Hello
I am buying a 05 Accord EX Hybrid from auction in another state that I will get shipped here and would like to hear advice and opinions on anything related to its ownership, operation and maintenance.


Thanks

 

Immediately budget $2300 for a replacement IMA battery.

 

Reconditioning isn't effective?

 

It can be, but the improvement is always short term and needs repeating. The most convenient method is whole pack charge/discharge with something like a Hybrid Automotive system.

 

So the Hybrid Automotive system package works but only short term?

 

Once a pack gets imbalanced to the point of recalbrations or IMA light, ALL solutions are temporary.

"Recondition" typically refers to pack disassembly, working with the individual subpacks and then reassembling them - this is what I was referring to short term. If you find yourself having to tear into a pack every few months to recondition the subpacks, you'll consider it a short term solution too.

The HA systems work on the whole pack level. Even if you have to do it every few months, it's as simple as letting it charge for 18-24 hrs. If you don't get the results, you add in a discharge that's as simple as plugging in the discharger and letting it go for a few hours at a time.

Many folks report life extensions in excess of a year.

If you begin a preventative maintenance effort, like grid charging and discharging every oil change, before the battery develops significant problems, the service life can be extended greatly.

I will mention that a car that has sat for a very long time and is then driven on an imbalanced battery can immediately ruin it. I experienced this with an Insight that sat on dealer lots in an imbalanced state for months. The barely 3 year old pack was ruined due to driving in an imbalanced state.

 

Well I got the car and no IMA lights but check engine light came on I think because the intake tube/hose was off and had to replace it. I see the battery level stay mainly full but sometimes go down in short driving. The engine sometimes shuts down at lights. I do not get and electric motor only driving but don't know if this has that feature. This one needs body work but I plan on driving it much more to learn about it before I sink more money into body work.

 

The Honda IMA system pre-2012 has very limited electric only mode, but you can't tell because the gas motor is still turning over.

Auto stop should work once the engine is fully warmed up.

Use Auto or Econ settings for the climate control (not sure how the 05 is setup). Set temperature and leave it. Don't treat it like a dumb system and blast full heat or full cold. Let it regulate itself.

Minimize use of front defrost.

Don't guess with codes. Get yourself a $12 bluetooth ELM32 code reader and $6 for Torque Pro (android only). You'll never have to guess about codes again, and it can monitor real-time driving.

Steve

 

I loaned out my code reader but drove the car about 40 miles round trip and on the way back the CEL went out. I was hoping it illuminated only because I ran the engine with the intake tube off causing issues with the MAF.
After that drove it to learn about it and was enjoying the 37-40 highway mpg but later on in the night when driving to work the CEL light and the IMA light came on. I didn't notice any difference in driving but unless I can read the codes soon it will be at the dealership Mon to at least diagnose what is wrong.
If it is something in the drivetrain that is expensive it will be parked or I might buy a wrecked one for parts. If it is battery it will be addressed. I am still trying to wrap my mind around the reconditioning process. Some say replace bad cells while others do controlled charge discharge while others do both. But you on the other hand say those are short term solutions. I looked at replacement prices from Bumblebee, Greentec (rebuilt and new), Cardone (rebuilt) Dorman and another aftermarket outfit selling battery packs.
On a side note I can't understand why there aren't cheaper alternatives. I used to build packs for RC cars and planes back in the day and don't recall individual cells being so costly.
This was bought at auction post collision so the information/GPS seems to be locked (battery was dead?). When I try to turn it on it says something about the system disk. I will try to remember the code statement next time. I know some systems don't work without the DVD while others don't after battery was dead for extended periods. I hope the head unit is still ok.
Any suggestions?

 

OKAY... MAD. posted and it cut off over half of what I typed...

IMHO, 99% chance it's the battery.

There is only 1 logical choice for replacement batteries. Bumblebee. They are VERY thorough and test sticks down to the cell level matching 61 different parameters when building packs. They build them to last.

Nothing from your RC life is applicable here. These are sub-2mΩ IR cells with 100A charge/discharge capability. Back when Panasonic made them, they were $20-25 each or in quantities of 1000, round $15. You can do that math.

Nobody replaces individual cells. They're spot welded together 6 places for conductivity and strength.

You can order your own sticks from China for about $1375 after shipping. You'll still have the problem of joining them and making them work in the pack.

Take the car to a dealer with proof of ownership, and they will give you the nav security code.

Steve