Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
Is anyone aware of a source for sticks in case you find one that won't wake up? It seems from yours and other efforts that they seem to wake up nicely.
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At that point ... you have a few different options / directions ... depending on your specifics and desires.
Option #1 > Junk Yard Gen-1 Civic Hybrids
Gen-1 Honda Civic Hybrids actually use the same subpacks ... and the subpacks themselves are interchangeable with Gen-1 Insights... about ~4 years ago when I went out to test this theory of mine I got two civic IMA battery packs from a junk yard from totaled civics ... $250 each pack x2 = $500 for both ... the junk yard owner told me he knew nothing about the "hybrid stuff" , and was just going to take them to get recycled... after doing a series of tests on them using methods similar to what is being done here , I found out that all 40 subpacks were fine ... nothing was wrong with them at all.
Option #2 > Junk Yard Batteries collected and already tested for you:
Sense that time years ago ... Ron at Hybrid-Battery-Repair.com took this concept and turned it into an entire business ... You can pay him for individual subpacks he has already tested and weeded out of the questionable ones if you like ... How many of what tested quality he has fluctuates regularly.
Option #3 > Replace the Subpack with New Alternative:
Due to the issues of timely acquiring reasonably priced junk yard candidates and costs of testing and sorting the used batteries Ron then sourced his 'BetterBattery" as a new battery alternative ... as a drop in replacement ... It is not the same battery as used in the OEM ... but Ron has tested it , and he at least claims it is just as good or better than the OEM.
Option #4 > Depending on specific issue with the current pack ... it might still be usable if paralleled with a 2nd battery ... thus reducing the strain on each of the two battery packs and simultaneously increasing the total battery capacity.
Option #5> Depending on the specific issue ... regular grid charging can extend the service life of some battery packs.
Option #6 > Replace all the OEM IMA NiMH battery subpack sticks with something like Ron's 'BetterBattery'.
Option #7 > Replace the whole OEM IMA NiMH battery pack with something like the 20Ah A123 pouch cells Peter did ... they actually still fit in a modified OEM battery case... will also require a new BMS system like the one he uses or something similar.
Option #8 > Pay Honda for a Brand new OEM NiMH battery pack.
Option #9 > Use a DC-DC Keep alive mod to be able to run indefinitely without the IMA battery.