[thermalpilot]

Hi,

My beloved 140k 2001 CVT was re-ended with little cosmetic
damage. I originally thought that everything was OK, but the
IMA started discharging and never filled up again and eventually
failed with an "IMA" light. Also later in the week when I went
to fill the tank up, it would only take 6 gallons. Anybody
have this problem?

I want to Autozone and found out the OBDII error codes are
1449, and 1538. Does anybody know what these codes mean?

It turns out that she was uninsured in the end.

Regards,
Thomas

 

[Jim]

Hi Thomas,

I hope you weren't hurt!

Uninsured drivers are a major bummer. ':evil:' Sounds like either your fuel gauge sending unit got whacked, or your tank is somewhat crunched. Also sounds like your battery pack and or controller got whacked, too. I think you have more than just "cosmetic damage".

I hope you called the police and got a report - and that you have insurance.

 

[thermalpilot]

Hi Jim,

I was OK. Threw my car about 10 feet forward. I was stopped at a green light
waiting for a fire engine with sirens and lights to clear the intersection, and
the driver behind me saw the green light and just plowed into me.

We both pulled over to the side after the accident. I couldn't get out of my
car for a few minutes until I lost the shock that my virgin insight had been
violated !:shock: She said she tried to stop, but her brakes weren't working well.

Funny thing there was no visible damage, other then the bumper had some
extra wrinkles. She had insurance, she thought, so I took all her info and didn't
report it because I thought it was like no damage. When I called her insurance
company they said at first that she was covered and they were going to send
out an inspector. Then weeks later they said she wasn't covered after all,
(her policy ran out the day before,) and that I would have to use my own
unisured motorist policy.

Regards,
Thomas

 

[Wayne M]

Gets worse.

The 1449 code is the 'kiss of death' for the battery pack. Heat related failure. The crush may have damaged part of the pack cooling system.
The flexable covers on the bumpers are hiding way more damage than you can see. If it displaced enough body to cave in the gas tank, you can be sure there is other damage as well.

Probably no chance now, but you can pursue such as this in small claims court if you can track her down from the info, unless all that was bogus too.

I was smacked in the arse ( while driving a Toyota truck ) by an uninsured twit, and the judge made her pay the damages out of her pocket, in installments, to the county court, plus court fees, or go to jail. When it was all collected, the court sent me my money. Did take a while.

Additionally, her underhanded insurance company might be playing a game with you. You can sue them, as well. Never take an insurance company's word on anything that they may have to spend money on , in the end. And your own insurance guy will try to 'lowball' the repairs, I'll bet. Especially if your car is totalled, watch and see. Come right back at 'em with figures from http://www.edmunds.com and http://www.nada.com with similar cars to yours sellling at dealer retail figures.

 

[david]

I'm going through a similar experience right now. I took a hit in the left rear about two months ago and the insurance Company is taking forever to give me an answer on things. ( The estimates from both companies come out around $1500.00)

However just last week the IMA went out. It does not register any battery usage (the bars don't go down) nor does it register charge/discharge. The IMA warning light has not come on. I filled up the tank and that registered. I have seen no change in my mileage so I would assume the battery is still working as it did. (I have several hills, up and down, on my commute each day which I assume would result in a change in mileage without the battiery)

The maintenance required light came on about three weeks ago and I have been ignoring it thinking I would get the OK from the insurance company to do the work and then get the tuneup or whatever is needed at the same place. (HONDA DEALERSHIP)

So...what is this thing you did at auto zone? seems like I should do it and then check the codes. Do they hook it up to the computer or something?

Thanks for any info you can give me.

 

[thermalpilot]

IMA working Joy, Joy. Dog Hair Everywhere!

Hi David,
> So...what is this thing you did at auto zone? seems like I should do it and then
> check the > codes. Do they hook it up to the computer or something?

I went to autozone, (actaully to 2 other auto parts places as well, kragen, ...), and
borrowed their OBD II reader. I connected the reader to the connector under
the dash (either under the keys, or under the temp knob. Then I read the
codes.

