[every14peace]

I asked about battery-pack overheating on the A/C thread, but it didn't get answered (in the plethora of other questions this new owner asked).

What is this about overheating? How can you tell? Does it just happen while driving in the heat with no A/C? or will it happen if I park in the 100 deg + sun??

Thanks for this great forum.

 

[jbrasure]

I've had my Insight for about 2 years, and there was only one time when the battery pack overheated. I was coming down a mountain, so the battery was charging heavily for a long time. When I got to the bottom of the mountain I noticed that I no longer got an electrical assist while accelerating. There was plenty of juice in the battery. I assume this happened because the battery was warm and needed to cool down. The problem went away after a few minutes.

 

[kapps]

I've been overheating my batteries after recals this summer. It's been very hot and while charging the batteries back up, they overheat and stop accepting a charge for a little while. I'd love to get some better battery cooling in there but I'm not sure what will really help.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

As far as better battery cooling, its been tried by someone who knows how to, Mike Dabrowski, here:

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... 9&start=45

Every14peace,

As the others have replied, from behind the wheel the only "notice" you will have is when the IMA appears to stop working until it cools sufficently. There is an intake duct behind the passengers seat the should *NOT* be blocked else overheat will happen frequently.

And driving in conditions that frequently cause the IMA to go into thermal limit will stress the IMA pack and is one life shortening factor. (hot and a heavy foot, on the gas (assist) or brake (charge))


HTH!

 

[every14peace]

No lead foot on brake or gas, and keeping the vent behind the driver's seat uncovered - Gosh what great simple and useful replies and suggestions (I didn't find anything about the battery in my manual - other than the 12V one.)

Thanks.

I feel like reprinting this forum to take to my local Honda dealer (who doesn't sell Insights) for when I need some mechanical help. (Actually I have reprinted some stuff from hybridcars.com.)

 

[Rick]

I've been overheating my battery for 3 years now. Well at least 5 months out of the year here in Arizona. Luckily the car will protect itself for the most part. You will first notice limited regen as the temp goes up. Actually it seems to feel like it's limited before it shows less regen. Then at a certain point assist will be limited and auto stop will cease to function. The only thing that bothers me is even in this situation if you floor it you will be able to get full assist, which I'm guessing is there for liability reasons but pulling that much current through a hot battery is deffinitely not helping.

I know there is a battery oveheated code that can be set and I'm really amazed I've never gotten it. There was once where mine got so bad it wouldn't really assist at all except the full assist at wide open throttle, but the thing was still force charging!

I suppose MIMA would be nice just to be able to disable it sometimes.

 

[every14peace]

battery pack overheating

Well it's reassuring that you in AZ just take batt.pack overheating as a matter of course.
Someone mentioned not covering the vent "behind the driver's seat." (air for the pack) I don't see anything BEHIND the seat in my 2002....but in the back, across from each other in the "cargo area" are two rectangular vents....I presume these are the two NOT to cover?
I have also been thinking about that BIG hatch window.....Looking rear-wards, I only really need visibility from the second defroster line down. Has anyone tried putting that blue transparency on the area above that? It should keep my groceries from heating up on a hot day, might require less A/C............and possibly help the batt.pack heating problem??
Same with the windshield.
What is that transparent blue stuff? Who can put it on? Of course you can't cover the area needed to see the road, but there's lots more window area.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

4 post's up: _its behind the passenger's seat :!: :?

 

[every14peace]

battery pack overheating

Ah.........yes there it is, behind the pass' seat. Awfully small and out of the way of airflow, seems to me. But I'm no engineer.
What about those two similar vents on both sides of the cargo area? Do they not also lead to the b.p. site?
I will NEVER cover any of them.

John: Where and what do you drive that you get 70 mpg??
I'm currently happy with my 56.1, given my big hill coming home, A\C use, and CVT, but can always learn.
I have to say y'all have changed my driving habits. I'm going for "smooth" rather than "snappy." My children will worry less.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Re: battery pack overheating

Its the intake duct for the IMA battery pack _fan_. Doesn't need to be in a ram air location. The vents in the back are the cabin flow thru vents and won't be a significant factor in IMA pack temps.

Sooo many questions, and your choking on what you've already got on your plate.

Thought my sig says it all. Given your driving pattern with a CVT 56 MPG is very respectable :!:

 

[flunkysama]

OK, a little overview of the airflow dealing with the IMA.
You may want to refer to this picture http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enimacomponents.html

The vent behind the passenger seat is feed into the battery pack. A fan pulls air though the pack into the upper left corner of the IMA "box".

There is another fan in the IMA "box". This squirrel cage fan pulls air from inside the IMA box past heat-sinks for the MotorDriveModule (MDM) and DC-DC convertor. Air from this is exhausted underneath the car.

Depending on which fans are working air can be flowing into or out of the IMA box.

The IMA "box" is vented under the hatch area floor. The 2 side vents connect to the under hatch area floor. There are also 2 vents located inside the read bumper which alllow air to vent from this area as well.

 

[bfivelover]

Re: battery pack overheating

The vents in the back are the cabin flow thru vents and won't be a significant factor in IMA pack temps.

I have to disagree with that. It could be a factor during a long trip. While making an 8000 mile trip last year, WV to Colorado to Yellowstone to Arizona to Colorado and back to WV, my batteries overheated and died. I had the car packed to the gills and had the rear vents blocked all the way to Yellowstone. Spent a week there with the car empty. The car was fine till I was heading from Yellowstone to Arizona with the vents blocked again, it wouldn't give full assist or fully charge. In Arizona the battery died. I was told by the Honda dealer in Kingman it was due to the vents being blocked. After unblocking the vents, I have had no further problems. It may not matter during short trips, but during a several thousand mile trip, it might.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Thanks flunkysama & bfivelover for you additions and corrections.

Indeed while blocked back vents will take longer (highly variable, basically "it depends..." )to cause an IMA overheat condition restricting the flow of these vents will take its toll.

Blocking the front vent (behind the passenger seat) in any condition that the IMA fan is needed will cause an overheat in short order :!:

Don't do any :!: