Disable IMA Switch Mod

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Many hard core Hypermilers swear that they would like to just kill the IMA Assist/regen at will, and do not need the ability to actually controll assist or regen.
Since we all know that assist and regen is disabled when the clutch is in, coulden't one just put a switch in parallel with the clutch switch to disable regen and assist?
It sounds reasonable. Has anyone tried it?

[joecvt]

That sounds way too easy to work That would be a very simple test for someone to try. Although I can't because I have a CVT but it sounds like a great idea and would not take too long to find out.....For the test, couldn't you simply unplug the connector to the switch to see if it would work and at the same time discover what happens in the Auto Stop cycle?

JoeCVT = Just your average CVT owner

[Dougie]

Maybe here's a place to ask a question that has been bothering me: If I turn off the big switch in the trunk, does the car still work like a regular car?

[retepsnikrep]

This mod has been done before many times. I combined it with the brake switch mod as well a while back.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4489

The clutch switch disables assist in all situations.

However it does not disable regen in all situations.

Forced charging which occurs after a recal would continue even if clutch switch activated if I remember correctly.

I think forced charge as a result of low battery level also used to continue when switch activated but I can't remember exactly.

[budomove]

Awesome DIY, I will definitely be doing this!

frank

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Thanks Peter,
I should have searched a bit deeper, before posting.
Nice detailed instructions.
Dougie,
The switch off will disable the 12V charging system
There is a thread called :
"charging the 12V battery with no IMA"
that discusses how this works, and offers some suggestions.
As a testament to how bad the IC search engine is, I tried to search for that exact title with the IC search function, and did not find it.
A google search for the same string, yielded the thread on the first page of results.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6485

Maybe along with the great new forum software, a better search function would help mine the enormous amount of useful data on this forum in an efficient way?

[benjamin]

Originally Posted by Mike Dabrowski 2000

Maybe along with the great new forum software, a better search function would help mine the enormous amount of useful data on this forum in an efficient way?

Yes it would and, in fact, it does! Please read the "Welcome to the new InsightCentral.net Community" thread, where this was discussed. We actually vastly improved our search function, to the point where you can now limit your search using standard boolean techniques. Give it a whirl and you should see it works very well. (At least, that's been my experience.) Also note, our advanced search page (hover over the search button for a link) has many nice options.

[budomove]

Yeah the search function does really work well now, I love it!

[dtlee]

In what scenarious would it be useful to disable IMA?

I live in a very hilly area (San Francisco) and commute about 14 miles to another hilly area (Berkeley). After driving around in one hilly area, all my IMA battery is depleted. I spend the entire time on the freeway charging my battery up. When I get to work (Berkeley) I again deplete my batteries. Would you say that disabling IMA on certain hills makes more sense than others? For example, on steep hills, I sometimes get IMA when I really don't need it, and it drains the batteries like nobody's business.

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

I should have known that the search was different when I pasted
charging the 12V battery with no IMA
Into the search text box and it changed to
charging + 12V + battery + IMA
in the little text window
I tried the search again with
"charging the 12V battery with no IMA"
and it correctly pulled up the thread I was looking for.
Now that is a really great addition to the site.
Congratulations Yea!