[George K]

My 2002 Insight which I purchased last Friday died after only 2 days!
When I went to start it this morning nothing happened. I did hear a clicking sound, sounded like a relay going on and off.

I cheched the 12 volt battery and found only 10.24 VDC
After Jump starting it and letting it run for 2 or 3 minutes I checed the voltage and found 13.88 VDC. (with engine running)

After shutting the car off I was able to restart it without jumpstarting,but three hours latter the car would not start and only had 10.5 volts on battery.

What is the normal life of the original battery ? and should this be replaced free under the original 3Yr. 36,000. mile warrenty ?

I suspect that the DC-DC converter is OK since I got 13.8 VDC with car running unless there is a intermitant problem with it.

Are there any other problems that may couse this problem ?

I plan to check with Honda dealer in Annapolis Monday morning to see if they have a battery in stock ?,but it is a 50 mile drive, will the car make it this far after I jump start it ? The Honda dealer in Arlington (that sold me the car ) is a 120 mile drive so I do not want to take it back to them.

 

[Rick]

Your 12 volt is shot. No need to take it to the Honda dealership. They don't sell the original Furukawa battery here. At the dealerships they will sell you a civic battery which will fill the whole tray. The cheapest way is to get a generic Civic battery from whatever local auto parts store you have, or I believe I saw Civic batteries at Costco for something like $35.

Alternatively some of us have gone for an even smaller battery like a 13 or 16ah Hawker Genesis or Odyssey battery, with some modification. Just keep in mind if you go this route if you have DC/DC converter failure you draw off the 12 volt until it's dead, then the car is dead. There is also a Civic sized Optima Yellow Top now also.

 

[b1shmu63]

It sounds like one of the cells in the 12 volt battery has died. This is a common lead acid battery failure mode. A new 12 volt battery should solve the problem.

 

[George K]

12 volt Battery

The car is a 2002 with only 32000 miles, and a in service date of 5/8/02. Is't it supposed to be covered under the new car warrenty 3yr,36000 mile ?

 

[George K]

Battery

It may not be worth the time and hasle of going to the Honda dealer even if they can replace if for free, if the batteries are this cheap. I may just pick up one at a local Auto parts store.

Is there anything uneaq to changing the battery in the Insight ? Do I just disconect the old and reinstall the new battery ? Will I loose any data such as MPG or stored service codes ect ? Will the cables be hot (from DC-DC converter ) if the car is turned off ?

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Re: 12 volt Battery

The car is a 2002 with only 32000 miles, and a in service date of 5/8/02. Is't it supposed to be covered under the new car warrenty 3yr,36000 mile ?

AFAI remember the 12v battery is 100% for 24 months then pro-rated the remaining 12 months. At this point in its warranty its usually cheaper to buy the 12v battery somewhere else.

(But I'd get my warranty book out and check for myself)

HTH!

 

[b1shmu63]

You can use a Civic sized battery. That is almost certainly what the dealer would install. There are several other choices that might last longer, or weigh less. Check posts on this site for details.

 

[George K]

12 volt battery

I do not have warrenty book,it was not in the car when I purchased it,but I did look in the Honda web sight and downloaded the warrenty. On page 29," Originl Equipment Battery Limited Warranty" it stated ;

"During the first 3 years, a defective battery will be replaced at no cost to you. Diagnosis, labor, installation, and the cost or the replacement battery are covered by Honda."

Allso for what its worth, the car was just sold to me 2 days ago as a "Certified Honda Car".

I will call the Dealer and see what they say, and then call Honda customer service if needed.

 

[George K]

12 Volt Civic battery

If I use a Civic battery will the hold downs and cable connectors in the Insight fit without modification ?

 

[Jim]

civic battery

George,

yes, the Civic battery will fit the tray, the hold down and cables with no problem. If you change the battery out yourself, make sure you disconnect the negative cable first, and connect it last.