I have never had to deal with insurance, but what an eye-opener. Their 48 hour
response means 48 days! Anyway I inspected the IPA (IMA case) and found no
damage. I also checked the Fuel System and found no damage. Then I
opened up the IPA case and found no damage.

I ordered an IMA Battery from HAPS recycling last week. (cost $950 with shipping)
It came last night. I also ordered a 2000-2005 Insight manual. (cost $70) It too, came last night. Read the manual from 10 pm to midnight. Woke up at 9 am and followed
the directions and had the old IMA battery removed by 11 am. (Ran into one problem,
couldn't get one of the connectors opened. Eventually I removed the connector
from body, then was able to undo the connector.)

By noon had the new (really much older) battery in place, threw the "On" switch
and have had full IMA functionality on my test run.


I would recommend anybody who feels confident in changing the Power Supply
on their computer, to change the battery on their Insight. No big deal, just follow
the instructions.

I think that the accident shook up my battery and caused it fail. But after 140K miles
maybe it didn't have much life left? After the accident, I did drive around for a month with no IMA and found it dangerous. First you can't pull out into traffic fast enough and second you can't accelerate up a hill if you are at a stop. My mailbox is down the hill from
my house, and I couldn't stop to check my mail, because I couldn't continue on
up the hill.

I still have the problem with the gas tank. I think that the gauge is off, and
that the tank really has 10 gallons in it. When I feel brave enough, I will
drive around on empty,(with a spare gallon), and see when it runs dry. I
don't know how many Insight owners have drained their tank, but there is
no electic assist to help you out. As soon as the gas engine stutters, the
whole thing shuts down.

Oh yeah, I found o-tules (lots?) of dog hair inside of my old IMA battery. I wonder
if this is bad? Do I need to install a dog hair filter?

Regards,
Thomas

2001 CVT 140k alive again!
2005 MT 2k (replacement vehicle) in the garage

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Re: IMA working Joy, Joy. Dog Hair Everywhere!

Thanks for the update Thomas.

FYI its "oodles" and its bad for restricting air flow and increasing IMA battery heat.

The impact more than likely damaged the sending unit (if there's no visible deformation of the tank).

As adept as you appear to be replacement isn't that difficult. Since you didn't manage to electrocute yourself with the IMA pack replacement, just don't start a fire if you try the sending unit repair:

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=2466

HTH!

 

[TXHondaFan]

Rear-ender experience

Thermalpilot, et al:

This past week I was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler while I was waiting at a stop light. The damage appears to be mostly cosmetic: a smashed bumper cover, broken rear glass, dangling center brake light, etc., plus a few scuffs where my front bumper hit the car ahead of mine.

Although the gas tank was about half-full at the time, I noticed immediately that all the amber light bars had disappeared, and the low fuel light was on.

All other systems appear to be working fine. I recalled reading your posting about the tank capacity problem, however, so I drove the car until it ran out of gas, put in just enough to get it to a gas station, and filled it. No surprise: the tank took less than 7.5 gallons. When it's that close to empty, I can usually get at least 11 gallons into it.

So what is the deal with this? I seriously doubt the tank has been crushed, so what else could limit how much gasoline the tank will hold?

Fortunately, this trucking line is well insured. My car goes to the body shop later this week. I noted the tips elsewhere about the limits on paint baking temperature and aluminum/steel welding capability. Good things to know.

Another other caveats regarding body work and repairs?

James

PS: I'm going to insist that the insurance pay the difference in the cost of gasoline between my car and whatever gas-guzzling rental car I get stuck with.

 

[jrrs]

Re: Rear-ender experience

PS: I'm going to insist that the insurance pay the difference in the cost of gasoline between my car and whatever gas-guzzling rental car I get stuck with.

i wish you good luck with that. be sure to make a personal reading of the initial odometer value when you get the car ( photo graph, timestamped in some way, if possible ) in addition to whatever documentation you get from the rental company. it'll be interesting to hear if you can pull that off successfully.

 

[windmill]

Re: Rear-ender experience

PS: I'm going to insist that the insurance pay the difference in the cost of gasoline between my car and whatever gas-guzzling rental car I get stuck with.

