.
• The engine will only turn off after it has reached operating temperature. You should expect the engine to run for at least a minute after a cold start.
• Is the battery level at or very close to empty? In this situation, the engine will continue to run to recharge the battery.

If all of the above conditions are satisfied, the problem is most likely that idle stop isn't functioning due to the exterior air temperature sensor being disconnected. Some Honda dealers are not aware of this sensor, and so haven't been connecting it when they should. This sensor is located behind the grill, in front of the radiator and, if air conditioning is installed, in front of the air conditioning condenser. If its wire is hanging loose, just reconnect it, and this should solve your problem.

If you don't want poke around under the hood, you can also check whether the exterior temperature sensor is disconnected using the diagnostic feature of the climate control system. To do this, follow these steps:

The climate control display should now be flashing the digits 88 followed by a diagnostic code in which one or more LCD segments remain lit. If the upper most segment of the left 8 digit remains lit, then the exterior temperature sensor is disconnected.

Q: My Insight failed to restart after auto idle stop had turned off the engine. What was wrong?

A: In the rare situation where owners have reported this problem, it was due to the clutch pedal was not being pressed all the way to the floor prior to putting the transmission into gear. When the clutch pedal is not fully pressed, the green idle stop indicator will flash to tell you that restart cannot currently take place. When the clutch pedal is sufficiently pressed, the green idle stop indicator should remain lit (not flashing).

Q: My key light remains lit, but the car still functions.  What does this indicate?

A: This indicates that you need to have all three keys reprogrammed by your dealership as soon as possible.

This problem has been seen when the ECM has been replaced by the dealership, and the keys were not properly reprogrammed. In this situation, the car will only start a few times, and if the problem is not addressed, the car will then refuse to start.

Q: The "check engine" light has come on. What does this indicate?

A: Although the "check engine" light could indicate any number of things, it is quite possibly a problem related to the Insight's oxygen sensor (LAF sensor).

The engine control computer (ECM) will turn on the "check engine" light when it detects a possible problem with the engine or emissions control components. A small connector inside the car allows your dealer to connect a diagnostic tool to the car to obtain information on why the ECM has triggered the "check engine" light.

A problem that has affected a small minority of Insights is commonly referred to as the '02 sensor' problem.

In cases where this problem surfaces, the "check engine" light illuminates on the dashboard. When the car is connected to the dealer's ODB-II diagnosis system, it reports DTC code P1164 "Manufacturer Controlled Fuel and Air Metering", indicating a possible problem with the Insight's oxygen sensor (LAF sensor).

At first, Honda dealers would simply replace the oxygen sensor and reset the check engine light.

However, it now appears that there is no problem with oxygen sensor itself. Instead, we believe this is simply a matter of the ECM computer reporting a problem when there is none. Honda is reportedly working on a solution to this problem, which will likely take the form of a new ECM with new software.

This has clearly been a difficult problem for Honda to track down, in part because it presumably involves driving an Insight until the problem happened (a problem that in all probability won't happen with any given single Insight), and then looking at the state of the computer to determine why it triggered this DTC.

What should you do?

• If your check engine light is not on, then there is no need to worry. As mentioned above, this only has affected a small minority of Insights. Even if you have had the problem in the past, if the light is now off, there is no need to do anything since this appears to be a false alarm triggered by the computer.

• If the light does come on, take the car to your dealership to ensure that this is in fact the same problem, by checking the car is reporting the same DTC (fault code). If so, the dealer will probably just record the fact that you are having the problem, and then reset the light. Replacing the oxygen sensor doesn't appear to be necessary (though if the dealer does decide to do this, it should be covered by a warranty).

Noise Diagnosis Chart

While the fit & finish of the Insight is generally very good, it will sometimes develop a rattle or other noise. Rather than put up with this sort of little annoyance, you can generally either fix the noise yourself, or have Honda to fix it under warranty.

To help in tracking down these sorts of noises, we're keeping track of noises that owners have encountered, and how to get rid of that noise. If you've encountered a noise, please email the description and solution to me.