Honda Insight Forum banner

Massive Insight road trip, what should I know?

11K views 51 replies 14 participants last post by  inblackwell 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi Everyone,

I'm really excited to be joining the Insight owners community! I just purchased a 2000 MT Insight sight unseen on the internet. I live in Prescott, AZ; the car is near Erie, PA. I'm planning on flying to PA in a couple weeks and driving the car back. It should be quite an adventure. The car has around 215k on it. The check engine and maintenance lights are both on. To my knowledge the IMA and other lights are not illuminating. I'm planning on having the car checked out before I arrive in PA. Should I take to the dealer or an independent shop? Does anyone know a good shop near Erie, PA? What things would you suggest I check out/replace before embarking on a 2000+ mi road trip in a car with completely unknown service history?

If you're in the PA area and want to lend some Insight expertise to a newbie please let me know.

Thanks!
 
#39 ·
Quick Update. I made it to Memphis, TN last night. There was a heavy rainstorm that lasted for at least 2hrs last night. I was really impressed with how the car performed. I stayed in 3rd gear for virtually the entire 12hr drive. The hesitation issue was present in 4th and 5th gear. I started out at about 55mph. I was getting about 55mpg. When I realized how long it would take me at that speed I increased speed to about 65mph. I drafted semi's the entire way and ended up at about 53mpg for that leg of the trip. The IMA stayed mostly full the entire way. I'm off to NM today. I will probably drive for about 14hrs. Hopefully all goes well.

 
#40 ·
Make sure you pull off the EGR plate and clean that, the passages are probably completely blocked and it could be partly contributing to your hesitation problem.
 
#41 ·
Mitch:
The LRR is being launched shortly to meet you in NM.
Rush:
I'll call when I am near Tucson.
Sam:
I won't be in communication except by Cel phone.
Hope to see you early early AM Tues.

Willie
 
#43 ·
Dave, I believe the plan is to meet for breakfast around 10:00 and then hit the road. I haven't heard from anybody since yesterday. The car seems to be able to get him home, and then he can start fixing things.

Sam
 
#45 ·
We just finished lunch in Albuquerque. Willie and Mitch are headed west.

Sam
 
#46 ·
I got back real late last night. 12 Hr. drive straight through. Mitch does definately have an IMA issue. We had to do a recal twice traveling from Alberq. to Prescott. On the second recal, the battery was very hesitant to go to a full SOC. It hung around 40% for a very long time, even with revving at 3200 rpm. Mitch will have to verify if the SOC went to full.
The run back was fast and furious. (Once we crossed over the Continental Divide WB the mileage was great for the speed we were traveling.)
His car ran pretty good and he probably using a lot of assist up the hills, as he would slow down before the top of the grades.

From my observation, he drafts too close behind the truckers, a few got a little upset. They would change lanes letting him know to "back off".
He led most of the way back, drafting vehicles. I laid back with no drafting. 75-80 MPH was the traffic flow, so that was what we were running.
He drafted the LRR at 80+ for a while, don't know what kind of mileage he was getting at the time but he was "on my bumper". I was showing 50 mpg during that session.

I ended up traveling a total of 1645 miles and averaged 55.9 MPG.
My results will be posted at http://www.insightcentral.net/forums/modifications-technical-issues/7304-turbocharged-insight.html
later on today.

Thanks Rush for the visit and helping me with the temperature thing. I'll contact ELI later on.
Sam, sorry you couldn't get off work, we could have spent some time working on the CVT car.
Mitch, thanks for the meeting and I hope you learned a little about the Insight.
Keep reading here on ICN and that will help. Your repairs won't be that severe, and any help needed just ask. Keep an eye on the coolant level. That SB 86 route from Prescott to Wickenburg was a real eye opener. Great mileage, but a "white knuckle" affair.(especially in the dark)

Later,
Willie
 
#47 ·
Hey Everybody,
I just wanted to let you know that I made is safely back to Prescott last night. Many thanks for all the very useful advice everyone offered. Special thanks to Willie and Sam for all the help/support.

I think it's a testament to the engineering that a car so significantly neglected could make it 2800 miles with little more than an oil change and some tires.

I think the road trip was a good call. I really enjoyed myself. I saw some old friends, met some new friends (Willie, Sam), and got to see some nice parts of the country.

Mitch
 
#49 ·
I'm glad that your last leg went ok. How many miles did you go in 3rd gear? You probably set some kind of record!

It was very nice to meet you, and to see Willie again. I wish we had had more time to visit. I hope you will start a new thread to cover your repairs. I think you have a solid car that will work great for you once you fix all of the things that were neglected.

Sam
 
#51 ·
Mitch:
That's the bad thing about long trips, the closer you get to home, the more you want the trip to be over, so everything is in a hurry mode.
How were you doing when you were in the LRR's draft?
I hope I didn't offend you about your drafting method, but it's a "safety" thing.
Did your aftermarket radio start working again?
I would definately drain and replace the coolant and keep an eye on it.
There are long threads here about "burping" the system. A must read!
If you need any assistance, call.
Good luck.

Willie
 
#52 ·
Willie,
I think my "hurry mode" was mostly due to wanting to catch the Duke/Kentucky game...haha.

Drafting the LRR was great. It seemed smoother than drafting the semis.

Not offended. Truth be told, I agree with you. I normally wouldn't be so aggressive. I was pretty nervous about just being able to maintaining highway speeds given the IMA and hesitation/misfire issues.

It's funny, the radio magically started working just as we split up. It's been fine ever since.

Replacing the coolant is definitely on my long to-do list. I'm going to start a thread with the full list so people can lend advice.

Thanks,
Mitch
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top