 

[George K]

12 Volt battery

I was told today by the Honda dealer in Annapolis that Honda would only cover 65% of the battery cost and that the battery was $ 120.00 . I told them no thanks and went to the local Parts Plus Auto store and purchased a 6Yr. battery for $63.00. It was a Civic battery (group 51 size).

The battery went in with no problems. The Honda service rep told me that the Civic battery would not fit. I removed the old battery and plastic tray to take to the store and compair to the Civic battery. The Civic battery was almost the same Hight and width, but it was longer. It fit the plastic tray fine, but I did have to shim the hold dawn strap 1/8 inch The hight was a fraction lower.( A thin pad under the battery would do the same thing)

Thanks for all the help.

 

[ericbecky]

George K,
I need to get a new 12V battery for my 2002, too.
When you went to the auto parts store how did you ask for the battery so you knew you got the right one? Usually they ask for make, model, year of the car you are putting it in. Sometimes they ask about A/c and stuff like that, too.
So did you simply say to the autoparts store "I need a battery for a 2002 Civic".


Oh, and by the way... My dealer said that since I am within the last 12 months of the 3 year 12V battery warranty, they cover 50% of the cost of a new battery, but not the labor to diagnose/install it. There is a minimum fee of $30 to check out the battery and the battery costs $85.

This is why I'll just go to my local autoparts store instead. I just want a drop in battery for the least amount of money.

 

[rsalmon]

check this post
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2447&highlight=
might be your answer

 

[George K]

12 volt battery

The replacement battery was a "group 51". This refers to the size,and is aparently the size that is used in the Civic. You may want to take your old battery and the plastic tray with you to compair to battery that the store has. and make shour it fits. Check the location of the terminals. The same battery is sold with the terminals reversed "group 51R"

You should check that the center area of battery is clear and flat for the hold down bracket. " Maintenace Free" with no removable caps to get in the way of hold down should be considered, The hold down may not fit with some batterys that have removable caps on top.

 

[ericbecky]

Thanks for the info. I'll check it out.

 

[rsalmon]

I think the post I refered back to , is as close to an exact match to OEM as you will find in the USA

 

[figgy]

Is there an easy and free (meaning not taking it to some shop that rips you off) to check for how much life is left in the 12V battery?

For example...

:?: Could I turn on the stereo and lights and see how long they last and then correlate that to the future life expectancy of the 12V battery? :?:

I do not believe that just checking voltage will answer that question, but maybe some amp-hour test (which is what the above is) would do it? One could make a plot of how fast the voltage decreases as the above loads are running? Maybe that would be even more accurate?

It seems like a terrible waste to replace a battery too early, but since they are both indicating problems with their little red circles showing and not changing with topping off, then maybe they will croak at a bad time. I don't want that!

 

[JoeMultihuller]

figgy, when I first started monitoring my 12v battery, its voltage was occasionally dropping down into the 10v range (even down under 10v sometimes) whenever the dc-dc converter cut out, indicating a fairly high internal battery resistance. I replaced the battery with a very small AGM Hawker Odyssey 545 which does have a high internal impedance so my voltage readings with dc-dc converter cut out (or before I start the car) are often down to 11.9v, but that's ok. A simple digital voltmeter plugged into the accessory receptacle should tell you the story (around 13.6v, depending on temperature, is normal when the dc-dc converter cuts in). To my mind, having a known good 12v battery in the car alleviates some of the concerns about the health of the main battery. JoeS.

 

[CopperAddict]

Replaced original battery with Odyssey PC680MJT

I just replaced the original battery in my 2001 with an Odyssey 680 MJT.

I made some shims out of a left over 2x4 to hold the battery in place in the original battery box.

When I have some time, I might make a new strap to better fit the lower Odyssey battery, although 30 mins with the dremel created a low-tech solution.

Pete

 

[Jerry]

Battery replacement

My 12v battery in my 2001 just gave up the ghost, I was going to replace it myself but according to the service manual the ECM has to be reset afterwards. Is this correct?