2000 Insight - TLC and ecomodding build

[Ecky]

Whereabouts do you live? The sensor is used to calculate the blend of air for the climate control, and where I live the temperature outside can swing more than 100 degrees. Note a huge deal, but it would result in only "60" and "90" AKA "cold" and "hot" being useful sometimes.

[samwichse]

We get summer highs with a true 100F, winter lows to around 0F.

The climate system still seems to work as intended. I leave the knob set to 75 summer or winter. Disconnect the green heat servo in the summer so it doesn't waste energy mixing heat with the AC(!). Yes, that is stock behavior.

[littlecars]

Originally Posted by cowmeat

It's a gimmick I bought from one of the IC guys, supposedly it's going to smooth out the acceleration/deceleration and give me a boost of mpg between 6 & 10%. I'm installing it today, so I'll find out on the next tank, since I'm almost at empty. This tank will mimic the last tank (I'm at about 73 mpg on the dash), so we'll see if the throttle smoothing circuit is worthwhile since it's installation will coincide with a fresh tank.

BTW, you seem to be doing a lot to keep your IMA charged. One of the mods I did on Turtle that helped keep my IMA charged was adding the regenerative brake button, which I installed on the shifter. Instead of using the brakes (unless heavy braking action is required), I press the regen button and it makes the assist motor think I have hit the brakes, so it goes into full regen mode until I let go of the button. It also turns on the brake lights when I press the button, so I'm not slowing without the people behind me noticing. I run around with a full IMA battery all the time now from that mod, I haven't had any issues at all since installing it, and I barely even use the brakes now.
This was super-easy to install btw, and you could make your own.

On my 2000 Insight MT, if I just lightly feather the brake pedal - no actual braking, the IMA charges. Why do I need a separate switch? Just curious, I would like to know why feathering the brake pedal is not sufficient for IMA charging / slow down? Thanks.

[littlecars]

BTW, Simple Green sprayed on yellowed, dirty interior silver/textured Insight door panels, allowed to sit for 10 minutes, then back your butt in toward the door hinges and warm power wash outward toward the trailing edge of door - gets the silvery textured door panel clean as new! Back your butt in to do it, with hi press sprayer facing rear of door to avoid any possibility of spraying electrical switches on door!

[Ecky]

You can use the pedal like that. I really like my button, personally, but it's the same thing. You can't replicate the hand-clutch switch though, as you'd need to fully depress the clutch to hit it normally.

[Natalya]

I mounted the brake switch on my steering wheel. Best mod ever.

[Ecky]

About 2 weeks ago, I ordered a 50w and 150w heating pad for the transmission and oil pan respectively. I'd have gotten bigger ones, but a 250w was twice as expensive, and the 500w was too big for the pan.

Kat's 24050 50 Watt 2"x 5" Universal Hot Pad Heater

Kat's 24150 150 Watt 4"x 5" Universal Hot Pad Heater

Permatex 81160 High-Temp Red RTV Silicone Gasket, 3 oz.

They come with a sticky surface, but the instructions recommend that gasket material be placed around the edge to seal out moisture and oil.






50w and 250w are probably about right, anyway. On the same outlet I also have a 400w block heater, 12v trickle charger, and the extension cord I pushed through the firewall, which I use for either grid charging or to preheat the cabin with an electric space heater. The space heater has a 750w setting, and when combined with trickle charger, block and pad heaters, total draw is ~1500w.

[MetroMPG]

CRUD!!! You just reminded me I should have snatched the heating pad off the Toyota Echo I sold a couple of months ago! It had one on the oil pan, and I'm sure I could have carefully removed it to reuse. Wasn't thinking.

[Ecky]

Updated glossary in first post, reorganized to make it easier to find things.

[Daox]

Looks great. I bet its hard finding space on the trans to fit a pad heater.

I'm definitely wanting to do something similar.