OK, I think I have located a candidate car for my “Inflamatory Idea” approach of deep gutting and IMA removal. The car is local to me and unlisted, so don’t ask me about the source, I’m not willing yet to give it up to all you hawks waiting in line
The car has a dead IMA battery, and the owner has been driving it with the regular starter. I don’t know the status of lights, but he says he thinks he remembers that the IMA light was on. He let it sit for a month and has been unable to start it since. He did not know about the IMA switch in back, so I think he has been driving with the IMA light lit and the IMA switch “on.” He installed a new 12v battery but he says it won’t start even with the new battery. Car turns over slowly, but won’t catch. Car is 2001 with about 200,000 miles, so it looks like a decent project car to try my ideas. Even if my idea doesn’t work out, I wind up with lots of spares.
Questions:
1. I have a good booster battery here at house and could take that over and try to start the car with that and a small shot of ether in the intake. Does that sound like a decent idea?
2. When the IMA battery goes dead, is there some parasitic drain on the 12v? Sounds like it doesn’t turn over at all right now.
3. Only two things keep a car from starting for the most part, lack of fuel or lack of spark. The short shots of ether would give indication of the lack of fuel. Might be a fuel pump other fuel issue.
4. I can test for spark with a screwdriver against a ground, so that should be easy to eliminate, though with individual coils, probably points to something else.
5. Is there something in the IMA setup which is keeping this car from starting and how would I get around it?
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Insight #1 - Silver '01 5MT @ 158,388 as of 7/11 - Best Tank: 84.5MPG over 807mi
Insight #2 - Silver '01 5MT @ 450,000 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 86.0MPG over 800mi
Insight #3 - Silver '00 5MT, MIMA #163P, BCM Gauge, OBDIIC&C Gauge, BetterBattery @ 228,869 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 78.4mpg over 687mi
You may well be right. I looked over a mechanic's ham fisted efforts to diagnose the starter by disassembly. In the process he broke the starter. So I think it will now need a starter as a minimum. He also found loose ground straps. I kinda thought he should have taken the two minutes to reinstall the starter, but instead he took the starter to his work bench and promptly broke the phonalic/plastic part which holds the B+ wire. Price getting cheaper all the time.
I think I'm going to have my daughter give it a tow so I can bump start it and at least hear the engine run. Since it is starting on the 12v, I must assume that the IMA us bad - right? He said that IMA light was coming on, and that he could get it to go off a couple of days by removing the 12v battery terminal. Sounds like bad IMA, so it would fit my purposes as a project car.
Unless the IMA battery is really bad, simply resetting the systems may allow it to start with IMA.
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Insight #1 - Silver '01 5MT @ 158,388 as of 7/11 - Best Tank: 84.5MPG over 807mi
Insight #2 - Silver '01 5MT @ 450,000 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 86.0MPG over 800mi
Insight #3 - Silver '00 5MT, MIMA #163P, BCM Gauge, OBDIIC&C Gauge, BetterBattery @ 228,869 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 78.4mpg over 687mi
Unless the IMA battery is really bad, simply resetting the systems may allow it to start with IMA.
I think it is really bad. Owner has been doing that for a while. I tried removing battery terminal to reset myself and it didn't work. Battery must be realy, realy bad. That is one reason I'm interested. It's for my ultra gutting problem. I think I can get it cheap, but I'm going to need a used 12volt starter. Did a bit of shopping online. Looks like $100 used.
I'm more concerned about engine condition. I wanted to drive it and do a compression test. My project doesn't work for me unless I have a sound ICE.
Just buy it and figure out the rest later before I find it myself.
jk
The engine is probably fine. They're nearly bulletproof.
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Insight #1 - Silver '01 5MT @ 158,388 as of 7/11 - Best Tank: 84.5MPG over 807mi
Insight #2 - Silver '01 5MT @ 450,000 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 86.0MPG over 800mi
Insight #3 - Silver '00 5MT, MIMA #163P, BCM Gauge, OBDIIC&C Gauge, BetterBattery @ 228,869 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 78.4mpg over 687mi
Sounds like you need some help? Shame I just removed the hitch from my Insight. But Hey, I got my suzuki suv ready to roll with class 2 hitch and tow strap.
You just want to pull start it and hope letting out the clutch it runs? Sounds like a plan. .
Sent from my Autoguide iPod touch app
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Enginer 4 kilowatt PHEV, 3000k 35 watt fogs, Eco bulb highs, 4300k 35 watt low all w/relay kits, DRLs/Rear Wiper removed&rear interior gutted, Sony HU W/front speakers, Tanabe nf springs, 35% tint all around, all LED lamp replacement, 09 fit progress rear sway bar, OEM block heater, full gril block, KN Filter, Honda vent visiors, group 51 battery, home made balancer/grid charger Best/Worse MPG 96/36
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Candidate Car - Not Running
