Insight edges closer

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by brucepick

The RE92 tires are available at Tire Rack, about $79 each.

As for battery issues: get busy on InsightCentral.com and find the recipes for grid chargers.

Look for the thread under Gen 1, Modifications and Technical Issues.
I think it's a sticky there.
Many batteries have been brought back from near-death by good use of a charger and discharger.

I haven't seen any new replacement IMA batteries for anything like $500. More like $2000. Used or refurbished ones will likely soon have the same issues as your ailing one. The remedy in any case, is occasional and appropriate use of a grid charger, and sometimes a discharger is needed. If they were built into the car - and if owners were told to use them 2-3 times yearly - hybrid batteries would last several times longer than they do.

Evidently,the guys there at the shop are familiar with battery conditioning and isolating offending battery sticks in the pack,and have a local source for 'living' sticks to substitute in to the pack.
The cooling fan issue needs to be addressed if it's toast.
Same for the voltage controller.
I can legally drive the car through the end of August without doing a thing to it if it's agreeable to Dennis.But that would be kind of rude to just string him along like that.
Tommy's wants to get me passed with the inspection and they know I'm not a member of the demographic who'd routinely venture into this kind of car technology.
Come October,when I'm back from the wind tunnel trip I can focus more on the Insight.If I start to get obsessive about it now,I risk being ready by September.That's unacceptable.

[freebeard]

As far as I'm aware, they're the lowest rolling resistance consumer tire on the road today.

The reason I asked about stopping distance is that at one time that was the trade-off for low rolling resistance. I was curious if that's been ameliorated.
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The Top 5 Problems with the Honda Insight Hybrid Vehicle

[sheepdog 44]

Pull the 12 volt battery power to reset car, Let IMA recharge, do this 4-5 times, Install clutch switch to fool car into never using assist. Complete the emissions reset drive cycle. See if any codes pop up. Drive in the morning or night when it's cooler. If no codes get it inspected as fast as possible.

Unless you get a Catalytic converter code spending $600 to get a waiver is a waste of money.

[sheepdog 44]

Plan B: Cooling Fan and Voltage controller may be just codes from a failing battery. Find someone with a good battery, swap it to get inspected and then un-swap. Takes about 1 to 1.5 hours for a first time swapping batteries.

In Massachusetts we have a rolling exemption from IMA light obd2 emissions testing for 2001 and older cars. Who knew Texas was stricter?

Insight hybrid technology is super simple, don't over estimate it.

[sheepdog 44]

I have used a bcm fooler to drive without IMA battery completely, silences all IMA related codes, allows lean burn. Only worked for 1 hour for me, was buggy, Prototype not 100% working. Contact Retepsnikrep aka Peter Perkins. I haven't been in touch with him for 8 months.

I'm in contact with another person who says there is a simpler way. It's unconfirmed, likely still gives error codes though.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by sheepdog 44

Pull the 12 volt battery power to reset car, Let IMA recharge, do this 4-5 times, Install clutch switch to fool car into never using assist. Complete the emissions reset drive cycle. See if any codes pop up. Drive in the morning or night when it's cooler. If no codes get it inspected as fast as possible.

Unless you get a Catalytic converter code spending $600 to get a waiver is a waste of money.

The guys are convinced that there's nothing wrong with the cat or any of the O2 sensors.It's all in the electronics,which they agree is kind of a scam with respect to emissions.
The presence of the check engine light 'infers' that there 'could' be something wrong with the emission controls,so it's an automatic 'fail' as far as state law.
If I drive an 8,500-lb GVW vehicle with 10-mpg, Texas could care less what comes out of the tailpipe,and these vehicles aren't required to have an emissions test.
But if you drive a 50+ mpg vehicle,for 24-years it must pass an emissions test.
(we won't mention that the Teacher Retirement System,and Texas Municipal Employee Retirement System pension funds own stock in every major oil company on Earth,as well as every gas-guzzler-producing auto manufacturer on Earth)(And that their building permits allow for the exponential growth we're experiencing,which fuels the perpetual gridlock which guarantees that Texas will forever be out of compliance with EPA Clean Air Act standards; which creates the need for the emissions testing that they mandate) (etc.)
Bless their microencephalitic little heads.
I love their math!
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Thanks for all the tips.I'm recording all of them.

[sheepdog 44]

Apparently someone succeeded where I failed in converting the Insight to gas only and silencing the IMA light. I sent him a couple messages.

Originally Posted by mudder

Howdy gang,
Dead IMA owners might like the following Youtube link :

Arduino code and schematic downloadable here:
https://mega.nz/#!RR5inYRD!NUR02LoFj...X-S3Kc8db6BJ-k

US EPA Legal disclosure:
FOR OFF ROAD USE ONLY. It is illegal to operate your vehicle on any federally funded road in the United States with this modification present. Information wants to be free!

Note, a user pointed out a minor error on my wire position on the connector. The wire colors are all correct, but the BLU/WHT wire on the lower seat connector is shown in position 3, when it should be position 4. I'm on the road and can't update the schematic right now, but just remember, the wire colors in the schematic are all correct.

[aerohead]

Tommy's has had the car a full week now. No calls from them.Hurry up and wait!

[jcp123]

Sanger - emissions county? Must be.

I got my Echo inspected earlier this year, non-emissions county. I completely forgot to turn my CEL for my p0420 off. Passed and not a single word was said. Only when I got back into the car and saw the light on did I realize I had forgotten to clear the code as I rolled into the inspection place.

[aerohead]

3+ weeks now,and not a peep out of the shop.I took an air bottle by there before coming here and inflated a low tire.
Side note: Texas is up to 23-counties now,which are out of compliance for ozone pollution,and now millions of people like me face up to a $640/year minimum fee to register their car,when in an adjoining county,the same car will pass for $12.
Next year there will be more counties.