Friend of mine just called to discuss his best options with his 2000 Insight. Car is 5 speed 130K miles. Blown head gasket fried engine. IMA is good but his pack is bad. Dealer wants $7K to replace engine with another 130K engine out of the boneyard and install a "new" battery pack.
Just replace the engine and run without pack?
Sell as is at minimal price?
He has a diesel MB van for a daily driver so the Insight is a second car.
I have an engine for sale. An independent mechanic should be able to swap the engine out for a LOT less than the dealer.
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FS: Simple Grid Chargers - 00-06 Insight & 03-05 Civic Hybrid HybridAutomotive.com (Now Includes the Insight/Civic IMA Battery Instructions)
Citrus 2000 MT MIMA, Silver 2000 MT Beater
Best Tank: 90.2MPG over 918.7 miles 010MCM/030BCM, No MIMA. Details: My Commute MPGs
Current score: Bought/Selling/Sold/Dismantled six silvers, one blue, and a Citrus to keep for myself.
I have an engine for sale. An independent mechanic should be able to swap the engine out for a LOT less than the dealer.
Cool, Jeff. What are you looking to get for it? PM me or post. I'll relay it to my friend, Gary. He's a full-blown alternative energy guy. Solar panels on his house roof, rain barrels, you name it.
The engine is about 160,000 miles but I will sell it cheaply because the compression is 145 in all three cylinders. Also it has a helicoil in the pan and a broken water pump pully where it was hit. Throttle body is gone to another car.
The battery is a red stick battery that I conditioned but I don't trust it even though the sticks all checked out. The reason I don't trust it is that out of 10batteries that I have cycled, two red stick batteries didn't last and I don't need that kind of hassle. Lots of other parts too.
Say $500 for both- you pick up. I am 5 or 6 hours from you near Brampton, Ontario.
Cool, Jeff. What are you looking to get for it? PM me or post. I'll relay it to my friend, Gary. He's a full-blown alternative energy guy. Solar panels on his house roof, rain barrels, you name it.
You have a PM
__________________
FS: Simple Grid Chargers - 00-06 Insight & 03-05 Civic Hybrid HybridAutomotive.com (Now Includes the Insight/Civic IMA Battery Instructions)
Citrus 2000 MT MIMA, Silver 2000 MT Beater
Best Tank: 90.2MPG over 918.7 miles 010MCM/030BCM, No MIMA. Details: My Commute MPGs
Current score: Bought/Selling/Sold/Dismantled six silvers, one blue, and a Citrus to keep for myself.
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01 MT "Little Red Rocket"
The first "TURBOCHARGED" Hybrid, Insight G1- (01/2003)
MaxIMA Battery (Serial #2), on 8/25/12 @ 301,520 miles
Use: 320,000 mi. @ 57.8 LMPG
1.) Replace headgasket, shave/mill the head and reinstall. (~$500)
2.) Buy a grid charger/harness and try to revive battery. (~$300-$700)
3.) If #2 fails, buy a new Bumble Bee Battery (~$2000) and use the grid charger for occasional battery maintenance.
Your friend would be "guaranteed" to get another 130,000 miles out of the fix.
Please keep us informed of the decision and progress. Good luck to him.
__________________ Silver 2001 Insight 5spd - #0160
264+K miles
(Has some bruises, needs some stuff...but I still love it.) Citrus w/ A/C - #2083
270+K miles
(Still needs some stuff...but I already love it.)
1.) Replace headgasket, shave/mill the head and reinstall. (~$500)
2.) Buy a grid charger/harness and try to revive battery. (~$300-$700)
3.) If #2 fails, buy a new Bumble Bee Battery (~$2000) and use the grid charger for occasional battery maintenance.
Your friend would be "guaranteed" to get another 130,000 miles out of the fix.
Please keep us informed of the decision and progress. Good luck to him.
Thanks to Jeff and Willie for the posts. I've forwarded all this good information to my buddy. Not sure what he's going to do. I've recommended he just sell "as is" if he's got no motivation to reinvest $$$ or do the engine first, then battery later as budget allows. I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone I did not recommend letting the dealer do engine and OEM replacement pack.
If it were mine, no question I'd snag Jeff's engine to keep things simple and use the dead pack as a good excuse to invest in a Bumble Bee or similar upgrade/replacement. Presto, another 2-3 more good years of MPG heaven.
Been using Mike's grid charger on my own 2003 MT and have been very impressed with the results so I'm a believer in the benefits of the grid-charging workout
Presto, another 2-3 more good years of MPG heaven.
New battery should last a lot longer than just 2-3 years. Lots of factors affect the actual lifetime, but either way, 5+ years should be no problem with reasonable care and consistent use. My first one lasted 7 years/132K miles, and the current one has 4 1/2 years and 125K miles with no signs of letting up anytime soon.
__________________ Silver 2001 Insight 5spd - #0160
264+K miles
(Has some bruises, needs some stuff...but I still love it.) Citrus w/ A/C - #2083
270+K miles
(Still needs some stuff...but I already love it.)
New battery should last a lot longer than just 2-3 years. Lots of factors affect the actual lifetime, but either way, 5+ years should be no problem with reasonable care and consistent use. My first one lasted 7 years/132K miles, and the current one has 4 1/2 years and 125K miles with no signs of letting up anytime soon.
Yeah, I hear ya on the battery pack lifetime expectancy. I was being overly conservative in my previous post....
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Fate of a 2000 w/130K and Blown Engine
