My battery is dying (barely holds a charge above half on the meter) and the Freeway Honda dealer seems unwilling to replace it under warranty. Can the battery be permanently removed? I imagine I'd get a lot of warning lights, but otherwise the car should work okay, correct? (Would also be nice to use that free space for carrying a suitcase or two.)
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OWN: 61mpg Insight (greenercars.org score: 57)
both blue and silver,
and a 45mpg BeetleTDI (score: 47).
No need to remove it (and there is high voltage next to it in the inverter and DC-DC converter), but you can easily bypass it. Just remember that your check engine light will be permanently on and it will not pass inspection in states that have inspection.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theaveng
My battery is dying (barely holds a charge above half on the meter) and Freeway Honda dealer seems unwilling to replace it under warranty. Can the battery be permanently removed? I imagine I'd get a lot of warning lights, but otherwise the car should work okay, correct? (Would also be nice to use that free space for carrying a suitcase or two.)
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2000 MT #4227 175K miles - Citrus Yellow, BetterBattery
The car is undrivable without the battery, loses auto-stop and lean-burn and all that crap - I'd try to string it along with a grid charger first if I were you. My car was bought with a totally dead battery and I got it working to where I can climb a moderate-sized hill with it before it throws a code and makes me reset it.
The car is undrivable without the battery, loses auto-stop and lean-burn and all that crap - I'd try to string it along with a grid charger first if I were you. My car was bought with a totally dead battery and I got it working to where I can climb a moderate-sized hill with it before it throws a code and makes me reset it.
I disagree. I know plenty of people who've run their cars for years without a battery. It's pokey, but it isn't as bad as, say, a 1960's VW Bug.
I agree that a grid charge may help, but it will only be effective for certain types of problems.
Batteries that are bad enough that they get grid charged frequently are on what I call "grid-charger life support". They'll keep running - for a while, but not forever and they will NEED the charge more and more as they continue to degrade.
Anyway, bypassing is free, grid chargers are cheap and batteries are expensive. It's his call.
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2000 MT #4227 175K miles - Citrus Yellow, BetterBattery
Will not pass inspection because of a check-engine light? Hmmm. I thought in my state all they did was check the exhaust & if it's clean then that's all that matters. I had one car that had a blown head gasket, leaky radiator, and yet still passed. (Plus there's a $500 exemption; if the cost of repair exceeds that amount, then you automatically pass.)
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OWN: 61mpg Insight (greenercars.org score: 57)
both blue and silver,
and a 45mpg BeetleTDI (score: 47).
The emissions testing doesn't care about the water vapor white fog bank you are putting out going down the road due to the blown head gasket or the animals you are making sick from the leaking antifreeze...just that your code is set and the dash light is on regardless of what else is coming out your exhaust pipe. Just kidding, sort of. Some do have a smoke test part that is probably visual on the exhaust. I think you have to actually spend the $500 on repairs too before that works.
"$500 exemption; if the cost of repair exceeds that amount, then you automatically pass."
I don't understand that. So basically if a cat costs over $500 and doesn't fix the problem, the emissions don't matter to them? Everyone I've ever talked to from CA has told me that if your car fails emissions that you either fix it to get your registration or if the car isn't worth the money to fix it, that you junk it.
We don't test emissions in MN anymore but back in the mid-90's when we did, they didn't look for a check engine light like CARB state emission checks do. In MN they just ran a mirror down the length of your exhaust pipe and looked to make sure there weren't any disconnects or holes that might cause the test to not show all of the exhaust, then you would get the emissions tester to the exhaust pipe and if you were within the limits you were okay. ..but emissions testing is pretty much built into the car with ODBII now with the P0420 code for catalyst system efficiency below threshold.
California doesn't smog test hybrids, so they'd never see the CEL even if it came on. They don't do mechanical inspections either.
Pennsylvania does smog test hybrids (but not diesels). And they inserted the $500 exemption: Get a dealer quote showing the repair exceeds $500 and you're done. (Of course if it's something simple like new sparkplugs, which are less than $500, then you have to fix it.)
Passing emissions really isn't difficult. Even with the blown headgasket, my old car was still wellll below the limit. Nowhere near failure.
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OWN: 61mpg Insight (greenercars.org score: 57)
both blue and silver,
and a 45mpg BeetleTDI (score: 47).
So, if I get a dealer to quote it will cost more than $500 to replace the 144V battery, then they will pass it without actually replacing it? hmmmmm Not sure I believe that.
California sometimes does smog test hybrids- if your papaers comeback for renewal with"smog required" you are stuck!CEL-even for IMA problems-flunks you.
Cal also does mechanical inspections at odd interval(maybe when they have extra $)- inspections are done at roadside.
ed
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Permanent removal of battery?
