01 Honda Insight Beat Up Beauty, leaks and main harness bad
 

sWell I finally got my wish, I found a beat up beauty nearby, straight on the bottom but bent up top for a price I can accept.

Sadly I will need to use deepcycles to keep it running since the DC DC works and so does boost but the power doesn't make it to the battery. (battery drains with or without the BDC trick)

Very odd issue, I will need to find all the technical resources I can showing the various wires and grounding locations (and photos of them) so I can figure out what wires on the harness (which may be damaged) are not making connection.

The dash is water damaged (looks like LCD break when you push too hard in certain spots)

And a more pressing issue is the drivers door is a bit popped out and leaks along the top edge, not sure how to do it without breaking the glass.

Any insight enthusiest in Oshkosh FDL or Wausau willing to take a quick looksie so I can diagnose and fix her up more quickly?

I think I will need to run wires from the front to the back DC DC both hot and ground as I get no 12v power regardless of BCD setttings (and the DCDC was recently replaced, hence why I have the car)

I also have these issues
The four buttons in the instrument pod ( -, +, Trip, & km-mph) get corroded and/or dirty. While pushing in on the button, move your finger in a north-south and then east west manner. Do this 30-40 times and it will clean the micro film on the switch contacts. Throw in an occasional circular motion. Works.

If you have low mpg's, check the alignment especially 'toe' setting. Should be set as close to zero as possible.

Forgot about the wet seatbelt/damp floor issue, caused by leaks in the A to B
pillar trim over both doors . Will cause mold & musty smell. PITA to fix.


Pics showing the drivers side unibody damage, not decided what to do on that one.

Cheers
Ryan

Photos! Post photos!

Sounds like you need a FSM (Factory Service Manual). I'd be heading over to eBay if I were you.

There were some diagonstic manuals posted on insight central a while back. I'll see if I can find a link. But the FSM is what you really need.

I have some photos from my original trip (at bad angles) I will post here hopefully later today, I won't get new ones until I make the long trek back to wausau this weekend sometime.

Due to the issues and the lack of easy DC DC rewiring I figure a couple of my deepcycles in the tub will solve this my main issue well enough, also a good amorphous solar panel would probably be on order, too bad they are usually 4 watts or less for the dash, my kaneka gsa60 no doubt won't fit :(

My other thought was to somehow directly tap the 3 phase and build a 3 phase capacitor battery charger from motor run caps. These are actually very efficient but I would need to find some that handle up to 100hz and I would need to size a bit smaller than I really need and have a contactor cutoff. I am guessing 25amps at 2500rpms (would allow for moderate headlight use and a recharge after start) would be my goal, at 5k this would result in 100amps which would likely fry the caps so I would need a cutoff.

I was thinking an antique generator regulator like you find on old pickups could tame this down a bit and I already have Lead Acid BMS modules for 12v agm which would also tame it a bit.

Cheers
Ryan

May help... (Maybe not...)

http://www.md92raid.100freemb.com/pub/insightindex.html

Better: search through this thread for the PDF files "HondaInsight2000_2006.zip" and "HondaInsightPDFs.zip"

Download 2000-2006 Insight Service Manual PDF and Others - Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum

Woo, congrats on the find and good luck with the repair! I look forward to hearing about it.

I have the patience of a 4 year-old. Want to see!!

My internet connection is slow so no photos until next week but I believe I have tested the DC-DC fuse (on the side of the battery between the DC-DC and battery) and it appears to be good. (which is bad news actually but not unexpected) The guy I bought it from was likely pretending to be dumb, he likely ran through the whole kabootle without a reasonable solution. As is the car works fine, much like an alternator delete car.

I am wondering what the best as found method of testing the DC-DC or 12v wires to the rear is since it seems to be tuff to fit in there.

I looked at this
http://www.insightcentral.net/encycl...njunction.html
No joy as I don't really see what I should on the 12v items I can reach.

My thought is if I want the car on the road in style nearly instantly, deepcycles are to go in the tub, and I will start work on the AC delete / alternator swap ASAP. Harnesses are not my strong suite and the more I look the more I think this really is the case.

Cheers
Ryan

No sooner did I post this when I started to think, the big 12v lugs off the DC-DC show no voltage. Duh, bad 12v cabling assuming these are directly attached to the battery up front, now the best way to route front to back.

I ran a quick test hooking the hot off the dc-dc to the battery up front the quick and dirty way, charges right up, red battery light goes off.

Easiest diagnosis ever, now the fun part of rigging a new cable through the tub, door and firewall. I will need to check the fuse block first (75amp right) my guess is either the cable, the fuse block or both are intermittant junk since the fuse appears to be fine, will double check.

Cheers
Ryan

I still haven't decided on the safe way to route through to the battery, likely I will drill a hole, sadly this car has absolutely no plastic splashguards anywhere so I will need to locate some some my wires don't get destroyed in the winter (lots of bare stuff)

The unibody damage will be the next concern, door just needed a bit more gasket. On the unibody I think a couple welded plugs will likely do it, no idea where to find someone who can weld aluminum well.

Cheers
Ryan

Thanks for posting the pics. Not as bad as I was expecting.

Do you know what happened to the car? The damage inside the wheel well is strange.

He claims a car smacked into it while parked destroying the drivers door.

The front end (and likely wheel) happened when he lost control and smacked a tree, I would guess a fence post or tree stump / rock in the wrong place would have caused the impact by the tire creating the massive mess there, also likely destroying the wire harness and wheel splashguards.

