Why do some Insights have more "oomph" than others?

[meanderingthemaze]

I've been shopping around for a used Gen1 and I've test driven a hand full of them by now. I finally drove one that had a lot of pep. One of them had a bad IMA battery so I just assumed that was why it felt gutless. Another one seemed to have a fine battery but still felt pretty gutless.

I'm thinking other factors could be age and amount of build up inside the engine? Or it may be in need of a tune up?

Also, is it irregular when the clutch is depressed for the gear to grind when downshifting? In other words, you're slowing down and you depress the clutch and put it in 2nd, and while you're putting it in 2nd it grinds (before releasing clutch). It's been awhile since I've driven a manual.

Thanks

[Eli]

It's likely just the IMA battery coming into play. One thing you must realize is that full assist on the gauge is not always full assist, it can vary between 4 and 11kW and still read full assist.

It could also be the engine, though our engines are extremely robust overall. I do note that Insight #2 at 448,000 miles is slightly less powerful than my other cars. It's not due to "buildup" or anything though, our engines don't sludge. A tuneup is always a good thought.

Grinding while downshifting indicates worn clocking tabs within the transmission, a common problem with our cars.

[meanderingthemaze]

Interesting about the assist. There is a lot to know about these cars.

I guess the underlying question about the grinding is always...is it a big deal and an expensive repair? Do the work clocking tabs indicate the need for a rebuild? How much do rebuilds go for on these trans?

Also, just out of curiosity, have you had to rebuild your engine or trans in your Insight #2? That's an insane amount of mileage!

[Need4Speed]

When I got mine the battery was weak and the car ran ok but did not have much get up and go. The battery was replaced under warranty and now the car is fun to drive. If the car was not throwing an ima light I would not have known the battery was weak since it still drove and I had not driven a cvt insight before.

[meanderingthemaze]

Originally Posted by Need4Speed

When I got mine the battery was weak and the car ran ok but did not have much get up and go. The battery was replaced under warranty and now the car is fun to drive. If the car was not throwing an ima light I would not have known the battery was weak since it still drove and I had not driven a cvt insight before.

I was wondering if that could be an issue. the most recent car I was driving had ~180K, and the owner was not clear about whether or not battery replacements had taken place. There was no light on, but the car that did have pep had 25k on the new battery and felt great. I'm wondering if that might be the main issue here.

[Eli]

Originally Posted by meanderingthemaze

Interesting about the assist. There is a lot to know about these cars.

I guess the underlying question about the grinding is always...is it a big deal and an expensive repair? Do the work clocking tabs indicate the need for a rebuild? How much do rebuilds go for on these trans?

Also, just out of curiosity, have you had to rebuild your engine or trans in your Insight #2? That's an insane amount of mileage!

There is an insane amount to know about these cars, and it never ends..

It depends on your definition of a "big deal". It's undesirable, and can certainly be used to negotiate a price on a specimen. It's not a big deal in the sense that it doesn't mean the transmission is about to self destruct, and it can easily be avoided with double clutching.

A transmission rebuild will probably run around $1500.

Insight #2's engine is all original. These are extremely robust cars overall, with the exception of the transmission problems. They over-did the weight savings in the transmission and made the clocking tabs too thin.

We actually have at least 3 people here with 450-500k+ miles.