What should be done with this car?

[goetso]

Sorry to all who have posted info on this situation in the past!

I would like to get some educated guess as to what would be the best corse of action with these codes poping up.

I was driving today and noticed my battery went all the way down to one bar, and then the lights IMA light came on, and I have no indication that there is and regen or assist now.

The codes I pulled off the dash lights blinking were as follows.

IMA : 78 and 12

Check ENG : 45, 61, and 69

EPS : 23

ABS : 54, and 61

The maintence light flashes 10 times uppon start up also.

This is a 00 manual, with 150k miles. I dont think anything has been done with battery yet. Is this a grid charger fix, or just battery pack redo? I paid $4,500 last year for it. What would you guys do with it? I am quite able to repaire mechanical issues, but all these electrical possibilities are realy getting me dissapointed with this car.

[Mario]

I can't really help, but I think I can point you in the right direction. A couple days ago, I turned off the IMA switch in the back of the car so I could make sure the 12v battery and other starter worked fine. I drove around for a bit and had some lights come on, where I didn't have any before.

I went home and got blink codes:
IMA: 12
Check ENG: 69, 94
EPS: 23, 41

After disconnecting the 12v for ten seconds, they haven't come back.

So you could have something as simple as the switch accidentally flipping itself, or potentially as bad as battery/motor control module problems. I'd pull up the carpet in the back and make sure the IMA switch is in the On position. Or you could clear the codes and see if they come back, but that may not be the best course of action.

Hope you get it all figured out.

[jeff652]

That many codes at once makes me immediately suspect the ground wires. How new are they? Sometimes they rot on the inside so even if they look connected no electricity is getting through.

They are cheap, I'd start with replacing those . . .

[Eli]

I wouldn't worry about the EPS and ABS codes unless they come back after a reset. Even then, they are probably simple and/or relatively inexpensive fixes. Stuff breaks, even on a 150k mile car - especially in harsh environments(IE: North Dakota. ).

P1449-78 means your battery is dead. Difficult to say if a grid charger will keep the IMA light away or not.

No reason to even think about junking it. You fix these problems, get a new battery and a grid charger and you'll get another 200,000 miles out of the car. By far the most economical solution.

[goetso]

If I remember right, I think there are 4 ground straps,? I have replaced 3 of them already, and just recently replaced the motor to the frame a 2nd time. I havent ever even checked the one that is of course the most forgotten.(cant rember where the location is exactly, under the 12v. battery box?)

I need to get a scan gauge, but im coufused about thoes. I see one fo $150 but others for $50. Also the grid charger thing should be done too but if you arent a electrical engineer, its a bit tough to understand all the lingo!

Its confusing trying to learn everything about these cars, I do study these forums fairly well, but mabey Im over my head here.

Arrgghhh! I dont know where to start with this car. Any body want to buy an Insight?!

I will try the reset trick, but If I want to get the cheapest grid charger, how much are thoes going for again? cant find info on the older ones, only the $600 one.

[goetso]

Well Eli, I suppose youre right about just fixing it. Its just hard to swallow over $2000 on batteries. But, what do you do. Ill keep in touch.

[Eli]

Relax. Let's take things one thing at a time.

Reset the systems, and see which codes come back.

That's correct, 4 ground straps. The 4th ground strap is for the EPS motor, so that could be the source of those codes.



Feel free to give us a call to discuss your battery and grid charger options.

[Eli]

Originally Posted by goetso

Well Eli, I suppose youre right about just fixing it. Its just hard to swallow over $2000 on batteries. But, what do you do. Ill keep in touch.

Yeah, but what's the alternative? You'll spend way more than $2000 on another used car. A used car with an unknown history, and a used car that costs much more per mile to operate. It's like throwing money away, while fixing the Insight really could be seen as an investment.

There is interesting psychology surrounding car repair. We get so caught up in spending money on our "old" thing for some reason.

The reality of it is that, at least in the case of the Insight, repairing things is a good thing! The condition is then known. If you have to replace an O2 sensor, EGR valve or battery - you can be pretty much assured that these will be long term repairs.

The Insight is the cheapest thing to drive on the road, period - even when you factor in a battery replacement every 3 years (assuming you drive 25,000 miles/year)! Needless to say, that is unlikely.

Example:

Insight #1 has cost me about $6.5 cents/mile to operate over the last 75,000 miles(58mpg average, $3.80/gal average).

Let's assume I had to replace the battery during that time. That brings the cost of operation to 9.6 cents/mile over those 75,000 miles.

You'd need a car that could average 40MPG to even touch that - and that assumes the car needs no repairs ever.

[eq1]

I doubt you have 'genuine' problems related to the non-IMA blink codes, as I've seen people post who got a similar host of codes after an IMA problem. I had the EPS and ABS codes when I bought my car (along with the same 1449-78 IMA code, light, etc.). I think that something goes a little nuts when you have certain IMA problems. In any event, here's a thread that can help you reset the ABS blink code:
How do you reset 'blink' codes / subcodes?

I can't remember what I did with the EPS one (I had 23).

[goetso]

Ok, you guys are starting to pound some sense back into my head. So I want now also to get the appropiate testing electronics for this thing. Scan gage, possibily a diagonistic program for a laptop, and possibly a grid charger if there is one cheaper than the $600 one I have only been able to find info for at moment. Can you guys point me to the appropiate links for atleast which kind of laptop program is decent for these cars that is under say $400? Also am I right about price for OBDII c&c is like $150 -$200?

Thanks for the responses guys!