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Battery Problems

8K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  jime 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello everyone,

I haven't been able to drive my 2002 Honda Insight for about 3 weeks now. Because I'm having issues with my aging Hybrid battery and the 12v Diehard battery I replaced about a month ago has failed again. The IMA light went on several times already. I was going to wait for the Insight meet to have the hybrid battery replaced. I've been grid charging the hybrid battery in the meantime, but with these brutal cold temperatures where I live, I may to have to replace sooner than that.

I brought it to the dealer earlier this week and they tested the 12v battery. Apparently, on the service paper I got from them, it says they tested the battery and alternator. But this car doesn't have an alternator. Could the my bad battery pack be causing my 12v battery to go bad?

Thanks,

Russell
 
#2 ·
I brought it to the dealer earlier this week and they tested the 12v battery. Apparently, on the service paper I got from them, it says they tested the battery and alternator. But this car doesn't have an alternator. Could the my bad battery pack be causing my 12v battery to bad?
The dealers don't have many folks who know Gen1s any more. The alternator comment is kinda comical in that context. I assume he did the "cheap and dirty" alternator test that he does with other conventional cars, put a voltmeter on the 12V battery and see if the "alternator" causes the voltage to rise to 14.5V. If no, then the "alternator" is bad.:confused:

Get yourself one of those cheap 12V monitors for the lighter socket. I have them on all my cars so I can read the 12V voltage as soon as the car starts. It will do up to something like 14.5V as soon as the car starts. You can find them on eBay and at some auto stores. If the battery light on the dash is lit while the car is running, then the dc-dc converter in the back has quit functioning, probably because the hybrid battery has sunk too low.

Your 12V battery may have been a defective one. I'd certainly claim that when I returned it. That said, these cars treat the 12V batteries very badly, keeping them at about 50% charge much of the time. If you parked the car with a 50% SOC, or maybe less, you will have very little cranking power in this cold weather.

You may want to bypass the IMA battery to keep the dc-dc converter actively charging the 12V. There are instructions all over the site for doing that. Basically you just take the cover off and unplug the BCM on top.

BTW, you may be able to charge the IMA if you put a space heater in the car for a few hours. That was one of Mike's old tricks.

Jim
 
#3 ·
+1 to Jim's comments, and getting back to basics:

* Read or blink your codes - so you know what's actually going on.
* Ground straps
* Is the 12V battery light on? If so, then you're not getting 12V charging anytime the light is on.
 
#5 ·
That sounds like you may have some parasitic drain on the battery from something in the car. Do you have a door that isn't fully closed or something like that ,or the battery may have a shorted cell. Since you just bought the battery, take it out and try to return it. If successful, disconnect the ground when unused until you can get some decent weather to work on the car.

You might be able to start the car if you leave the jump cables hooked up for 5-10 minutes, but keep an eye on the Insight battery and watch for any sighs that it is overheating. Something doesn't sound right with a new 12V battery.
 
#6 ·
My Insight has been doing some pretty wacky stuff these past few weeks with the cold weather. It's suppose to break this week. See what happens when the weather warms up a bit. It's been rough on all cars.
 
#7 ·
I finally was able to jump start the battery after it got a little warmer outside. Before, I tried calling AAA to renew my Plus membership but I would have to wait 7 days before towing the car 16 miles to the nearest Sears Auto Center because the 5 mile restriction during the waiting period. So, I was able to jump start it and drive it there. Had to wait almost 3 hours at Sears before they finally replaced it free because it's still under the remaining warranty I have that's 2 years.

There might be something that is draining my 12v battery. I will drive to work and back home this week and see if that is the case. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about going to GreenTec Auto in Thompson, CT next Saturday, to replace my hybrid battery pack. I've been getting an IMA light more often now, even after grid charging my old battery pack.
 
#9 ·
There are 4 large ground wires, usually called straps, from the battery, engine an transmission to the car chassis. Two are under the air cleaner, one goes from power steering rack to chassis and of course one goes from 12V battery negative to chassis. The two under the air cleaner are usual culprits and you should take a flashlight to see them and give them a good tug. They corrode and break over the years.

Glad you got it started. Is your dash "battery" light on while the engine runs???? If so, you are going to need to put a battery charger on the 12V each night until you fully diagnose the problem. Headlights will discharge the battery rather quickly.

See if one of your auto stores has the little plugin gauge I spoke of.
 
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