Tried that to when my car was at the dealer for dashtrim replacement after those @#$%& broke in my car. No result.........
Good luck :wink:

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Re: Rear-ender experience

So what is the deal with this? I seriously doubt the tank has been crushed, so what else could limit how much gasoline the tank will hold?

The _heavy_ "slosh" from the impact tweaks the sensor in the float level sender. Same thing happend to me (but is was another car not an 18 wheeler :!: :shock: ).

Replace the sending unit.

HTH!

 

[TXHondaFan]

Battery charge problems

While driving the car back to my hometown after the accident, I noticed some disturbing patterns. Apart from the fuel system going wacko, the batteries are discharging way too fast.

The charge level indicator can be near the top, but if I head up a hill and use the assist for more than a few seconds, the charge indicator drops steadily, down to about half. Before the accident, on a steep hill that I often take, the charge might drop one or two bars. Now I'm betting that hill would virtually drain the batteries.

 

[Allen]

PS: I'm going to insist that the insurance pay the difference in the cost of gasoline between my car and whatever gas-guzzling rental car I get stuck with.

I was able to do this successfully when my Insight was in the shop. Charged for time and distance while driving loaner car. I found Honda to be pretty good about this. Insurance companys??? I dont know.

This has been a VERY intersting forum.
I thank all of you for the information on a very perplexing problem

"Replace the sending unit" That seems to be the bottom line on this one. Ill be watching this forum to see if it works

 

[TXHondaFan]

Insurance settlement

It's amazing how generous an insurance adjuster can be when the insured company is clearly liable and they are apparently worried about getting sued. The adjuster came to my office, looked my Insight over, spent about 30 minutes in his car checking parts prices and body shop rates, and voila! He cut me a check on the spot for $5700!

On top of that, he told me if the shop charges ran over the amount of the check, to just let him know. And if my wife and I felt comfortable signing a medical waiver, there would another check for our "inconvenience." I imagine that will more than cover the cost of the difference in mileage between the Insight and the rental car.

JAB

 

[TXHondaFan]

Tank capacity test

FYI, I'm driving my Insight until it runs out of gas, to doublecheck the capacity problem before I turn it over to the body shop. I'll post the results when I have them.

JAB

 

[TXHondaFan]

Gas tank capacity post rear-ender

I took a 500-mile roundtrip, averaged right at 50 mpg (fighting a stiff headwind on the way back). I put 10 gallons in at the end of the trip, so I would have to say the fuel tank is normal. Gas gauge is still wacky, registering only four bars when full.

 

[TXHondaFan]

Closing the book on the "rear-ender"

Just a quick update on the outcome of my rear-ender. My Insight was in the body shop for over six weeks. Final cost to repair the damage: over $7,500. The body shop very diligently repaired everything they could find related to the collision, including the fuel level sensor and the rear hatch glass, which had an almost imperceptible chip in it. They detected no damage to the main battery pack. I have the car back and it runs and looks great.

The trucker's insurance company enthusiastically footed the bill and provided a rental car for the duration, at a cost of about $1,000. I pointed out to the adjuster how frustrating it had been not to be driving such a fuel-efficient vehicle at a time when gasoline prices were spiking to all-time highs. So he cut me another check for $1,000 for the "inconvience".

Amazing how responsive an insurance company can be when they want to avoid a lawsuit.

JAB

 

[Rick]

Good to know that things are back in order. Sounds like you really had them by the cahones.

 

[lorrwill]

Glad and sad to find this info

Glad that this has happened to someone else and the information is posted here, sad for the ensuing hassle I will be dealing with.

Just got rear ended with about a third of a tank. I got hit hard enough that I was seeing stars for a good 3 minutes but the exterior damage to the car is minimal.

After doing the police/insurance dance, started the car up and zero fuel bars and the out of fuel light is on. Went to the nearest station and put in $10 (about 3 gallons) should have done way more than 2 bars and the light still on.

I confirmed with the dealership that the collision is probably the culprit. Now on to playing mother may I with the insurance companies. At least the other driver was insured and was a nice guy about it.

Thanks for this thread and the information here in so I have some idea what may be wrong and what to expect.