This was my original question. Are there any issues driving a 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid after the IMA battery totally fails? After reading this post it makes me wonder where can you get the right answer. A mechanic at the honda dealership in Lansing, MI said that once the IMA battery totally fails that the car would continue to operate on the gas engine alone. Is this true? What can I expect, ie mpg, performance, other rising issues, if that is true?

I just don't know if its worth the money to replace the IMA battery. I am right at 100000 miles and the car drives perfectly still. I can't even get an answer of how long the current IMA will continue to work until it completely fails. I was hoping to get another 100000 miles out of this car before replacing it. I called American Honda and they are offering to assist $1100, but my cost would still be over $2500, depending on applicable taxes.

According to my calculations based on how I drive my car, I spend about $2000 a year on gas, thats based on I avg about 25 mpg overall and at $3.00 a gallon of gas. If my overall lowers to 20 mpg going with the gas engine alone (is that a correct estimate) my cost of gas alone would increase to $2500 a year. If I can get another 5-6 years out of the car, I would break even not replacing the IMA. But if other issues would arise and I can keep my current mpg than I would have to keep the car another 5-6 years to recoup the cost in the gas savings.

Thanks for any advice.

 

I'm not really sure, but maybe if you plan to use the car long-term without the IMA you might want to use a trickle-charger on the 12V battery to keep it charged sufficiently.

I would think that without the IMA your car would get lower mpg results and would have less power in situations where normally you would get the additional IMA battery assist.

Maybe you should ask over at:

http://www.hybrid-battery-repair.com/hybrid.html

He may have some answers to your questions.

 

What I was told is that the IMA battery also acts as the alternator in the vehicle. So if the alternator was to go that car wouldn't run correctly. Anyone else hear that?

 

If the cars has a failed IMA battery you will likely lose an equal amount or more in resale value.

Why is Honda offering to share the replacement cost on a good HAH battery? Some HCH owners have been having trouble getting them to replace bad ones.

 

The battery is a part of IMA system, so it may take a part in voltage management onboard of the car but it is not that obvious that it is absolutely necessary for charging 12V battery. The voltage generator is IMA motor but not IMA battery. There is also DC-DC voltage converter to convert high voltage from IMA system to charge 12V battery.

BTW my car used 12V starter the very first time to start the engine for 3.5 years of ownership (it was negative Fahrenheit temperature outside). Strange feeling I would tell you.

 

Negative temps don't qualify for a conventional starter start-up. I've started my car on many occasions this past winter in single digits and a few mornings where it was negative (one morning it was -6F, -12F with the wind chill) and not one time did it start with the conventional starter.

However, the times my car did start with the conventional starter, my 12V battery ended up being weak. I suggest having your 12V battery tested, just incase.

On a separate subject, one of those negative degrees mornings, my driver's side door lock cylinder froze up. Hitting unlock on the remote wouldn't unlock the doors. I could put the key in the lock cylinder, but it wouldn't turn. Lock operated normally later in the day, when the sun warmed up that side of car.

 

I had my 12V battery tested not a long time ago. No problem found.

 

Just bought a new battery within a year and fortunately don't have any starting problems like I did before I bought it. I thought my IMA battery was going then but replace the 12v battery and all problems went away. My HAH has over 166k on it and hope to get at least 166k more.

 

Yes! It is possible to disable the IMA battery. I have done it for less than $100!!!!! I have been driving my Honda Civic 2007 Hybrid for over a year now. In fact I have even noticed my MPG has gone up! When the problem first started I didn't know what to do. I am not a mechanic by any means but it is fairly simple. These are the steps. First you have to turn off the IMA battery, which is located behind the back seat (in the civic at least) remove the back seat and there is a small panel where you have to remove two screws. Behind the panel is a switch simply flip the switch to off and put the panel back on... Note: you have to put the panel back on upside down this is the only way it fits back on. This will make sure that the switch doesn't accidently get flipped back on. After it is turned off replace the seat. Now the previous post are correct in that the IMA system is acts as an alternator. For those of you know don't know, (I didn't) the alternator charges your normal 12v battery when you are driving. So we have to solve this problem. The main 12v battery needs to be replaced with a deep cycle battery which you can get at any walmart, deep cycle batteries are 12v batteries that are installed in boats because boat batteries can be drained all the way down to the very bottom and sit for months (in storage or over the winter) and be able to charge. The standard battery that comes in your car does not have this capability, once the juice is drained it is drained. Once you have your new battery also buy a battery charger, they can be bought at walmart as well, they can cost any where from 25-100 dollars. I would recommend one that has a meter and something compact. After you install the battery you can charge it every night from you garage with the battery charger that plugs right into the wall. So instead of charging the battery while you drive you charge the battery at night. Of course this comes with limitations but if you are tight on cash, like I said, I have been doing this for over a year. I commute to work every day about 70 miles round trip. With a full charge the battery could essential make it almost a full week (I've tried it) but I recommend hooking up the charger every night so that you are in the habit of doing so. Some limitations, when you take it off of the IMA the car will seem sluggish, as you first accelerate, you may have experienced this on a hot day when you had your IMA intact, this is an okay reaction, just get use to it being a little slower at getting to full speed. Other draw back, it is not wise to use the AC at full capacity, I don't us it at all so I conserve battery power. Be conservative with all of your electrical devices, radio, head lights, etc. One last thing I would recommend, most models have safety axillary head lights that stay lite all the time, even if you don't have your headlights on. Simply find look at your user manuel to pull the fuse for those lights. This will help you conserve even more power during the day. I do some night driving with my regular head lights, last night my wife took the car and she was gone in the dark running errands for 4-5 hours, this was even after my normal commute. If you have any questions please feel free to email me jeremyjohnjones@hotmail.com.

 

I generally hate it when people necro a thread but this one is a bit important.

Would it not also be possible to put on a trickle charger with a solar panel on the roof/dash wherever and let the new battery charge from that?

Obviously we are talking about a major stop-gap measure here, but if you needed to keep a car running for a few months while you saved up money for a new battery it seems like it might be viable.