How do I test IMA / Battery?
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I too would like to know how to test it. Guessing as long as there is no IMA or CEL then everything is fine ?
I will say, the 2nd gen Insight really shines in mostly highway driving. I get closer to 18/19 km/L If I was mostly doing city driving I'd have similar or worse numbers probably. Because it can't really operate only from electric motors, it has to run the engine, so its not very efficient at low speeds.
I will say, the 2nd gen Insight really shines in mostly highway driving. I get closer to 18/19 km/L If I was mostly doing city driving I'd have similar or worse numbers probably. Because it can't really operate only from electric motors, it has to run the engine, so its not very efficient at low speeds.
I got 21KM/L on the highway but saw as low as 9KM/l around town
Testing can be either a bit complicated or it can be easy with less precision.
Ideally you would have Peter's OBDII C&C gauge which is capable of measuring the output power from a battery by a simple routine.
But, I think many first buyers won't have the gauge and wonder how to do it with no dedicated instruments.
First, let's talk about the fairly obvious dash signals that a deteriorating battery gives the driver. As the battery ages, primarily from the simple cycling or use, or abuse, the battery cells will become more unbalanced and will start sending signals to the dash display. The first thing the driver will see is an occasional recalibration cycle. The charge level gauge will show a rapid loss of charge to a low level, followed immediately by a gradual increase to full. A poor battery may only drop to a mid charge display before recharging. The frequency of these recalibrations is a rough indication of battery balance. New batteries do not recalibrate. It might be two years before a new a battery starts to recalibrate.
The second level of deterioration is when the regeneration display suddenly starts to show a lot of 4 bar charge cycles while driving at reasonably light load. These cycles have been called mandatory balance cycles. If they occur frequently, then the battery is getting into bad shape.
The third level is when you start getting the IMA warning light. When these start to coming, they can be reset by removing by removing the 12V battery negative terminal for a few second, but they will become more frequent til the point that they occur immediately.
It is widely felt by experienced owners that battery life can be extended, even after the IMA light starts displaying, by grid charging/discharging, but that is a different subject.
So, if you don't have the gauge, take the car out onto a less traveled road and accelerate hard. If the battery energy dies quickly, or if the IMA light displays, then the battery is certainly marginal. REMEMBER that your first responsibility is to your driving and fellow travelers, so be safe. Don't become to distracted. Light traffic helps.
The speed with which a battery recharges after being emptied from hard acceleration is also an indicator. Batteries with little capacity will recharge to full very quickly. It takes several miles to recharge a decent battery.
A new battery will provide strong feeling acceleration for a minute or so at full throttle and then will cut back to lower levels.
Ideally you would have Peter's OBDII C&C gauge which is capable of measuring the output power from a battery by a simple routine.
But, I think many first buyers won't have the gauge and wonder how to do it with no dedicated instruments.
First, let's talk about the fairly obvious dash signals that a deteriorating battery gives the driver. As the battery ages, primarily from the simple cycling or use, or abuse, the battery cells will become more unbalanced and will start sending signals to the dash display. The first thing the driver will see is an occasional recalibration cycle. The charge level gauge will show a rapid loss of charge to a low level, followed immediately by a gradual increase to full. A poor battery may only drop to a mid charge display before recharging. The frequency of these recalibrations is a rough indication of battery balance. New batteries do not recalibrate. It might be two years before a new a battery starts to recalibrate.
The second level of deterioration is when the regeneration display suddenly starts to show a lot of 4 bar charge cycles while driving at reasonably light load. These cycles have been called mandatory balance cycles. If they occur frequently, then the battery is getting into bad shape.
The third level is when you start getting the IMA warning light. When these start to coming, they can be reset by removing by removing the 12V battery negative terminal for a few second, but they will become more frequent til the point that they occur immediately.
It is widely felt by experienced owners that battery life can be extended, even after the IMA light starts displaying, by grid charging/discharging, but that is a different subject.
So, if you don't have the gauge, take the car out onto a less traveled road and accelerate hard. If the battery energy dies quickly, or if the IMA light displays, then the battery is certainly marginal. REMEMBER that your first responsibility is to your driving and fellow travelers, so be safe. Don't become to distracted. Light traffic helps.
The speed with which a battery recharges after being emptied from hard acceleration is also an indicator. Batteries with little capacity will recharge to full very quickly. It takes several miles to recharge a decent battery.
A new battery will provide strong feeling acceleration for a minute or so at full throttle and then will cut back to lower levels.
