Trollinsight Modding Thread (2000 Honda Insight) - Page 2 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

CigaR007 · 05-11-2013, 03:32 PM

The FCD button might be stuck. I read somewhere that is a way to "un-stuck" it. Try moving the FCD button slightly sideways, up and down. Might just be a bad mechanical/electrical contact.

AntiochOG · 05-11-2013, 03:35 PM

Congrats on your purchase. I hope a first gen. Insight is the next vehicle I buy.

MetroMPG · 05-11-2013, 04:16 PM

Mauricio is right ... the trip or FCD buttons can be a problem. I haven't experienced it yet, but remember someone talking about it here. Insightcentral.net would be a good place to search too.

jamesqf · 05-12-2013, 12:42 AM

Don't know about the FCD button (I don't think I've used it since the first few weeks), but the trip button does wear and eventually becomes inoperable. There are two solutions, both of which involve removing the instrument panel (which isn't that difficult, surprisingly). There are two small printed circuit boards, one on each side of the panel, that hold microswitches for the trip button, and the other two similar switches on the left (can't remember what they do). Simplest, if you don't use the left-side buttons, is to just swap the two boards. Otherwise, you can order replacement switches and solder them in. Instructions can be found at InsightCentral, just search for "trip button repair".

H-Man · 05-12-2013, 03:20 AM

My car has 249,827 miles on it. .2 Tm is just broken in for a toyota, an insight should be the same.

War_Wagon · 05-12-2013, 05:59 PM

I can't help with the display questions, but after looking at those pictures, you could sort that car out in about 20 minutes with 2 cans of spray paint. The trim under the window just needs the remaining black removed (wire brush), then mask the door and window with some tape and spray it with a few coats of semi-gloss black. The faded part on the hatch should be glossy black, but you have to be really careful sanding it smooth as it's plastic. Though try a bit of wax on it first. It won't be perfect, but it will probably look a lot better, and you won't have to worry about ruining the plastic. The front bumper needs to be painted professionally. Silver is a very hard colour to match due to the metallic content. If you tried it yourself with Honda touch up paint out of a spray can, it will look terrible. Trust me, I have ruined enough cars to know ha ha.

sheepdog 44 · 05-12-2013, 09:28 PM

Your exterior issues are pretty good actually! It's the trip button pcb. You can get a free upgrade at Insight central. You have to take the dash apart, i did it to my car.

HyperMileQC · 05-13-2013, 04:08 PM

I tried to push the Trip button all the way possible, for like 300 times. But its still not working. What is weird is that when I push the Trip button for several seconds, it resets my Trip A (where my Trip A-Trip B-Lifetime display is stuck).

Also, I did 80.8 MPG on the FCD on my commute to CEGEP :

Took a picture of the engine bay :

And a picture of the trunk :

HyperMileQC · 05-13-2013, 09:40 PM

Update : I did my first mods! The first one is a DRL (Daytime Running Lights) Deactivation. What I did is simply tilt the switch under the hand brake. It is still grounded so when I start the car, the DRL's are off, and when I remove my hand brake, it doesn't detect it, so the DRL's stays off. I always have the ''DRL'' and ''Hand Brake'' dash lights tho.

I also sealed some gaps between the hood and light plastic cover. It is made of weatherstripping tape.

I will provide some pictures when it will be sunny outside.

What is on my to do list :
-Put the Rear Fender Skirts (I don't have the OEM Fasteners),
-LED Lights,
-Summer Tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE92 165/65/14''),
-New Rear Shock Absorbers,
-Grille Block,
-Antenna Relocation,
-Hatch Wiper Remove for Summer,
-Repair the Trip Button,
-100 MPG Trip!

War_Wagon · 05-14-2013, 01:36 AM

So THAT's what they look like under that plastic engine cover! I've never had to remove mine, so I just left it alone, thanks for posting that. That isn't the factory ground strap on the 12v battery, but I can't remember if that is the correct location for it to be attached to on the body. I only mention it because these cars are really finicky about having the system well grounded, so you might want to double check that it shouldn't be attached to something else for what it's worth.