[jbrecher]

I am having trouble with my 2001 5sp Insight (25,000 miles). When I come to a stop and the auto shut-off occurs, it restarts properly MOST of the time. At times, it will not restart when put into 1st gear. Sometimes when it fails it is a few seconds until I've frantically run thru all the gears. Sometimes it is several seconds. If left in 1st, it will not start at all. Setting at a stoplight that is in a 55 MPH zone is very dangerous!
Anybody else have this problem?

 

[Guillermo]

Do you put the car in neutral and release the clutch pedal in autostop?

To start again do you press the clutch pedal and then move the shifter into 1st gear?

It should always work properly if you do it that way.

 

[twonicaguy]

i has happened to me twice in 4 months. i just used the key to restart and it started fine. i have noticed if the clutch is out, the autostop is flashing. maybe the clutch switch is not adjusted properly or the clutch isn't all the way to the floor. is your autostop light flashing when this happens?

 

[figgy]

It happened to us in Jane quite a few times during a day of 'practice' driving which was a lot of stops and starts. It hasn't happened for a long time now. It seemed at the time that we did nothing wrong. Typically, it did not restart the first time the car was put into 1st, but then it did if it was taken out of gear and put back into 1st. We never had to actually turn the car off and on again with the key.

It had also happened to me maybe 3 times or so at seemingly random times before that. Once again, shifting in and out seemed to get it to start. It sure made me nervous, but for whatever reason does not seem to happen anymore.

In other words, I can't say why, but I have seen similar behavior.

I agree, make certain the clutch is all the way down. Try going in and out of 1st. Be sure you give a little gas when in first, it seemed that maybe that helped...

 

[jbrecher]

irregular restarts

I have done all the ways. I usually come to a stop, put it in neutral and keep the clutch down. When light changes it restarts most of the time. I have never shut the key off and restarted. I have the clutch fully down. The sensing has to be on the linkage I assume as the instructions indicate that the action of going into 1st causes restart.
Got to be a linkage thing.

 

[Willie Williford]

With the clutch in, in autostop, and in first gear or neutral, just give it some gas, the engine should restart.

 

[Calpod]

It happened to me twice this week, I was at the light and when I put it in gear nothing happened, I started it with the key and the regular starter started the engine, (first time I've heard the starter) then it did it again about 10 minutes later, but I did notice that all the lights were on as when you first turn on the ignition, so it again started with the starter, at the time I had about 18 bars on the battery, it immediately started going down, it went all the way down to zero, (that's a recal)

I think the reason it did it was because it was not driven for 3 weeks while I was away, after that it's been OK.

 

[Rick]

First are you pressing the clutch hard enough? Watch the auto stop led, it will go solid when the clutch switch is activated. If it keeps blinking when your trying to go then a simple adjustment of the switch would do it.

 

[sputnik]

Do you put the car in neutral and release the clutch pedal in autostop?

To start again do you press the clutch pedal and then move the shifter into 1st gear?

It should always work properly if you do it that way.

It sounds like there are clutch-in and clutch-out ways of waiting out a red light. :shock: I've always used the Guillermo method, probably because that's how my Dad taught me to drive. Are there pros and cons to the two methods?

 

[Kevin Dougherty]

Make sure that the floormat is not preventing the clutch from going ALL the way down

 

[Rick Reece]

Is it possible that you stalled the engine as you came to a stop (left in gear too long for regen and engine actually stopped vice going into autostop). If so then you would need to start with the key. Have fun, RIck

 

[Wayne M]

all full of quirks

I thought my VW Jetta was full of goofy quirks, till I bought one of these. Mine stalls not autostops, occaisionally, when coming to a stop, battery and oil lights on and must use the key to go again. Also it sometimes autostops when I don't want it to, coming to a stop with it in neutral. But most of the time, it will normally go into autostop when I follow the sequence of keeping the regen going to the last second (about 1000 rpm) then push the clutch to the floor and into neutral. Then to go again, push the clutch all the way in, then into 1st with the gas nudged. Unless your's has some problems with the neutral switch, maybe that will work for you also.

Never hurts to get your diagnostic codes read on odd problems, too.

 

[jbrecher]

Well, I asked my discussion group folks and I called my dealer service dept. My dealer wasn't too knowledgeable but suggested I was correct in assuming the linkage was the problem.
Rick, on the other hand felt I wasn't pushing the clutch in far enough.
Well, Rick is correct!!!
Technically, so am I. It is linkage. My leg linkage!
I was taught to not push the clutch hard to the floor as it would stretch cable linkage over time so I don't bottom out the pedal. I have been bottoming it out for the last week. Not one occurrance of failure to restart.
Thanks so much Rick. I am going to call the service dept at my dealer and tell him for future reference.
John

 

[jbrecher]

Kevin,
I just noticed you also were correct about the clutch travel by saying it was the possibly the floor maps.
Thanks to you also.
John

 

[Wayne M]

Peg is for mats

You probably already know about the peg sticking up out of the floor in front of your drivers seat. That's for anchoring the honda floor mats designed for the car. I got cheap mats for mine, and simply added a home installed metal grommet into the mat after marking the 'ideal' position for the mat. The do it yourself 1/2 inch diameter grommet kit can be found at hardware stores like Ace or home depot. No sliding, no bunching up after that!

 

[Rick]

Great to hear it. Remember a quick way to tell if the clutch switch is activated is the auto stop led will go solid (if of course your in auto stop). The switch is adjustable too if you'd prefer not to go all the way to the floor.