Project: Zombie Insight (2000 Honda)

[Clev]

Originally Posted by Funny

He stopped, she hit him. There must be some other details of this story. I am going to guess it was an exchange like this:

Rob:"You okay?"
Girl:"Yeah, Oh my God I am so sorry!"
Rob:"As long as you're okay, I'm okay. You should really watch where you're driving. I don't have all that much damage, neither do you. I don't think either of us wants this on our insurance."
Girl:"You're right, my car is okay, but I really damaged yours! Sorry!"
Rob:"I can fix it, I would rather not get the insurance company involved, unless you do."
Girl:"I'm alright, thanks, let's avoid the insurance."
Rob:"okay"
Both drivers drive off, Rob is pissed , girl is psyched .

At least that is what I read from the details given. Please tell me I'm close .

I dunno. He said:

I came to a stop before the impact, with a few inches of my nose in her lane, and she hit the side of my bumper with the front of hers.

[bwilson4web]

What I like about this group is someone can report an accident in a post and 'no problem, I've already fixed it' and everyone just takes it as normal. I love folks who take tools to cars as part of everyday life. <GRIN>

Bob Wilson

[Daox]

Doh, that really stinks. Nice job on the immediate repairs though.

[RobertSmalls]

@Funny: Nope, but that would have been nice. More like:

Girl sat in her car and cried until the cops were done with the paperwork. I went immediately for my toolbox, and stowed the bumper cover in the trunk. I looked with dismay at how much work I had in front of me, and I was crushed by the irony of the errand I was on when it happened. My next stop was going to be the auto parts store for a loaner tool, then back to the junkyard to buy the suspension off that Insight.

It was reported to both insurance companies, but I find it unlikely they're going to do anything for me. Doesn't matter. Even I had collision insurance, my deductible would be $500, which is five times what I paid for parts, or about the same as the value of parts + my time.

I will make two safety-themed upgrades to the Insight. One, I'll replace the passenger's side mirror with a camera. Two, I'll add a relay to my IMA inhibit switch, so I can regen brake without hitting the switch. I'll post a circuit diagram when it's done. I'm open to suggestions for other upgrades.

[Funny]

Have you made any other major electrical mods to the Zombie? There are tons of systems that you could tweak pretty easily (cheap) with just a few components and a little understanding of the system you are modifying.

Check out the AutoSpeed Articles: How to Electronically modify your car:

There are thirteen parts, and this is part 1.

But the last three or four might be the most helpful if you have a background in electronics.

[RobertSmalls]

Yep, electrical modifications can be fruitful, especially in a hybrid. I finally got the IMA inhibit switch working almost exactly the way I wanted.

In stock form, the car is too eager to use electric assist. I found it used assist almost every time I left a red light. Drawing energy out of the battery, then putting it back in with the gas engine, is generally less efficient that just using the gas engine alone. When I'm ecodriving, I want to use only as much assist as I can pay back with regenerative braking (and I brake as little as possible).

The solution is an IMA inhibit switch. When the ECU thinks you've got your foot on the clutch, it won't use assist or regen. The simplest IMA inhibit switch is just a toggle switch that, when closed, electrically connects the two wires going to the clutch pedal switch.

That works fine, but you have to switch it off manually for regenerative braking. This is a distraction, and it results in missed regen opportunities. I added a relay so that when the brake lights are on, the IMA inhibit switch is ignored.



The ECU delivers +5V to the clutch switch on the red wire. Splice into that, and run a wire over to the correct pin of the relay. Likewise, run a wire from the green/yellow wire from the brake pedal switch to the coil of the relay. The electrical resistance of the relay circuit needs to be "much larger" than that of your brake light bulbs. >50 Ohm is fine. If your relay has less, add a ~500 Ohm resistor.

I installed this mod in the driver's footwell, using inline splices to tap into the brake lights and the clutch switch at the pedals.


When I get around to constructing MIMA_L, I might move all my electrical mods to a breadboard near the passenger footwell. Between MIMA_L, the engine kill switch, IMA inhibit, and IACV inhibit, I'll need to cut 8 wires and tap into 7 others. This is best done right where the wires enter the ECU.

[Funny]

That's really ingenious! What other electrical mods have you made to the Zombie? I am looking to do some mods to the Lemon when the spring rolls around, and I'm trying to see what others have on their whips to get the best bang for the buck.

[MetroMPG]

Cool mod, Robert.

[RobertSmalls]

Thanks, MetroMPG.

Originally Posted by Funny

That's really ingenious! What other electrical mods have you made to the Zombie? I am looking to do some mods to the Lemon when the spring rolls around, and I'm trying to see what others have on their whips to get the best bang for the buck.

Just this and the engine kill switch for now. I really want to re-do the engine kill switch on a circuit board using Mike Dabrowski's schematic, which allows the DC-DC converter to run, and restarts the car when you shift from neutral.

Speaking of engine kill switches, I want to tone down my idle air control valve. If a cold engine can idle smoothly at 1000RPM, why does the Insight idle at 1800RPM when it's bitterly cold? When the engine is above 100°F, it idles smoothly without an IACV, and when it's above 150°F, it doesn't need to idle at all.

Maybe if I wire a resistor inline with the IACV, I'll get a lower idle. I'll see if I can figure that one out some time.

50.1 mpg through a little snow on the way to work yesterday. Initial temperature: 8°F. Regenerative braking: barely regenerating due to the frigidity of the battery.

74.4mpg on 20 miles of gently rolling country roads today. 80% throttle up steeper hills, DWL + lean burn the rest of the way, 50mph typical. Winter tires, dry roads. It makes me wonder what kind of FE I'll get in the summer.

[discovery]

Realy cool idea with the relay, i like it very much. Does the auto stop work when you are seatting at a red light? I guess it does, by turning the switch off. So cool, good job. Also what is MIMA_L stand for?