HCH1 Ecomodding

[Ecky]

Anybody know what the correct thermostat for this car is? I have every indication that the thermostat is functioning correctly, but it warms up to ~86c (187f, suggesting 180f thermostat?), whereas my Insight warms up to 90c/195f. Is this correct?

Also, I've noticed that the radiator fan frequently stays on for 30-60 seconds after I park the car and turn off the engine, despite coolant temperatures being ~86c when I park it. Before I checked temps with my bluetooth dongle, I was thinking the lower grille block might've been too much.

[Bull Dog]

These behavior's are typical and normal for a HCH1.

I use a ScanTool OBDLink MX with my Nexus 5X.

In my 2004, normal operating temperature cruising down the highway is ~184F. Longer grades will typically see a rise up to about 190F. One interesting feature I noticed on the most recent trip I took, is that the car will not enter lean burn until the engine drops below a certain reported temperature somewhere around 187-188F.

One of the radiator fans running after the engine has been shut off, is normal.

[Ecky]

Most of my trips have been 55-60mpg, but my wife drives the car as much as I do, and she typically parks it with around 40-44mpg on the FCD - together we're averaging around 50mpg when I fill up.

I've noticed on a few longer trips that the engine will (rarely) spasm and vibrate badly when driving on the highway, and that pushing the pedal down or letting off the gas makes it go away, much like what I'd do to exit lean burn in my Insight. Add to that, I have not yet seen lean burn engage in this car, so I suspect it's trying to go into lean burn, and failing.

So, I decided to soak the EGR valve with some WD-40, and clean out the EGR passages:






The passages weren't all that bad and there's no way to know if the valve was causing the problem. I do a lot of driving in the mountains, and temperatures have been below freezing, leaving little opportunity for lean burn, so it might be a few days before I have opportunity to find out if cleaning the valve and passages did anything, but it certainly can't hurt.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I might want to check to make sure the car has the right spark plugs.

[Ecky]

Got my dam installed on my HCH1 today.


Factory "air dam":



Underbody aerodynamic mess:



Dam installed:



I might add skirts later.

[Ecky]

My next majoy concern is rust. When I got the car, there was only the faintest hint of bubbling, and no visible rust without poking one's head under the car. Just another 2 months of driving in salt has done damage, though. I imagine the previous owner knew the cancer was about to take hold, and got rid of the car before that happened.









It's not horrifying, but it needs to be dealt with sooner than later. I have a bottle of naval jelly, sand paper, and some rubberized rustoleum underbody paint ready and waiting for a clear afternoon.

[Ecky]

Got the rust repaired as well as I could on one side. Need to get it all covered up before I put skirts on.




Found the sway bar mount is broken on the other, but overall the rust isn't as bad there.




EDIT: Got passenger side cleaned up.

[Ecky]

The HCH1 will not work with a normal G1 Insight grid charger without modification, because the cooling fan requires a PWM signal to turn. Today, my eBay special PWM generator came in, and I will be incorporating it into my grid charger as soon as my replacement power supply comes in. This time around, I'm using a single 500ma Mean Well LED driver, with a 100-200v range. Charging should be slightly faster now, and should work on both really cold days (higher voltage) an from a deep discharge.

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Supplies-100-200V-500mA-Supply/dp/B01BKA5B70?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui _detailpage_o00_s00

[Daox]

Is the pack the same voltage?

[California98Civic]

I just noticed this thread. I like your work cleaning up this good-looking, humble little car. The wheel wells look good, so does the air dam. That low it will scrape (mine does) but the edging flexes a lot. (You probably know all that already.)

Question, have you hunted-down a Factory Service Manual for the 2003-2005 HCH? I have collected a bunch of free Civic FSM editions from 4th gen to 6th or 7th gen.

[Ecky]

@Daox, I believe it is not, but it's relatively close. The Insight has a 6.5ah pack, whereas the Civic's is 6.0ah, and both use similar cells. I'm lead to believe the cells in the HCH1 are a bit beefier, to handle higher current.

@California98Civic, I've actually had an awful time finding any resources for this car. You'd think a Civic would have a bigger knowledge base than the Insight, but that's far from the truth. For instance, I went looking for information on where the PCV valve is, and could find no guide or pictures, only threads referencing that one needs to take off the intake manifold to get to it.