Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

I wish I had a code reader so I could know what my car is telling me. Will try to hit the dealer up ASAP. I have a 2004 HCH Manual.

So today after leaving work (car had sat for 5 hours, weather sunny, temperature around 48 degrees F) I was entering the highway and the IMA light as well as the Malfunction Indicator light both came on. I've been doing a lot of reading on IMA lights since my car is at 90k. I bought it used August 22 this year. The car recently has been hard to keep the battery charged. It also has been mis-reading the available charge.

For instance, yesterday, when I turned on the car the indicator said it was about 1/2 charged. Once warmed up, the car entered parasitic mode and then read about 5 bars. Obviously, the first reading was wrong by a lot.

I have been doing ok on mpg. Current tank is averaging 47 according to the readout which I've figured out is about 2% off (it guesses high).

Obviously, I need to have some codes to know what is going on, but I'm not sure if it's a battery issue or Oxygen sensor. From what I've been reading, it's quite possible it's the O2 sensor but with my battery symptoms as of recent, I wonder.

Guess I'm just nervous since I didn't expect a battery purchase quite this soon after purchasing the vehicle.

Some side notes...

Dealer I got it from (Used Honda Dealer) obviously used the wrong oil if they changed it. I suppose it's quite possible they didn't change it. The oil was thick and looked like melted chocolate when I changed it. When I changed the oil, I didn't fill the filter. I hear this can cause issues?

Any advice in talking with the dealer? I never have really had to deal with my dealer as my '98 was a great car and the only thing I ever replaced in the 125k I had it for was the exhaust.

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

Forgot to note I just had the 12v battery changed about a week ago. I've heard this can trip the lights. Took the car to AutoZone and read P1600 and P1433. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow. Hopefully this isn't as bad as it sounds O.o

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

Went to the dealer this morning. Didn't have an appointment but I told them my codes and they said it would be okay to drive until I get in. Appointment is for the Monday after Thanksgiving. I think I know what they are going to tell me (battery replacement) and I can't afford to do it now. If I can hold off until spring I will be able to. We'll see. Since the car is new to me, I'm not sure if the ECU has been updated. Luckily anything that is replaced by me will be well documented as I'm a bit OCD about the maintenance of my cars. If it's ECU, that would be a relief if it prolonged the inevitable replacement.

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

Could very well be the cat. converter or sensor! Have you been having recal problems with you pack? If not then I suspect the cat..H

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

Harold, I've noticed a bit of a dip in performance, but only as of late. This may be due to the change in temperature I think. Having only owned the car for a few months, I really don't have much experience with the car to go on. I've been averaging about 46-48 mpg during the time I've had it. Best tank was 49.

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

Normal for a dip when weather cools. That is good FE. Chances are your only looking at a cat . sensor or oxygen sensor. There is a chance the IMA system will still be covered? H

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

I'm really not sure. I made an appointment and I'll know more after that. I'm watching the IMA system and it seems to be hit and miss with accuracy on the capacity readout. Other than that it autostops fine and seems to charge and discharge as it has been. At least I hypermile so it isn't overly hard on the system. I'll keep up with updates. Hoping it's the cat or O2 sensor as those I can afford right now.

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

The cat is not cheep! If I remember correctly, it is about $2200. H

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

There's a recent thread regarding an update for the catalytic converter, and an extension on the warranty for the oxygen sensors (although your mileage at 90K might be over the limit on the extension):

https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...nverter-27212/

Your dealer should be able to pull up service bulletins on their computer if you didn't receive any of this info in the mail.

Service bulletin #11-043 is the current software update for the cat sensors.
#11-044 is the warranty extension for the secondary and third heated oxygen sensors. Warranty is extended to 8 years from the original date of purchase or 80,000 miles whichever comes first.

There's also a service bulletin #06-085 which is an extension on some Honda warranties that extends the mileage allowances by 5% due to faulty odometer readings on some models, ours included (so 80K would be extended to 84K for example). Not sure if that would help you, but I thought I'd mention it.

Not sure if any of that would cause your IMA light to be lit, but who knows. It might be one of those items, or it might just need a reset since the 12V was replaced recently, or it could be a problem with the IMA. It's better to come prepared with any possibly-related info just in case. No sense in agreeing to a cat replacement if it's just in need of the update. Good luck.

Re: Dreaded IMA Light with Malfunction Indicator Lamp
 

Yeah, I saw the update about the cat and O2 sensors. I'm afraid my mileage is still too high. I'm at 90k almost on the dot. Being that I recently bought the car from this dealer, I'm hoping they give me a little bit of leeway. We'll see, though. At this point, I'm just waiting on my appointment.

On a side note, when I left this afternoon for work, my IMA light didn't come on, only the malfunction indicator. It came on a few miles into my commute. I thought that was interesting. Left it with a full charge tonight so we'll see what it does tomorrow.