Used 2000 Insight with IMA and Check Engine Light on Fixed!

[MrSlabaugh]

Hi there,

Update: I have driven the car on two road trips so far, over 4000 miles. I live in the mountains and commute about 90 miles a day. I still have no issues with the IMA since reseting the computers by disconnecting the 12v battery for a while. This car is the strongest of the three I have, and the cheapest!


Short Story:

Try this: I disconnected the 12V battery, and then switched the IMA circuit breaker off and back on. After re-connecting the 12V battery the IMA battery started working correctly and the IMA and Check engine light were off. Driving through the mountains for a while proved this had fixed the problem. The Battery now charges and discharges correctly and the IMA and check engine light are still off!


Long Story:

Today I found a 2000 Insight with about 100,000 miles on it that the BMW dealer had just listed for about $5000 (I thought that was low so I rushed down to look it over). I found it had both the IMA light and check engine light on, and the Charge, Discharge, and IMA Battery level indicators were all 0 bars (they were lit fully on turning the key on so I knew it was not the gages). I took it to my Honda Dealer before purchasing to have them check it. Two hours of diagnostic time later they determined that it needed a new IMA battery, and could also need other work once the IMA battery was replaced. They quoted $3000 to $5000+ to repair. The rest of the car was in perfect shape with only ~100,000 miles, and I already have a 2001 with ~180,000 so I decided to offer a low figure of $3500 anyway thinking I could swap parts and end up better off no matter what. Turns out the circuit breaker was probably tripped for some reason. I will let you know how this holds up after a couple of weeks of driving.

Good Luck

Mark

[uhtrinity]

First, there is no circuit breaker, it is an on / off switch. There is a good chance the light will come back on as the battery is probably deteriorated or out of balance. There is also a small chance that it hasn't been used much as it has been at a dealer and that could be the cause of the light.

[MN Driver]

Just like uhtrinity said, it isn't a circuit breaker, it is a service disconnect switch so that way the battery is disconnected so the cover can be opened without exposing oneself to high voltage. ...once the capacitors discharge themselves after about 5 minutes or so.

What cleared the IMA light was pulling the 12v battery which reset the MCM and caused it to do a relearn. I wouldn't count on the IMA light not coming back on and I wouldn't say you 'proved that you fixed the problem'. You might be okay for now but if you get a recal after parking it for a few days without driving it or if you can't get it to span between say 4 bars and 16 bars going back and forth without it discontinuing the charge or assist it is doing and the bars move to the top or bottom before it gets to either of the two points, you'll know that the days of your pack are numbered.

Good luck! $3500 isn't a bad price, even if you need battery repair(which can be done cheaper through Hybrid-Battery-Repair , especially with the possible demand/price increase of the Insight and other high MPG cars caused by once-again rising gas prices.

[E27006]

Also check with the forum, perhaps your car is still subject to the extended warranty as a result of the legal action. If Honda have to replace the pack and controllers at their expense, you have bagged a bargain!

[joecvt]

Originally Posted by MrSlabaugh

Try this: I disconnected the 12V battery, and then switched the IMA circuit breaker off and back on. After re-connecting the 12V battery the IMA battery started working correctly and the IMA and Check engine light were off. Driving through the mountains for a while proved this had fixed the problem. The Battery now charges and discharges correctly and the IMA and check engine light are still off!

As others have already mentioned, the 12v disconnect is what made your check engine and IMA light go out....Many people have doen this thinking the problem is solved only to find out later after driving for a bit, the IMA light comes back on. How soon it will come on depends on the condition of your battery....You may be lucky if you have it stay off for a while but others have not been that lucky when they reset the IMA.

A reset can at times fix strange IMA behaviour but not when the light comes on (most of the time). If it does come back on again, before resetting, get the code with a scanner and post it here.

JoeCVT = Just your average CVT owner