That would cause a MIL (check engine light) to illuminate. Marc... any dash lights associated with your condition?

 

I agree with others. Check your alignment, they may have aligned the wheels according to a regular civic spec and not the hybrid. In the original HCH, the toe in/toe out spec was practically zero to reduce road resistance.

 

Hi Folks. Thanks for the opinions. I wanted to update. First, I am a little embarrassed that this whole thing is actually bothering me as much as it is. I think I have really come to appreciate how the car was engineered and to see that go away just bugs me. here is what I have done and what my conclusion is.

First, I think the broken gas cable for the door has nothing to do with a mileage drop--but the b1 service I had done that immediately preceded it did.

I have seen more forced regen in the past week than the past year. It isnt working correctly or logically. Its almost as if two software programs are competing with each other where before there was one. Specifically, forced regen occurs, particularly when starting, until the car gets to seven bars, which usually happens---say-- when I get finished driving to where I need to go. Previously, the battery had to go to 2 bars before I saw a forced regen, which was rare.

Worse yet, the battery drains very fast-- I actually had it go to NO BARS for the first time ever (DESPITE FORCED REGEN BEING ON) tonight, when I had started with five. It dropped from five to none--almost no autostop, in about .3 miles. That would be three tenths of a mile. What the heck is this? Anyone have this associated with a service or recall done?

So I took it for a LONG drive last night just to see what would happen on the empty beltway 8 over to the airport at 10 PM at night after band practice. 58 MPH tires at 40, minimal AC (BUT ON). It got 51 MPG over 40-50 miles, despite having a one bar forced regen about half of the way.

AS I said, the engine runs fine, the Instant MPG reflects engine use accurately. The problem seems to be excessive forced regen all of a sudden and a propensity to wild variations in battery pack charge states. So-- Software update--???? How would I check. A botched recall job?

Opinions?

 

PS- No indicator light issues.

 

PSS- Last tank was 44.4 MPG. Way too low for me. Even in a HOuston summer. Been there done that.

 

My situation doesn't sound anywhere near as bad as yours. I got 49mpg sweating it out on the way home on a drive that I should have gotten 50 so not bad but somehow I felt I really had to work more than usual for it. My forced regens are like yours, doesn't stop til 7 bars but the last time I saw that was winter! I do notice with the A/C on you'll see a forced one bar regen a lot more often.

What grinds me is that the drop is so minor I'll probably never get the time of day at the dealer but somehow the car just feels different than the one I had just 2 weeks ago.

 

Hey, rysa4 --
That level of discharge can't be right/healthy -- sounds like you've got some sort of dead short, a steady current draw that the computer is seeing and forcing regen to combat.

Drive to dealer, leave running, stuff a service tech in the car with you, go drive, and make him tell you to your face that's normal behavior. I don't think they'll be happy with what it's doing, particularly since it's just been serviced w/the accompanying potential for something not having been rewired correctly. At least, that's the point I'd push 'til somebody tore it apart to give it another look.

--doug

 

Thanks Doug. Your response seems logical..and in fact..probable, with regards to the computer seeing an unusal drop and reacting via forced regen. Even at 7 bars I guess; and even when AutoStop continues to function. That pairing never used to occur. The software must measure rate of discharge as well as battery level I guess. Interesting. I'd rather not have this as a focus of interest at all however.

I took it to the dealer tonight and pulled the service person aside and explained what I was seeing. He put me in an Accord loaner and suggested maybe the battery pack was bad. I gently reminded him that the battery was doin OK and that perhaps a short across the DC cap area where the recent work occured should also be considered. Not anything he wasn't thinking I am sure. This raises an interesting issue as far as how things get reported to Honda as a side note. Assuming they fix it, I'll let this go.

Globally 1. Car running fine prior to recent service. 2. Service B1 maintenance followed by a drop in mileage and a mysterious gas door cable breaking. Drop in mileage. 3. Safety Recall performed and now a charge management change resulting in a drop in city fuel economy.

Not so hard to see the big picture.

Its reasonable to give the dealer a shot at fixing. So lets see what Happens. Hopefully, all will be as it was. If not, I am sure someone would be OK with a 50/44 car instead of a 52/49 car. Its truely a great and revolutionary vehicle and its a shame this has popped up.

 

A few months back, our 2006 HCHII started a serious decline in mpg - after a few weeks the "check engine" light came on. The dealer diagnosed it as a bad O2 sensor, replaced under warranty and things were back to normal.

 

No warning lights; the charge managment is obviously altered at the expense of gas consumption; associated in time with a service visit to a dealer and the safety recall work on the DC cap in the area that connects the IMA to the ICE ( at least part of it).

Dougs short circuit unusual charge draw is quite plausible.