Starter Battery Issue..

timothyb · 04-05-2010, 12:04 AM

After waiting a while until I found the right used Honda Insight, I found a 2004 CVT with only 65,000 miles via Ebay and won the auction, picked it up in Dallas, TX and drove it home to TN. No problems whatsoever on the ride home. Car ran great, got 59 mpg on the way and everything ran fine, including the AC.

The next day, the car doesn't start. The IMA battery is fully charged and there are no warning lights. I went to check the battery (which appears to be the original Honda OEM battery that came with the car from 2004) I haven't tested it yet, but I opened the little flaps on top and noticed that the insides are close to empty with not much electrolyte inside. I'm guessing that the fact that the battery is a bit dry, may be a sign that it's close to being DOA. Should I just fill the little with distilled water to see if that will keep the battery alive? Or get a new battery, since I'm the third owner..

It says it has a 100 month guarantee on it and if it was OEM when the car was sold in 2004, then it's should last till 2012 or so, unless I can't add. How long do batteries tend to last?

Willie Williford · 04-05-2010, 02:59 AM

Once the plates become dry they are on their last leg. You could refill the battery and slow charge it back to full and "maybe" it will last a little longer,,,,,,,,,Get a new battery and save your grief for something later.
8.3 year battery warranty?..........Don't think so.

Willie

02insight · 04-05-2010, 03:29 AM

same thing happened to me when I bought my Insight off ebay 2 yrs ago. 2 days after driving it home from Louisiana to TX, it wouldn't start. 12v battery had gone bad. I got a new one, and haven't had a problem since.

I'm not sure if its the long drive which makes the 12v go bad, or if its just seller on ebay who probably knew about it, but just didnt want to mention it.

E27006 · 04-05-2010, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timothyb

After waiting a while until I found the right used Honda Insight, I found a 2004 CVT with only 65,000 miles via Ebay and won the auction, picked it up in Dallas, TX and drove it home to TN. No problems whatsoever on the ride home. Car ran great, got 59 mpg on the way and everything ran fine, including the AC.

The next day, the car doesn't start. The IMA battery is fully charged and there are no warning lights. I went to check the battery (which appears to be the original Honda OEM battery that came with the car from 2004) I haven't tested it yet, but I opened the little flaps on top and noticed that the insides are close to empty with not much electrolyte inside. I'm guessing that the fact that the battery is a bit dry, may be a sign that it's close to being DOA. Should I just fill the little with distilled water to see if that will keep the battery alive? Or get a new battery, since I'm the third owner..

?

If the Car powers up the dash etc, with no warning lights as you quote, and State of Charge on IMA Battery at a high level, again your quote, then the Car should start on IMA motor, not the 12 Volt Starter. The 12V battery may be on its last legs having gone dry, but it sounds as if it is working enough to fire up the Car Electronics systems.
If you wish to, change the Battery but don't overlook the basics.

Do you have the Drivers Handbook? Then please check that you have the controls in the correct position to enable interlocks to enable a safe start

**MN Driver** · 04-05-2010, 05:33 AM

From other things I've read here, it seems that even if the dash powers up, if the battery voltage was too low when engaging the IMA battery contactor, it tries to start with the 12 volt battery and if it fails to get enough power from the 12 volt battery, the car won't start.
Since the battery water is low, pull the battery from the car, fill up each cell with distilled water to just cover top of the plates, charge the battery and then charge until the charger indicates it is done, then top off to just below the flutes(so it gases properly, if its too full it spews your water instead of the gas off the top). From that point it should start up when you connect the battery, if not load test the battery or if the starter won't crank strong enough, just replace it. If its a battery older than 3 years and you don't know how it's treated, replace it. The 100 month warranty is a prorated warranty and it would likely cost you more to replace it with the prorate than going with a cheaper aftermarket battery with a 3 year full replacement warranty.

The issue with the Insight, at least I see it as an issue is that the DC-DC doesn't always actively charge the battery and lets it sit idle, sometimes below its normal resting voltage which if the battery was sitting around in a car while it was unused waiting to be sold, that battery is going to be discharged. Try charging it, but plan to replace it, if its been used with below the plates for awhile, its best days are likely over as this damages them.

timothyb · 04-07-2010, 07:10 PM

Thanks for all the replys!! That's one of the things that I love about this forum!

Turns out it WAS a bad battery, probably the original OEM one that came with the car from 2004. Got a brand new battery and it started up fine!

Even though it's called a "starter battery", does it power anything else in the car, like the lights, AC, radio, etc? Also wondering if folks trickle charge the starter battery every now and then to keep it full, since the Insight has no alternator to recharge it.

Thanks for all the great info gleaned from the forums! Glad to finally joined the Insight family!=)

leonar40 · 04-07-2010, 07:49 PM

Glad to hear that it worked out in the end. Yes the 12V battery powers all your accessories like the radio, cigarette lighter, etc. Anything that is based on 12V standard. As long as your IMA system is working correctly, you don't have to trickle charge the 12V battery. There is a DC-DC converter that does the job of a alternator in a normal car to keep the battery charged.