Bought a 2000 Honda Insight ! ! !

[Tango Charlie]

Yeah, maybe not full-on bucking, but definitely herky-jerky, hesitating, stumbling, and generally not as smooth as I think it should be.

I saw the link to InsightCentral's thread that you referenced in your UFO thread. I took a quick peek at it and it looks pretty good. Saw in the pictures that the EGR valve is right on the front of the engine. That's a relief.

[MetroMPG]

Not just the valve, but the EGR manifold that distributes gas from the valve to each cylinder - that was actually the bigger part of the problem on my car. (See pics in the UFO thread - it was pretty coked up.)

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

Ha ha! You may very well be right. I certainly hope so anyway. It just seems like it should recharge fully when I'm cruising home for 45 minutes with minimal stop and go. I dunno.

Not if you think about it. Honda's goal in designing this car was efficiency. When the battery recharges during cruise, that takes energy, which uses more gas. Not only that, the extra load would keep it from going into lean burn as often. On the other hand, if it recharges using braking, that captures energy that would otherwise be wasted heating up the brake pads. So once the battery has a part charge, the most efficient option is to bias the system towards less non-braking regen.

[MetroMPG]

I wonder what logic it uses for background charging. After all, if you're doing a highway trip, especially with a few moderate hills thrown in, you could soon drain the pack without having any opportunities for regen.

When I tested my freshly refurbished/balanced pack, I mostly did highway driving. I found the car wanted to immediately replace (via background charging while cruising) any energy I took from the pack. It did make lean-burn harder to attain & hold.

I haven't driven the car enough with the pack operational to know what "normal" background charging behavior is though.

[99metro]

Even with those issues, very nice deal for $2k. Can't get an insight around here for under $9k.

[Tango Charlie]

The young lady that sold it to me was quite emotional about it. She was soooo happy that I was going to take care of her "baby" and not part it out. She thanked me so profusely and with heartfelt tears in her eyes that it was somewhat embarrassing, actually!

I've been wondering about the charging logic as well. I have definitely witnessed about four bars on the CHRG side of the meter while in cruise (for a duration of less than 15-20 seconds at a time). Many times, this causes the little engine to bog a little and run a bit rough. Which is another reason I'm eager to clean out that EGR.
I'm still not familiar enough with the car to say I've witnessed the background charging. I'll try to keep my eyes open for that. I'm thinking it should manifest itself as a rise on the battery level meter without any CHRG indication.

Some other random observations about this funky little car;

If I don't back out of the driveway at a slight angle, it'll scrape its chin on the curb. The little sucker is LOW.

Air conditioning?! This thing has AC? That was unexpected.

I miss not having a clock. And I refuse trying to learn how to operate the super cheap detachable-face after-market stereo. Life's too short.

Having the window down doesn't create a windstorm inside the cabin like every other car I've driven or ridden in. Swish.

If I try to open the rear hatch when its locked, I lift the rear tires off the ground. Okay, maybe not really, but it feels like it.

You know how when you buy a car, and then you start noticing how many others there are on the road? Yeah, that doesn't happen with a 1st gen Insight.

[Tango Charlie]

This is a surprisingly quiet car. My Vibe is atrociously noisy at highway speed by comparison. But there are noises. Noises I notice just because I'm not used to them, and some I'm not familiar with.
While driving, I hear a servo motor making adjustments. Is it the mixer valve in the climate control manifold? The sound bounces around and I could swear it's coming from behind me. There's no servo-type mechanisms back there, is there? Hmm, mysteries.
On my way home today, I realized there was a significant whistle. Wind noise. That's weird. This thing has a 0.25 Cd, right? Shouldn't be whistling. At home I looked at the wipers. They looked like they were all the way down, but I pushed on them gently and they went down further. Maybe they were sticking up into the airflow and causing the whistle. I'll find out tomorrow.

[jamesqf]

There are sort of servo things behind you, in the battery module. There's a battery fan that can switch off & on, and I think relays in the DC/DC converter. I've never really noticed them except when parked, though.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

You know how when you buy a car, and then you start noticing how many others there are on the road? Yeah, that doesn't happen with a 1st gen Insight.

Ha! Too true. I haven't seen another one on the road since last summer.

But with fewer than 400 sold in Canada over the entire model run, it's no surprise for me.

There's at least one other one kicking around this area, but I haven't actually seen it since I stalked its owner in 2010.

[3-Wheeler]

Tango,

When it's time to start trickle charging your battery, check here on how to do it....

Very useful information.

Picasa Web Albums - Jim - Battery Trick...

Good luck to you.

Jim.