Reviving a 2000 Honda Insight "beater"

[RobertSmalls]

You can follow this thread on InsightCentral for info on recent developments:

New MIMA Thread - Page 58 - Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum

Post #580 explains the "new, smaller MIMA" project goals in some detail.

[MN Driver]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

There's a guy in England with a lithium pack in an Insight, if I'm not mistaken.

Hmm... appears to be an additional pack for PHEV purposes, though, not a replacement of the OEM pack:

Yup: Home

I wish I had seen this thread earlier but I haven't.

No, it is NOT an additional pack. He removed and replaced the packs in the two Insights that he has running on lithium(he owns three).

He has one car with a 40Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate pack using larger less dense cells that were available back when he originally bought and installed them into the car in 2008 and had everything running new year 2009.

Since then he has monkeyed with a 8Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate pack that didn't work out so well before switching it out with a more powerful 20Ah A123 LiFePO4 pack. He also worked with another Insight used for rallies and that one has a 15Ah pack installed, I believe, may have been 16Ah or some other very close number.

All of these packs have a voltage higher than nominal as well and the A123 20Ah pack has run with significantly more power after modifying the MCM so it sees the voltage and current values differently and therefore provides more power. 18kw is what I think he is at right now versus the stock 11kw.

[Red]

Slightly random update, the Insight is capable of propelling itself on flat ground fairly well with only 2 cylinders and no IMA. It can also climb moderate hills.

Found this out while I was trying to diagnose a no start condition and I accidently left the #q coil pack unplugged. Ended up being water in the gas

[MetroMPG]

Red's alive!

FYI, I joined the club too (gen. 1 Insight with a dead pack): http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...eed-16905.html

[Red]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Red's alive!

FYI, I joined the club too (gen. 1 Insight with a dead pack): http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...eed-16905.html

oooo nice!

Yeah school just about killed me, but I'm one quarter away from graduating. Back home for an internship so I've got some time to finish stuff up.

Plan is to order up the parts for a grid charger and see how much life is left in the pack.

[Red]

Got lucky last week. Found a dude out in Hayward with a trans from an 06 with less than 20k on it. Swapped in in this weekend and shifts like a dream now. In comparison, my old box was trashed; noisy as hell at speed, 2nd gear basically gone with 3rd and 4th going.

Got all the parts to build the grid charger. Need to pop into Radio Shack for some odds and ends, but I'm hoping to have that wired up in the next day or so.

[Nerys]

Hope its ok to post this here. if not just remove it no harm intended.

I HAVE an insight battery pack and the dc converter box thingy.

any interest in them? I have ZERO clue as to if they work or their condition and zero means to test them :-)

the going rate on ebay seems to be around $700 (saw one go for $550 another $800) for as is unknown condition packs.

I would like to get $400 for the battery $250 for the converter $500 for both pieces.

[Red]

Originally Posted by Nerys

Hope its ok to post this here. if not just remove it no harm intended.

I HAVE an insight battery pack and the dc converter box thingy.

any interest in them? I have ZERO clue as to if they work or their condition and zero means to test them :-)

the going rate on ebay seems to be around $700 (saw one go for $550 another $800) for as is unknown condition packs.

I would like to get $400 for the battery $250 for the converter $500 for both pieces.

Its cool. I don't see any reason why not to post here.

I'm broke right now, kinda blew most of my spare $$$ on the trans and parts for the grid charger, but if you still happen to have the battery in a month, depending on what the grid charger does to mine, might hit ya up.

EDIT
Weren't you going to use those parts for a project? Its been a while but I thought you were building something

[150mpg]

Wow this post has so much info! Thanks. I like the write up for the clutch replacement. Decided to go with the trans swap instead of the rebuild eh? If it's just the syncro I wonder how hard it would be to replace it. Basically my trans has the same problem your old transmission had when going from 3rd to 2nd. So I'm kind of in a bind on what to do. Used Trans = $600-900. Shop Rebuild would be $1000 or so. Even if I couldd get the trans out, I'm wondering if specialized tools are need to replace whatever I need replaced.

[Red]

Originally Posted by 150mpg

Wow this post has so much info! Thanks. I like the write up for the clutch replacement. Decided to go with the trans swap instead of the rebuild eh? If it's just the syncro I wonder how hard it would be to replace it. Basically my trans has the same problem your old transmission had when going from 3rd to 2nd. So I'm kind of in a bind on what to do. Used Trans = $600-900. Shop Rebuild would be $1000 or so. Even if I couldd get the trans out, I'm wondering if specialized tools are need to replace whatever I need replaced.

np. You'd probably need snap ring pliers and a 20 ton press. The syncro assembly was about 200 bucks last time I checked and the associated tools would probably cost similiar, so if you can find a good used trans you get the added bonus of everything inside being newish instead of just 2nd gear