The second generation Insights are very sensitive to a weak 12 volt under hood battery. It doesn't make any sense, but it's true.
Also, do check the tire pressures. Remember stone cold in the morning. A compressor at home is ideal, but if you must go to a service place, make sure it is very close. You can up the pressures to the max allowable shown on the sidewall.
My wife's Insight is currently suffering from a sticking brake caliper. that would affect mileage as well. This is the second time that's happened. It shows up as one pad being worn way down with all the rest fine.
Also, do check the tire pressures. Remember stone cold in the morning. A compressor at home is ideal, but if you must go to a service place, make sure it is very close. You can up the pressures to the max allowable shown on the sidewall.
My wife's Insight is currently suffering from a sticking brake caliper. that would affect mileage as well. This is the second time that's happened. It shows up as one pad being worn way down with all the rest fine.
I will try this out. I was driving in traffic recently and battery went to zero after 10 mins driving and quickly to full again
To check the status of the IMA battery, you can go to the dealer, who will give something like this:
Or buy a HDS scanner (or HIM) to connect it to a laptop and use the Honda Diagnostic System program to find out the voltage on each module and many more different parameters.
But I would recommend go to the dealer, at the same time to check the update of the firmware of the car.
Or buy a HDS scanner (or HIM) to connect it to a laptop and use the Honda Diagnostic System program to find out the voltage on each module and many more different parameters.
But I would recommend go to the dealer, at the same time to check the update of the firmware of the car.
If you mean SOC at %, then this parameter is relative and depends on many factors.
And frankly, the voltage on the elements is also not the main indicator.
This page is a sample, which the owner should see. (In the example - the voltage imbalance in the Civic Hybrid due to aging of the battery)
Well that is a recalibration cycle. The clue that it is a recal is that the gauge quickly drops to a low level without any use of assist. The car does that just to reset the SOC gauge. So that isn't a strong indicator of battery health, but the frequency with which they occur is a decent indicator. New batteries don't do recals, but there aren't many new batteries around. If a battery starts doing lots of recals. like one every trip, then the battery is approaching the IMA light and battery failure. You should expect an occasional recal after the battery is a couple of years old. Just my experience an observations as always. I know of no definitive source for what I just said.
And also, if the battery has been discharged to a minimum, it will display 25%.
And before installing firmware updates, the battery can show from 25% to 50%, and after updating the firmware, a magical transformation of 75% occurs.
In extremely cold weather at -20 ° C on the battery sensor, it will also show 25%.
If the IMA fuse (No. 1) under-dash box was removed / installed, it will show about 25% at the first start.
And in many other cases.
It's true.
There is also an indirect method for determining the quality of the battery when measuring engine speed in various transmission modes described in the service manual. But it does not fit all owners, because you need to be very careful not to damage the transmission.
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I get around 18 km/L in city driving ECO mode and around 22 km/L driving on the highway. But I am careful with my right foot
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hey guys,
Im trying to get a system that checks the battery on my g2 insight (2013) and I keep seeing the obd2 Honda HDS HIM Diagnostic Tool. Does anyone here know if it actually works for checking the battery and not just simple diagnostics?
I haven’t seen anyone here mention the product (except for peter’s obd2 contraption) and it seems to be specifically for Honda (and Acura ¯\..(ツ)../¯) so hoping it has the company specific capability.
any helpful insight?
edit with a link to the product
Im trying to get a system that checks the battery on my g2 insight (2013) and I keep seeing the obd2 Honda HDS HIM Diagnostic Tool. Does anyone here know if it actually works for checking the battery and not just simple diagnostics?
I haven’t seen anyone here mention the product (except for peter’s obd2 contraption) and it seems to be specifically for Honda (and Acura ¯\..(ツ)../¯) so hoping it has the company specific capability.
any helpful insight?
edit with a link to the product
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13,900 Posts
A Honda HDS clone is vital for work on these cars.
They cost about $100 from the far east if you have a suitable laptop to run the clunky software.
I've had one for fifteen years nearly!
An HDS on your car will show you the battery useable capacity % and current state of charge %.
The battery can be easily cycled as it is the same IMA system as in the early Nimh Honda CR-Z.
I suggest you look at my posts and videos on the CR-Z forum.
They cost about $100 from the far east if you have a suitable laptop to run the clunky software.
I've had one for fifteen years nearly!
An HDS on your car will show you the battery useable capacity % and current state of charge %.
The battery can be easily cycled as it is the same IMA system as in the early Nimh Honda CR-Z.
I suggest you look at my posts and videos on the CR-Z forum.
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