Mystery light on the dash - 2000 Insight

[War_Wagon]

So I sold my Civic yesterday, and of course Murphy's Law dictates that today the Insight has to start to misbehave. Driving down the road I realized the brake warning light was on on the dash. Not the ABS one, but the one that tells you your emergency brake is still on or the brake fluid is low. I checked the brake fluid and it was full. I moved the handle up and down a few times and the light stayed on. Later I restarted the car and the light was out. I drove about 20 feet and it came on again. Moving the E-brake handle around didn't put it off. So, any ideas?? The IMA pack is totally flat now, so I am wondering if maybe it's a glitch caused by the flat battery?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

So, any ideas?? The IMA pack is totally flat now, so I am wondering if maybe it's a glitch caused by the flat battery?

Was the battery light lit up too? This seems to indicate that there's a problem with the DC-DC converter that feeds 12V to the battery. If you have a ScanGauge, set it to read out voltage. Normally it will show about 13.8V (IIRC), but when this happens it drops to 12V, or even 11.something.

With mine, the problem has always been some sort of intermittent glitch. Turning off the key, waiting a few seconds, and restarting the engine cures it.

It'd be a good idea to check the condition of the 12V battery, if you haven't already done so. If this happens, and the 12V doesn't have much charge, you can't restart even if the IMA pack is charged. The small OEM battery is hard to find (in my experience, anyway), but the stock Civic-sized battery fits in the box and gives you more reserve.

[War_Wagon]

No other lights came on, but then I don't know what else has been disconnected in the dash. The 12V battery looks new. I think I will force a recal and charge up the IMA to see if that solves the issue for now. Thanks James.

[Red]

Yeah if the ebrake light and the EPS light comes on that indicated a DC-DC converter fault. Sometimes it'll kick on if the main battery is offline and you've sustained an engine speed greater than 4k.

Or the sensor is just dirty

[silverinsight2]

Assuming a known good 12v. battery, clean or replace your ground straps, especially the ones under the air filter box.
Known issue at Insightcentral.net

[War_Wagon]

Well I forced a recal, as I did breach the 4k RPM mark once with the dead IMA. I also removed and cleaned the ground cables under the airbox. Everything seems cool now. Thanks everyone!

[silverinsight2]

Thanks for the feedback