I have a 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid. The IMA and the engine lights turned on a few days ago. I took the car to the dealership and they run diagnostics and the verdict was that I need to change the batter and the cost is $4000. The car is running fine and the IMA system works, all hybrid functions seem to be OK.

My question is, what happens if I don't change the battery and let it become non-hybrid? The mechanic told me the power steering will be locked eventually. Is that true? Can I just drive it like a non-hybrid car if I want to?

Also, I found the replacement part for $1600. How reliable are those parts? It says the manugfacturer is Honda.


Also can I replace the battery myself?

Thanks!

 

If you read these forums, especially the Civic Hybrid (IMA also) forums, you will see many options.

No, you won't lose your power steering by not changing the battery. What you lose is some 'assist' on acceleration by not having the IMA battery. Yes you can continue driving it.

There are options to fix the battery yourself, or better yet if you can find someone nearby with grid charger and load. Many times the battery can be recovered just by doing a NiMH battery reconditioning. (by charging to 100% and holding, then discharging to almost 0%, then charging to 100% again).

The under $2000 aftermarket batteries are either just reconditioned or new cells and should work fine if you want to spend that.

I would not spend $4k for a battery

 

Bumblebee Batteries sells a NEW pack for the 2005-2007 Accord Hybrid.

http://bumblebeebatteries.com/hybrid...ybrid-battery/

It's made from NEW, higher capacity cells.

I suspect it's highly likely you can nurse many more miles from your existing pack using a grid charger, but you have to be comfortable with DIY.

 

Thank you both! Very helpful.

It is good to know that power steering won't stop working, since I am not driving the car that much and until I find a way to replace or repair the battery, I want to be able to drive it.


The DIY option is not for me, but I want to buy the battery myself and take it to a mechanic other than the dealership to replace it for me.

I had seen Bumblebee's version and also this one:

http://www.hondapartscheap.com/honda...ttery-assy-rmd

I am assuming Honda itself won't sell the part to me directly, otherwise, I would buy it from them.

I guess any decent machanic shop can do the replacement for me if I provide the battery myself.

By the way, other than the fact that the IMA and engine lights are on, the car including the motor assist system work perfectly fine. Looks like the battery gets charged and decharged and the assist blue bar and the charge green bar move normally.

 

Also someone said the other car battery may be dead or need replacement. And that it may fix the issue. Should I change it?

 

A bad 12V can strain the IMA system. If your 12V is older than 2 years, or you suspect it is not performing well, replace it.

When my '06 HCH2 12V battery started to go bad, replacing it stopped the tendency for IMA lights or battery CEL codes to be thrown. The IMA battery was still having a lot of recals, but the light went away.

Steve

 

Many thanks, Keith.

This morning when i was driving to work, I noticed that although all the bars and indicators are working normally (except for the IMA and engine light being on), the autostop does not work at all. So when I was stopped and there was no load on the system (AC, lights, etc were off), the engine didn't go on autostop. I guess that should be a sign in favor of IMA battery problem?

 

And I have one last question: I am not able to take the seats out and replace this battery. But I have a good mechanic who can do it. I am not sure about his experience with hybrid batteries. My question is: is there anything other than removing the old one and plugging in the new one needs to be done? Does he need to use any special equipment to condition the brand new battery before installing it? Or it is just a simple screwing and plugging it in place?

Thanks!

 

Shouldn't be anything special, but that will depend on the battery supplier. Generally, they are just plug and play.

You may want to coordinate with the mechanic to install a grid charger harness in conjunction with the battery install.

 

Thanks, You mean for future use? Do you have a link to any specific brand? It is a HAH 2005.

By the way, the 2005 model rocks! Has the acceleration of a rocket! That is why I love it so much and kept it.