Whew... you restored my faith in the lack of faith I have in IMA batteries...

Glad you got a Bumblebee. IMHO, they are better than Honda due to their incoming quality control.

CVT is definitely an issue. We had an HCH2 we recently sold with 223K on it. Seemed fine. I've taken to changing fluid every other oil change on our remaining HCH2 and 2X insights.

 

Our 2003 HCH had its mandatory smog check on Friday. The IMA battery had been replaced 800 miles before and I was a little worried that they would require more miles than that since the last CEL. No problems though. It wasn't much of a smog check, they just checked the gas cap, peeked under the hood, somehow verified that the IAC was working, and that there were no codes. No sensor up the tail pipe. Too bad actually, I would have liked to have known what the emissions actually were.

 

Hondas are great about their drive cycles. I've never had one need more than 50 miles of driving. Have gotten it done in less than 30 miles with directed effort.

 

I am thrilled to see that this forum is still active! I have a 2005 HCH with 256000 and original everything! I replaced the front bearings and control arms recently, but the rest of the car just needs fluids changed. Last week the P1600 and P1449 codes appeared. The IMA light has gone off, but the CEL is still on. Will it go out on it's own? I need to get thru inspection. Any ideas?

 

Highly unlikely. First make sure your 12v is good with a load test at the parts store.

Second, multiple (3-4) 12v resets and force charges might get you some margin that will get you through emissions. You'll need to drive the cycle described in your owners manual before you can take it to emissions.

If that doesn't work, grid charging might work, but you've already gotten way more out of your battery than most. You would probably be best served with a replacement from bumblebee.

 

Thanks for the reply. After a bit of reading and figuring, I decided that you are probably right and I ordered a new battery from Bumblebee. I figure that the money I have saved on gas and other repairs over the past 11 years has paid for it almost 2x! I'm looking forward to the upgrade!

 

Great attitude. It's the original owner that keeps the car that gets the most benefit, and you got your goody out of that one. Break even is about 110,000k considering the extra acquisition cost and 1st replacement. You're definitely still ahead.

 

Hi! I figured out a way to get an HCH1 through inspection with no codes even though it has a P1600 and a P1449 code. I can replicate it too. I see this is a huge issue. My problem is that I’m financially in a rough spot at the moment. I know what I’m implying flies in the face of the spirit of these forums but then again it would seem that mentioning established sellers like bumblebee and greentec does also. Contact me if interested.

 

Sorry to hear you're in a rough spot.

This is curious. Note that direct action to spoof or otherwise "trick" testing is illegal. If you can "game it" such that you can drive it in such a way or otherwise avoid the conditions that set the code and make it through emissions by "getting lucky" because the codes don't set, that's fine.

If this involves resetting the codes and sneaking it through emissions, that's not possible either. Most emissions testing requires all but 1 or 2 checks be "ready" If you disconnect the 12V, all systems report NOT READY. If you can find someone who can "ignore" not ready codes, you can get through emissions; however, that's illegal too. Facilities are required to reject vehicles not meeting the "NOT READY" criteria. Failure to do so is illegal.

If you've been able to repeat this on your own vehicle, you have no certainty that it will apply to other vehicles in various states of degradation, so assuming it's a legitimate method, the chances of it being successful or a money-making opportunity are likely very limited.

Not sure what you mean by the Greentec/Bumblebee reference. They are sources for cheaper packs than the dealerships to permit proper function. Not sure how that flies in the face of the spirit of these forums.

Good luck.

 

Hi Steve, so good to hear from you again. You have been so helpful to me in the past. My reference to Greentec and Bumblebee above was nothing negative toward them. I was just using them as an example of entities that receive financial gain due to their mention on these forums. The technique that I am using makes the vehicle be in the “ready” state before the inspection. I imagine that there are some packs that are too far gone to be able to help. There is an easy way to know. If a person clears the codes on their vehicle and then drives about 10-15 miles and the check engine light already comes on then I don’t think what I do will work. Hard driving up hills or with a fast acceleration will make the CEL come on also. However if you’re not going to do that before your inspection it is not a valid comparison. Yes, I understand that a vehicle must be in a “ready” state to pass inspection. I would love to have some people from New York State (I’m in western NY) come by who are unable to pass inspection due to a P1600 and P1449 code combination only. This would give me a chance to demonstrate that what I do works. Thanks for your input, Steve.