[cdoodyny]

I have a 2002 Silver Insight with ~230,000 miles on it. It seems that the batteries (original) are finally giving in. I live in Upstate NY near Rochester.
For the last several months I have been getting the check engine light to come on when I drive X miles with charge below Y%. That was ok because if I drive Z miles with it above Y % charged the check engine light goes off. So I was able to get it inspected in the summer.
Since then the IMA light has come on (assuming I was driving too long with the charge too low).
-- I recently removed the fuse to reset the IMA computer. I have driven ~40 miles and it has still not reset. With this I have a few questions:
-- How many miles do you need to drive after rest for the IMA to reboot?
-- Is there anyone local (upstate NY) that does battery reconditioning/refurbishment?
-- How long can I run with IMA light on?
-- Is it possible to run without batteries? I have a very flat commute (40 miles each way). If so, is this a DIY or need a licensed mechanic. Depends on my compentecy I guess, so I am not a mechanic but I am an Engineer.
-- Quotes for new batteries have been ~$4000, but that is from dealers, so I'm assuming it is drastically inflated.

 

[unimog1300]

IMA Battery

Bought a battery from Eric at EV Powers last week and it was way under the price you quoted and super fast shipping. Great transaction and communication.

HTH

 

[Rainsux]

-- I recently removed the fuse to reset the IMA computer. I have driven ~40 miles and it has still not reset. With this I have a few questions:
-- How many miles do you need to drive after rest for the IMA to reboot?

You either pulled the wrong fuse or you didn't leave it out long enough. It should reset immediately. It is fuse # 16 (30A) in the fuse box under the hood. The tall purple fuse. Pull it out and count to ten. This should do it. You'll have to reset your radio.

Sam

 

[Willie Williford]

Battery

Your closest source is here:

EV Powers | Hybrid Battery Service & Repair. Prius Insight Civic. 2100 Winnebago St, Madison, WI

HTH
Willie

 

[cdoodyny]

I must be really screwing something up. I have pulled the following fuses and still not reset. Are you sure you don't have to drive it a while for it to reset?
These are the fuse names in manual and on fuse box cover, so they look to be correct:

Interior fuse box:
-- 24 -- 7.5A -- IMA

Exterior Fuse box (under hood):
-- 5 -- 15A -- IMA
-- 18 -- 7.5A -- IMA ECU
-- 16 -- 30A -- Back Up, ACC (Just did it because someone suggested it but likely 16 on their insight is different)

2002 Insight.

 

[Willie Williford]

fuse

The easiest......#16 under the hood..........No other. Wait for at least 10 sec. then reinstall. Let the engine idle for a while after that, until the SOC says full. Don't touch nothing else.

 

[Rainsux]

If #16 isn't doing it for you, just disconnect and reconnect the negative 12V battery terminal. This will clear all codes. #16 does the same thing, but it is faster and easier.

Sam

 

[cdoodyny]

This is great, I am learning alot since joining this forum. I am still wondering why #16 is the right one? The fuses can't be the same on all insights can they? I will pull 16 again and then if that doesn't do it, I'll pull the main fuse, fuse #1. I want to get it reset before I drive home in the dark and don't have any tools to pull the battery terminal.

Also, my SOC is at one bar with the IMA light on, seems like it will take a while to charge it to full if just at idle, and does it charge when just idling?

 

[Mountain driver]

On my '01, underdash fuses, bottom row, 5th from REAR, 7.5 amp: clears IMA light and resets soc.

btw: chris22104 is a fellow Insighter in Buffalo. May be worth dropping him a line.

My opinion, consider a grid charger soon.

Good luck.

 

[cdoodyny]

Well, you guys are awesome. I pulled #16 again, i think i must have counted slower or something because this time it seemed to work.
IMA and check engine light is off and the battery is charging up. Nice!!

This should buy me some time to find the best solution.
I will be looking into:
-- Replacement of Battery Pack
-- Reconditioning
-- Grid Charger -- Not sure what this is, I will read up on this site for info on this.

My car is otherwise flawless, so even with 230K on it, I'd like to see if I can get over 300K. It has treated me very nicely at 64.1 lifetime MPG.

 

[Willie Williford]

problems

I think you really need a "Road Call", from someone.
Things are getting mixed up, in the translations and procedures.

 

[DuckGuy]

I have a 2002 Silver Insight with ~230,000 miles on it ... Is it possible to run without batteries? I have a very flat commute (40 miles each way ... Quotes for new batteries have been ~$4000, but that is from dealers ...

I have driven my '01 a few times without IMA when there was a malfunction with the system. It works OK, but there is extremely weak acceleration. This is to the point which it may be unsafe to drive in heavy high speed traffic. With a flat commute you're ahead of the game though.

The other issue is that our cars have a 1 liter, three cylinder engine - yours with well over 200k miles on the odometer. To flog your engine this way might not be wise. Otherwise my opinion is there are no other serious issues with running on the engine only. I have gotten around 35-38 mpg without the IMA assist. I know there are others on the forum who run their Insights on engine only, and there are a lot of people who post threads asking how to remove the IMA system so they can convert to gasoline only.

As far as a new battery there is an aftermarket company, whose owner is a member of this forum, Bumblebee Batteries. They sell an aftermarket battery for around half of what the dealers do, and it is better capacity according to their website with a 2 year warranty.

Also there is a company Hybrid Automotive that sells grid chargers, I believe those are under $500. I think that most of the people on the forum will reccomend you try to extend the life of your existing battery with a grid charger. It is a lower investment and you may be able to get a year or more from the existing battery without the hassle of replacing it.

Good luck with this.