No insights around here to borrow splashguards off :(

It probably was worse but his friends were body guys, fenders and door where replaced, car was likely pulled and yanked straight, radiator and supports were likely replaced partially, door was likely hammered in, I noticed some "drill" marks here and there so they likely did a bit or stretching.

I would love to have the drivers side fender "tigged" but not sure, maybe I am stuck with roofing cement :(

All 4 tires seem to be the same brand and size Ecowing 185/60r14's that may explain some of the slightly lower than expected fuel economy. (which on an insight is still excellent) I was apparently having a brain fart when I looked at them initially.

I noticed one tire was bald and the others in good shape, she rides straight so its either an older tire, or he fixed an alignment issue or there still is one and I can't tell.

I tried locating some "used" RE92s or really any 165 size tire with no dice, with winter coming I am thinking a matched pair of snow tires may be on order despite the FE hit, I noticed some LRR snow tires on tirerack in the right size, now to see if they are still there.

I also was looking for a space saver spare to fit in the trunk, the one with the car is very very well used and bald, looks like the ones that drove my c-car 10k.

On the positive side I have located and ordered a $35 inner fender skirt or liner or whatever you like to call it, it hasn't arrived yet and I am hoping it has all the required pieces so I can try and shove it in there.

Something interesting to note is that all of my cars use the same lug pattern as does my fathers microvan, perhaps a test next summer of tire sizes on different vehicles:)

The one I would most like to test would be RE92's on my fathers microvan (zx40 ev) even though they would be a tad big (185's on here now would never fit) it would provide some insight into if tires could affect how well this rolls, since now it rolls like a car with a boat anchor behind it. Ditto my cobalt, its not as though cavi's never had 14's maybe worth a test to see how RE92's fair compared to the Integrities on there now. (assuming I can find a set)

Cheers
Ryan May

I trust you've seen this:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...eet-19126.html

So you're driving the car? What kind of mileage are you seeing and under what kind of driving?

The only legit driving was done bringing it back home (which was lower than I have experienced before under similar test drives in other insights), the driving done now is short slow test trips which I can't really say is real driving given the temperature and the distance and the idling involved while I tweek things and verify voltages.

I figure 14" RE92's would work great on the 15" cobalt as long as I use a scamguage to correct for them but no telling without a test, they would also work great on the ZX40 but I would have to cut the front fenders out and not turn real sharp :( Might fit the rear though.

My C-car space savers do glide further than typical 155/80r13's, but again we are talking a 2500lb rated tire with maybe 400lbs at most sitting on it so RR is again likely less important there as well and of coarse 155/80s on a c-car probably causes other problems that make more drag anyway, that and the 155's I have available to me are very likely not LRR at all, probably made to be cheap.

Ah well
Cheers
Ryan

Well I finally found a LH inner fender skirt, but it doesn't block the hole, also still getting a bit of a leak on the drivers door.

Car is more or less on the road, I drilled out a broken spotweld near the other cable got a grommet and routed it through some old hose. Now I have no fuse on the DC DC but have a backup and don't care.

Runs rough but the plugs are original at 150k, I will have to figure out how and which ones to install, or maybe have honda do it, though that might suck too much cash for the slight time savings.

I also figure the PVC/EGR might need cleaning or replacement, its like a bit of miss, especially when cold.

Around town with very few stops and 35mph I am getting about 53mpg and I am being relatively carefull driving which from past experience is about 20mpg low, I also noted that going 35mph my FE tops at 75mpg chugging along steady state and drops to 50mpg periodically. Even when the car is warm it doesn't seem to want to autostop until I am almost to a complete stop, I tried the upshift thing and find only Key fas works, though I am likely missing some FE that way.

My thoughts are brake drag and alignment, sadly those for me have always also been very difficult to fix. (besides buffing rust no idea)

Ah well.

Its still much higher MPG than any of my other vehicles excluding the ev.

One thing at a time.

Well first tank was 45mpg (father driving most of it in town to work and grocery store, etc) Speed was typically 25-40mph, minimal stops in a ruralish portion of Weston.

I posted a reply on my space saver tests in the thread you referenced, I did some for real today but could not test the insight wheels on the testbed vehicle sadly.

Anyway...

Well, liquid steel was put into the messed up inner fender area (drivers kickboard) the door leak has magically stopped (for some reason) and the floor no longer leaks with some nice black liquid steel plugs. My father averages 45-53mpg per the lie o meter on the day to day driving, which again seems quite low for the type of driving (ideal insight driving really).

Car likes to miss a bit and run rough, if you shift when it wants you to shift it does not appear to be able to maintain speed.

Next step in my mind is spark plug replacement, I am having a great deal of difficulty locating the proper plug code on the engine block by the spark plug for some reason.

If that doesn't do much, coils then PCV/EGR.

Wish me luck, if its something more major its gonna run just like it is till the motor dies getting 45-53mpg. Not bad for an incorrectly operating vehicle.

Cheers
Ryan

FYI, the lie-o-meter in my Insight is 3% optimistic (average). That's not bad, though the average hides two tanks where it was off by ~10%.

If it's missing/bucking at low RPM and under light/moderate loads, sounds like EGR issues (probably blocked passages). If you fix that, lean burn will be more attainable, and mileage should go up quite a bit.

See my Insight thread for the EGR saga, starting at post #52: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post240350