A starter is included in the Civic hybrid so that it can crank the engine when the temperatures are too cold to exercise the IPU - mainly on the account of the operational range of the NiMH pack. Many of us have already used/heard the starter once or twice during the coldest winter months.

My confidence in the dealer network is not misplaced when it comes to such scenarios, mostly because the service people do very little to get the problems resolved. In other words, the procedural checklists leave very little room for technician experience because all they have to do is plug the car to the HDS station and follow the prompts. If something is wrong then the software literally recommends the solution.

So no worries there.

The only thing I would worry about is the ethical competence of a dealership and for that I always do a bit of homework before choosing a dealer for the "quality" service worthy of my money.

The best thing I can suggest is that you purchase a service manual. Printing and publishing that type of extensive copyrighted info is not legal particularly in a public forum setting such as GH. Besides, the information you need spans multiple modules. It is money well spent particularly for a person with electrical talents or affinities such as yourself.

But then you have the issue of the repair itself since the only means of performing proper servicing in this area is to have the equipment and diagnostic support that dealers possess. Many of the addressable and supported PID's are only thoroughly accessed by the HDS software. And that, denies the use of third party scanners and diagnostic stations because they will not be able to access the Hybrid specific info on the bus.


Anyhow, the power flow happens roughly in this sequence:
-The IMA stator motor/rotor provides the initial upstream power and is governed by the MCM with input from the BCM.
-This upstream power is then directed to the BCM which will then charge the HiMH pack. -In turn, the battery pack provides the nominal 148V level which will then be supplied to the DC-DC (downstream 12V power) and also the MCM which governs the assist function to propel the vehicle.

This is how it happens in a nut-shell.

Further to the DC-DC module, the charge pulses are not always steady. They will be triggered ON and OFF in varying duration and frequency as determined by the governing systems some of which I've already mentioned.

Cheers;

MSantos