Have any other reboot fanatics noticed any problems attendant with repeatedly turning their ignition switches on and off? I have over 30,000 miles on my HCH and I am starting to experience what I think is slop (wear and tear) in the ignition switch which sometimes makes it difficult to make the connection necessary at start up.

I once had a 1980s Mazda 626 and after several years and several thousand miles of normal driving, one day I got nothing from the ignition switch and had to replace it. With all of the rebooting we do, I would think that day of reckoning is coming. I just think the ignition switch was probably designed for x number of turns over the life of the car, and I am distorting that ratio by turning the switch off and then on several times per trip (and I mean trip, not tank).

I have always thought that the real solution would be a dash mounted toggle switch that would simply kill the engine, without having to turn the ignition switch or even turn off any of the cars other electrical and electronic components. Does anyone out there have such a switch setup?

 

Hi RJBarlow:

___I used quite a bit of FAS’s in the Insight and never felt the ignition switch was faltering in the least. That being said, I never really thought about it and it has me thinking … Maybe a “How-To” on an ignition switch replacement will be in order in the very near future? Keep us up to date as to the reliability of your own.

___The real solution? A simple toggle would be good but without having to reboot would make it a must have. When Honda made the Insight AS at 19 mph and below, they got it right! They just missed that it needed to happen at much higher speeds is all … There are some guys really hitting the ECU of the Insight over at IC and I bet one of them has the smarts to change the AS function to one at varying speeds?

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

A switch would be awesome. BTW I've decided that a true full fledged P&G is too hard on the car and will not be using the technique to it's full extent. I too was worried about the ignition, plus the IMA battery was taking a beating as well.

If any of you shade tree mechanics "figger" out how to get real high speed manual autostop instead of a reboot please let me know.

 

I'm thinking two switches in parallel. An on/off rocker switch and a normally closed momentary pushbutton. That way you would have to have both the rocker switch in the open position AND press the pushbutton before killing the ignition. Sort of a failsafe setup where you can't accidentally kill the ignition.

 

lakedude, now that is the kind of mpg I like to see from you

I agree that true P&G is hard on the car. I think the 12 volt batery takes the biggest beating, especially coasting at night. the reboot disconnects the 12 volt from the battery back pack, and it is on its own powering ignition and lights, fan, radio blasting, etc. I need a bigger 12 volt.

Dan, the switch settup you are talking about sounds great. Let me know when you get a prototype ready to install in my car. If done correctly, such a switch would leave the 12 volt connected to the battery back pack as in AS.

Xcel, I could be wrong, but it seems when you describe using FAS, you are really talking about rebooting (key to accessory position and then back to on without restarting the engine). In the HCH this seems to disconnect the 12 volt from the battery back pack. I think of a FAS as when I am stopped at a light but AS has not killed the engine. I put the car in gear and push hard on the brake and slowly let the clutch out to kill the engine. This method for a FAS keeps the 12 volt connected to the battery back pack and allows a restart by simply pushing in the clutch and shifting from heutral to first gear. The ignition switch is unnecessary then just like in true AS.
Bob

 

Hi RJBarlow:

___FAS is “a Forced Autostop at speed (turning the cars electronics and ICE off), rebooting (Electronics are re-energized but the ICE is not started), coasting to whatever speed target you have set for yourself or traffic dictates, re-ignition of the ICE only when ready to re-accelerate, and reengagement of the Tranny for that acceleration”. I just got tired of typing “a Forced Autostop at speed, rebooting, coasting to whatever speed target you have set for yourself or traffic dictates, re-ignition of the ICE only when ready to re-accelerate, and reengagement of the Tranny for that acceleration” A FAS works every time at whatever speed feels natural for you to use the technique. You have described using this in the past, right? The 12V is disconnected from the pack momentarily in the case of the hybrid during a FAS. In the case of the AH and HCH, AS comes about to low a speed to be really useful for distance traveled without using fuel. Even in the Insight, 19 mph was usually to low a speed to receive really good FE over a short segment in many cases. The Prius, RXh, and HH can “Glide” from any speed (ICE off) although some speed ranges are more efficient then others due to the ICE spinning or the MGSets being spun for possibly synch protection? I am not really sure what is protecting what in the case of the HSD equipped Toyota’s and eCVT based Escape HEV. In the case of a non-hybrid, what pack

___If your 12V cannot handle a very short duration 45 - 90 second disconnect before being charged back up with a 14 + V signal from either the pack through the 144 V to 12 V inverter (incorrect term but that is what it is usually referred to as) or an alternator in the case of a non-hybrid after ICE restart, you are going to have problems booting her up in the morning after parking for the night as any small bleed (Alarm LED) would kill off the 12V. Without the 12V to reboot, IMA will not turn the car over no matter the SoC of the pack

___Finally, Tbaleno’s HCH does see a significant drop with the Kick @$$ Stereo system he has in it while in a Forced or regular AS. With the lights on and the head unit live, I saw the 12V drop ~ .1 V every 15 seconds IIRC? Tom might be able to clarify on the drop over a specific time period.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Yeah I get a good drop. If I force autostop I see the voltage drop down to about 11.6 at times. I will always turn on the car if the voltage gets that low. In autostop the car will drop to 11.9 then magicaly jump to 13.5 or something (probably some protection built in to the car so you don't drain the battery during autostop.)

EDIT: Btw, look for my thread in this forum on push button starting.

 

xcel,

Yes, I reboot and coast, have been doing it since long before I found GH. But I also use what I call FAS at traffic light stops when AS fails to kill the engine for some reason (low manifold pressure or not enough charge in the battery back pack).

Bob

 

What I am thinking of would temporarily remove power from the ingition only. If it were an early 70's Honda Civic I would know exactly what to do. Before electronic ignition, we had coils and distributors. It would just be a matter of interrupting the 12V to the coil until the ICE died. Nowadays, it would be similar to pushing the red button on the weedeater to kill it.

We will have a look see over the weekend. Possibly we could find a fuse for the ignition that we could replace with an inline fuse and the switches.

Any other ideas?

 

[From InsightCentral.net] The European 2006 Honda Civic has a
bright red start BUTTON.
Lots of info from European sites:
http://multimedia.honda-eu.com/civic06/index.html
Check out the flash animation of the interior. I really like the hatchback, but I don't know if we'll get it in the US.

More info on the 2006 Honda Civics at:
http://www.channel4.com/4car/feature...vic/civic.html

--Walter