Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - 2003 Civic Hybrid: refurbishing/cycling the hybrid battery pack

Formula413 · 09-28-2012, 08:35 PM

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Admin note: for background/more information about "reviving/refurbishing" Honda hybrid battery packs, see also: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ems-13610.html

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A word of caution:
Working on a battery pack from a hybrid car can be extremely dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. They produce very high voltage and current and can easily kill you if not handled properly. Do not work on a hybrid battery unless you are very well versed in electricity and how to work around it safely.

Background:
I purchased a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid in fall of 2009. It has a manual transmission and had 68,000 miles when I bought it. I am the second owner. The first sign of battery trouble came about a year later with 85,000 miles when the car set IMA trouble code P1449, which can indicate battery deterioration or battery overheating. I cleared the code and it stayed off for several months then eventually came back. It gradually began to recur more and more frequently and the useable capacity of the battery pack declined. Eventually the pack could provide almost no assist before the P1449 code was set. To keep the IMA light from coming on so I could pass inspection I wired a switch in parallel with the clutch safety switch, which disables electric assist and regenerative braking, and added a relay that would bypass the switch when I stepped on the brake so I would still have regenerative braking. This kept the battery topped off and essentially masked the problem so the IMA light would not set. This also left the task of moving the car up to the 1.3 liter, 85 horsepower engine, which is manageable but not much fun to drive. I made the decision to disassemble the battery pack and cycle the 20 subpacks with a specialized battery charger/analyzer. The unit of choice for this task is the MRC Superbrain 989, which is designed primarily with radio controlled vehicle batteries in mind.

I was about to tear down and start refurbishing my battery pack this weekend. I unpacked the Super Brain I just bought, plugged it in and found that the power supply is dead out of the box. Not exactly confidence inspiring to say the least. Can't reach MRC or the place I bought it from until Monday. So I lost an entire weekend plus of time working on the pack.

09-28-2012, 08:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
Formula413 Renaissance Man Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: In the Northeast dreaming of the Southwest Posts: 596 Aegean C - '17 Honda Civic LX 90 day: 40.18 mpg (US) Thanks: 20 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts	2003 Civic Hybrid: refurbishing/cycling the hybrid battery pack --------------------------- Admin note: for background/more information about "reviving/refurbishing" Honda hybrid battery packs, see also: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ems-13610.html --------------------------- A word of caution: Working on a battery pack from a hybrid car can be extremely dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. They produce very high voltage and current and can easily kill you if not handled properly. Do not work on a hybrid battery unless you are very well versed in electricity and how to work around it safely. Background: I purchased a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid in fall of 2009. It has a manual transmission and had 68,000 miles when I bought it. I am the second owner. The first sign of battery trouble came about a year later with 85,000 miles when the car set IMA trouble code P1449, which can indicate battery deterioration or battery overheating. I cleared the code and it stayed off for several months then eventually came back. It gradually began to recur more and more frequently and the useable capacity of the battery pack declined. Eventually the pack could provide almost no assist before the P1449 code was set. To keep the IMA light from coming on so I could pass inspection I wired a switch in parallel with the clutch safety switch, which disables electric assist and regenerative braking, and added a relay that would bypass the switch when I stepped on the brake so I would still have regenerative braking. This kept the battery topped off and essentially masked the problem so the IMA light would not set. This also left the task of moving the car up to the 1.3 liter, 85 horsepower engine, which is manageable but not much fun to drive. I made the decision to disassemble the battery pack and cycle the 20 subpacks with a specialized battery charger/analyzer. The unit of choice for this task is the MRC Superbrain 989, which is designed primarily with radio controlled vehicle batteries in mind. I was about to tear down and start refurbishing my battery pack this weekend. I unpacked the Super Brain I just bought, plugged it in and found that the power supply is dead out of the box. Not exactly confidence inspiring to say the least. Can't reach MRC or the place I bought it from until Monday. So I lost an entire weekend plus of time working on the pack. __________________ Last edited by Formula413; 10-12-2012 at 04:54 PM..