Emergency IMA death HELP!!!

[ewil1478]

This is my only means of transportation! I bought this car 4 months ago. Let me explain what has happened. please let me know if my battery or car is going to die.
My IMA light came on a week ago, The charge and assist gauges stopped lighting up and my battery gauge was 95%full (see the darker pic).
I looked on here and from what I understand, as long as my battery light is not on, I am still ok to drive it.
I drove for around 150 miles, and the battery meter never dropped. This morning, it was around 30 degrees, on my way to work and 3min into my drive the battery meter completely depletes till only one bar is lit(see the other, lighter pic). Still no battery light.
Any advice on what is happening to my car would be so very appreciated. I work 80+hrs a week and have little time to run to a mechanic.

My questions are:
1-Is my battery going to die and my car not start?
2-If I unhook my battery a couple times, will it potentially give me a little more time with the IMA?
3-What can I unhook to take the IMA offline and ensure that my battery light doesnt come on?

Again thank you in advance

[ewil1478]

Also I went to autozone to have them pull the codes from the check engine light. P0420 and P1449

[gilbertguy]

Lets start with the codes:
P0420 - Catalyst system efficiency below threshold
Here are some threads to read on this:
Quality Update: Insight MT's & DTC's P0420,P1420,P2000
MIL Eliminator Wiring Question
Spark plug non fouler - Honda-Tech

P1149 - Here we run into problems, the generic P1449 can be any one of 4 different issues, need you to read the blink codes to see what the specific issue is.
Reading Vehicle Error blink codes

It will probably be for Battery Module Deterioration but we won't know that for sure until you perform the blink code test. Perform that and report back what you find.

Now to your questions:
1-Is my battery going to die and my car not start?
- If you are talking about your 12VDC under the hood you should be fine. The red Battery light on the dash board will come on if you are having a problem with the 12V charging circuit. Also just be aware with IMA light on if you rev the engine over 4K RPM the red Battery light will probably come on as the system will cut out 12V charging to protect it. Don't worry if this happens, the red Battery light should go back out after a minute and the system will continue to charge your 12V battery normally. The 12VDC battery should be able to run the car no issues and start it with a normal 12V starter. BUT..... sometimes on these cars the 12V battery can actually be on its last leg ready to die but a healthy IMA system will hide/mask this issue.

2-If I unhook my battery a couple times, will it potentially give me a little more time with the IMA?
- Maybe, disconnecting the Neg 12V terminal several times in a row will put power back into the IMA battery and could extend your IMA but just be aware you are living on borrowed time, your battery is dying and while you might get some more time code free it will come back again at some point. With that said yes do this and giver yourself extra time.

3-What can I unhook to take the IMA offline and ensure that my battery light doesnt come on?
- First do the Neg 12V as mentioned in #2 above, if the code comes back and won't go away then just keep driving it as is and it still should run no issues. If for some reason the red Battery light stays on then yes you can remove the battery cover and remove the 3 connectors on the BCM module. This will remove all IMA battery control but keep the 12V charging system functional.

Let us know what blink codes you come up with.

[Willie Williford]

Very gentlemanly put GG. You might also add, try not to use much additional 12V charge...heater fan on high, lights, stereo, etc. It helps to have all the charge you can get from the DC converter going to the 12V battery. Like Mark said, if the IMA light comes on again don't panic but save your money for a replacement battery.
HTH
Willie

[gilbertguy]

Along with what Willie said try to use as little assisst as possible and as much regen as possible, this will help to prevent the code coming back. Just getting the code isn't the death nail for this car, as an example Varak here on the forum has reset his IMA light like 25 times in the year or so using the Neg 12V pull method. He just got his grid charger from Mike in Dec and last I heard all code issues have gone away.

[azaviator]

A little background: I was in your shoes back in November of 2010. My IMA light came on for the first time. I still have that battery in the car, though I am looking to replace it soon. Well over a year and my DC-DC converter hasn't stopped charging the 12v.

What I have done:
1) As gilbertguy said, use the forced top off technique. You need a 10mm wrench to disconnect the negative cable on the 12v battery (under the hood). After 10 seconds, reconnect it, start the car in neutral and rev it to ~3500 rpm until it gets to a full charge. As soon as it does, turn the car off, disconnect the 12v again and repeat the process. Continue resetting the car until the IMA battery charges very fast (I have been told that it should charge in ~10 seconds but after 10 times of reseting I was still at ~1 minute). Doing this should force the battery to realize a greater capacity which keeps you further from the IMA light. Also, keep the wrench in your car: when the IMA light comes on, the next time you shut off the engine (end of that trip) do the disconnect/reconnect once and you will be able to get autostop again.

2) NOTE: this assumes you have a manual (won't work on a CVT). In my signature you will see a link to the Calpod CARD switch. Click that link and it will take you to a walkthrough on how to install it. This switch allows you to stop most (all, from my experience) instances of assist and most (not all) instances of regen. The car will still regen if it senses that the 168v battery is low, but with it on I see the forced regen once every couple of days: no other regen (unless I flip the switch to decelerate if I know the battery wants it) and no assist at all.

You will have to learn (or is it relearn) how to drive the car without the boost if you don't want to anger people behind you, as it accelerates a bit slower without assist. Just keep it in gear a bit longer before shifting. As gilbertguy said, you are on borrowed time, but you can stretch it quite a ways with this car.

Let me know if you need any clarification on the above. GOOD LUCK!!

[ewil1478]

So I work 80+ hours a week and I have not had a chance to get the blink codes, or do the forced battery fill/repetitive negative battery cable removal trick. The IMA light has never gone out since first illuminated.

As I was driving home from work, one minute from my parking space, the red battery light and brake lights both came on. I parked, turned the car off and restarted it and they didn't stay lit. Am I getting into deep water?

What happens if I just keep driving with out trying to recover the IMA?

Given my busy schedule, and that it takes two people to open my hood, I think I am just going to disconnect the big battery and settle on 47mpg. Anyone have an argument to persuade me otherwise?
Thanks in advance

[Eli]

Unfortunately the battery and brake lights coming on mean that your IMA battery has deteriorated to the point that the DC-DC is being shut down.

You will have to disconnect the BCM and drive the car as a regular car until you can get the battery situation taken care of.

Unplug the connectors circled on this computer and you will be good to go:

[azaviator]

Originally Posted by ewil1478

...the red battery light and brake lights both came on. I parked, turned the car off and restarted it and they didn't stay lit.

I've had this happen before. It happened a few times over a period of 2 months. That was last Spring and haven't seen it since.

Originally Posted by ewil1478

...it takes two people to open my hood...

Strange, mine is made of aluminum. Yours must be 1/4" steel?. I've never heard of this problem before.

Originally Posted by ewil1478

Anyone have an argument to persuade me otherwise?

I would just drive it and keep an eye out for the warning lights to come up again. My guess is that it may happen, but won't be consistent enough to warrant shutting the IMA down completely. I would still recommend the forced topoff procedure I mentioned earlier. It could clear up this issue as well. Just be sure you keep the hood up until you finish. Keep us informed of any future changes.

[Eli]

If you're going to drive it without disconnecting the BCM, it would be good to make sure your 12V battery is in good condition. Maybe buy a "battery tender" device and plug it in every night, if you can.

That way if the 12V battery light does come on again, and you can't get it to go off, you'll get maximum mileage.

I suggested disconnecting the BCM because some people are afraid of things like that, and wouldn't enjoy driving with the stress of having to babysit the car. If tinkering doesn't bother you, then have at it. Just remember to carry some basic tools with you, and just about anything can be dealt with.