Hi all,
Intro's first. I'm new to the forum. Just scored a 2006 Civic Hybrid with 111k miles for $7k in Arkansas. Drove it back to New England. Got about 42mpg for the trip (about 1900 miles with side stops). It runs great. No IMA codes (not that I would recognize one if I saw it).
I found out about battery issues (after) I purchased the car, not that that worries me much. I'm quite capable and know which end of the screwdrive to hold (not the pointy end).
My big question:
How would I know if the computer has been updated with the August 2010 firmware that everyone has been loathing? Second... is this update a problem only if your IMA battery is showing signs of trouble or does it cause problems for the cars performance across the board?
Is there a way of determining what version (revision) is in the cars computer without bringing it to Honda?
Throughout my trip home, the car was peppy and responsive. I had no problems with motor assist. I did not see anything that would indicate a poor battery condition.
That said... just this week, I drove the car... and paying better attention, I noticed the battery condition bars drop slowly to about two bars. The charge bars did not seem to come on during this period of about five minutes... or if they did, it did not seem to charge the battery. I also lost power assist. I watched it closely, looked away, and when I looked back the charge bars had popped to ten showing and I had motor assist back. Whoah! What was that all about?
So... is this normal?
I'm a mechanical designer by trade and also have a pretty descent knowledge of electronics and microcontrollers (hobby). That said, what I observed was didn't make since.
I have purchased parts to build a trickle charger and plan to dig in to the IMA battery in the next couple of weeks to make the connections. Occasionally balancing the pack just seems so easy to do and so worthwhile.
I'd love to compare notes on this vehical. I plan in the future to get a spare battery so I have components here when I need them to refurbish the battery in the car.
Regards all,
Ross
Intro's first. I'm new to the forum. Just scored a 2006 Civic Hybrid with 111k miles for $7k in Arkansas. Drove it back to New England. Got about 42mpg for the trip (about 1900 miles with side stops). It runs great. No IMA codes (not that I would recognize one if I saw it).
I found out about battery issues (after) I purchased the car, not that that worries me much. I'm quite capable and know which end of the screwdrive to hold (not the pointy end).
My big question:
How would I know if the computer has been updated with the August 2010 firmware that everyone has been loathing? Second... is this update a problem only if your IMA battery is showing signs of trouble or does it cause problems for the cars performance across the board?
Is there a way of determining what version (revision) is in the cars computer without bringing it to Honda?
Throughout my trip home, the car was peppy and responsive. I had no problems with motor assist. I did not see anything that would indicate a poor battery condition.
That said... just this week, I drove the car... and paying better attention, I noticed the battery condition bars drop slowly to about two bars. The charge bars did not seem to come on during this period of about five minutes... or if they did, it did not seem to charge the battery. I also lost power assist. I watched it closely, looked away, and when I looked back the charge bars had popped to ten showing and I had motor assist back. Whoah! What was that all about?
So... is this normal?
I'm a mechanical designer by trade and also have a pretty descent knowledge of electronics and microcontrollers (hobby). That said, what I observed was didn't make since.
I have purchased parts to build a trickle charger and plan to dig in to the IMA battery in the next couple of weeks to make the connections. Occasionally balancing the pack just seems so easy to do and so worthwhile.
I'd love to compare notes on this vehical. I plan in the future to get a spare battery so I have components here when I need them to refurbish the battery in the car.
Regards all,
Ross