[dloop]

Hi folks, the IMA battery on my new 5-spd is not behaving well.

I also have a '00 5-speed so I think have developed a good 'feel' for how the regen-assist cycle should work and this new '06 (3,000 miles) is just not right. I'm hoping John and others here can give me some ideas.

Here's what I'm seeing. If I do an IMA reset and fully charge the battery, the IMA system will work flawlessly as long as I keep the SoC within 2-3 bars of fully charged. It will discharge(assist)-recharge(regen) as I would expect.

But if the SoC gets to 1/2 or below--then it's like the bottom falls out of the whole system. Bars just drop off before my eyes. At this point the IMA system settles into a charge-discharge cycle that hovers between 2 - 6 bars I can get new bars on the SoC but it becomes terribly difficult to get them. On routes that normally would allow me to easily fully charge my '00 insight it becomes impossible to get over 1/2 Soc on my '06.

Since I can rarely get the SoC to 2/3 full it becomes very hard to get into lean-burn mode and my mpg is suffering.

lastly, I took it into the dealer and left it with them all last week. They found nothing wrong, no codes, and said the IMA system is operating correctly.

Dave

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Hi Dave,

Hmmm,

If I'm reading your post correctly its not just a lower SoC but also a corresponding increased forced charging that (obviously) makes holding on to the lean-burn window more difficult to impossible :?:

Have you checked _all_ the other things that _could_ account for lower MPG / harder to maintain lean-burn :?: Tire pressure, recent oil change where they put in 10w-40, etc :?: (I didn't list them all either)

Also with the unusually HOT weather many places in the west have been recently experiencing you may be "seeing" _improved_ thermal limiting management.

If you look further down in this forum you'll see a couple of threads related to what is appearing to be a seat-of-the-pants difference in the older and newer versions of IMA SoC management.

And by Honda's official notice in the warranty extension letter too much overcharging is apparently one of the main concerns. So maybe Honda has gone a bit too far in the opposite direction, or just as possible there's something else going on.

Looks like it will take some patience and diligence by Honda (and maybe a little help from "us" in here too) to get to the bottom of this issue.

Thanks for the post and keep'em coming :!:

HTH!

 

[dloop]

If I'm reading your post correctly its not just a lower SoC but also a corresponding increased forced charging that (obviously) makes holding on to the lean-burn window more difficult to impossible.

Hi John, yes that is exactly it. On flat stretches that I drive often, on my '00 Insight I will easily be in lean burn mode, but with my '06 since it is constantly in forced charge mode I can't hold it.

Tire pressure and such is the same.

The difference between my new and old Insight is not subtle. It's not the sort of thing that I notice if I compare trip meters at the end of the week, no, it's a dramatic difference that screams at me every time I drive them.

I've believe I've gotten pretty good at driving by the FCD display. In Seattle traffic I've reached 80mpg on a few on my commutes (but averaging mid 60's) with the '00. But with the '06, I'm lucky to break '50 because it's constantly in forced charge mode.