[grnmachine]

Wondering if anyone knows how this happened and if it's 'normal'.
I was waiting for someone in a parking lot yesterday and had the radio on, key in 1st position. Now, because I've been told driving with headlights on during the day will give some boost to charging, I had them on, and forgot to turn them off. So I was sitting there for maybe 8 minutes with the radio on, and stupidly, lights on as well. The battery had shown about 1/2 to 3/4 charge on my way in to the lot before turning off the car.
So my friend finally shows up and gets in the car. I crank the key to start it up and zilch! The IMA shows empty, nada, and the car won't start. After about 10 minutes of trying to figure out what's going on, I realize I had left the lights on and perhaps that had drained enough juice to not let it kick on. I turn off the lights and voila, starts right up, but with ZERO IMA charge evident. I drive around the long way home to charge it up which it does, and rather quickly.
Question: The car is due for 30k servicing this next week, is there something extra they should look for, or is this what happens when one leaves the lights and radio on for 10 minutes or so without the engine on?

Bonus Question: I'm also noticing that the power windows are quite sluggish. Normal?

Thanks as always in advance for the help,
Kyle

 

[grnmachine]

forgot to add

Probably unrelated, but should mention that I had a JVC stereo installed in just the last week. Had to return when the AM radio was not functioning and the installer had to go in again to wire it up. Just wondering if he may have tinkered with some wiring that caused the IMA to drain???

 

[HafNHaf]

not knowing the condition of the 12 volt battery, heres what i would do:

disconnect the 12 volt battery. slow charge it (<10 amps) until it is topped off. charger should show 0 amps at thet point. get it load tested, 150 amps or so. replace it if it fails the test.

when mine fails that test it will be replaced with an optima yellow top, so i can play the stereo for a couple of hours while i work on the car.

andy g.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Weak 12v battery, get it tested :!:

When the 12v systems voltage drops low enough then you cause a recalibration of the IMA battery. The BCM "forgets" the IMA's SoC (State of Charge) and has to "reset" it. A completely "dead" 12v battery will prevent the car from starting if the voltage is insufficient to pull-in the 144v contactor relay for the IMA pack to start the car. A marginal 12v battery may be able to recover given some off time and is apparently what happened in your case given the time you state (10 min) of being on under moderate load.

Lube the window run channels with spray silicone or buy a tube of ShinEtsu silicone grease from your local dealer for the same purpose. Its a routine maintenance item on most Hondas and has been for many years now. There are several posts on this topic. Try the forum search feature :!: (So what's my bonus prize )

HTH!

 

[grnmachine]

so...

let me see if I have this right.
The 12V is weak and conks out. This causes the computer to think that the IMA is empty so when the car starts again, it goes into emergency charge until it figures out that the IMA is actually charged and it suddenly zooms up to full? This has now happened twice in 3 days. I'll have the 12v checked on Tuesday, but is this right for the factory installed battery to be dying after 5 years and 30k miles? Could something be causing it to croak? Could the stereo installer have mucked something up?

I enjoy having a car radio on listening to the ballgame while hanging out in the driveway doing whatever WITHOUT the car on...I've never had a problem with other cars doing this as the batteries have enough extra juice to handle such a small load...is this simply not possible with an Insight?

And thanks for all the quick and astute responses. I'll let you know what the dealer has to say. They tell me they want the car for the entire day to suss it out...(read: we'll get to it by 5pm after we do the money jobs)

 

[Foxpaw]

5 years seems like a long time for a car battery to last. It would be my prime suspect.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Re: so...

Foxpaw's got it :!:


Its complex enough trying to communicate clearly all the "technicals" of the issues without some standard terms

See:

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=750


But just to help standardize the verbiage:

Your "emergency charge" = IMA Battery recalibration, Recal.

Which is close to an "IMA reset" or simply reset. The difference being one is done automatically due to several factors it being what you are experiencing. The second implying an intentional choice (forcing a recal).

A major difference in an Insight vs. a "standard" car is that the 12v. system, in particular the 12v. battery is primairly the computer memory back-up. Of course this is an oversimplification but it goes to the heart of the matter in regard to 12v lead acid batteries and a lack of "exercise" that causes a more rapid decline in their service life.

Here's a couple of old posts on the topic:

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=529

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=2831

HTH!

 

[dfiore]

normal

both are normal. It'll also start discharing after idling with the air on for awhile