Enabling lean burn with IMA errors (and/or removal) HONDA INSIGHT

[sheepdog 44]

I may be out of the loop, but as far as I recall the Insight will not Lean Burn while the IMA light is on, when the IMA battery is bypassed, or if the IMA battery is physically removed. I met someone at the 2016 GGP that said otherwise.

I emailed this:

This is the procedure that everyone uses to drive without the IMA installed, and of course bypassing the IMA with the battery still installed is just unplugging the BCM. Both procedures require disconnecting the 12 volt. IMA light goes on and then lean burn doesn't work.
http://www.bumblebeebatteries.com/in...val/rembyp.htm

He replied:

You don’t need to disconnect the 12V. That step was put there to protect careless people from shock. Be careful and wait for a while after turning off the vehicle and switching off the battery. Test the voltage of the main power leads going to the battery. If it’s below 4V, you’re fine. the important part is to disconnect the BCM while the car is turned off and before a 1601 level error has been thrown (one that shuts down battery use).

The IMA and CEL will be lit. The BCM will not have told the main computer not to restrict lean burn, so it won’t.

I found this relevant post on another forum.

What the IMA error is probably determines lean burn availability...

I just experienced lean burn in my car this morning with no battery at all. The car had a standard bypass board and currently has P1648 and P1580. My scangauge reads lean burn by measuring the O2 sensor. When it reads 0, I'm in lean burn. I had no problem getting into and staying in lean burn at 50 mph in a 50 mph zone.

Yes, but without inputs from the missing BCM, hence the errors.

To do this you need a working hybrid battery that will not give an IMA code before you start the process. So there you have it, if anyone wants to try to get lean burn on their Insight that has an IMA light, this is how you do it. We need someone to test this so we can verify that it works.

[Xist]

I wish we could figure out how to just force lean burn with a switch, but I imagine they have a reason for programing so many conditions.