Hi I bought a used Honda Civic Hybrid 2003 recently. While I was driving, the IMA, and check engine light turned on. The battery light also turned on when going under 1.2 rpms. Sometimes the battery light would shut off if I try turning and turning off the car, and the charging system would work again. But other then that the charging system doesnt show up if the battery light shows up.

 

Maybe the 12V battery (under the hood) is getting old and you need a new one.

 

checked that nothing wrong with it :[

 

Have you pulled the codes yet? I would expect at least a P1600 and P1447 or P1449.

The red battery icon lighting isn't good though as it means your 12V battery isn't being charged and once it dies the car will NOT run.

Get the car checked before it strands you....

 

I have yet to get any codes. Where can I get these codes? My dad (a mechanic) told me it wasn't the 12v battery and that it still has its charge. We think its the IMA system not working and that the big battery is having issues.

 

Anytime the CEL comes on the car's computer stores a code pointing to the cause. If you don't have access to a code reader most auto parts stores nowadays will let you use theirs for free or you can bring it to the dealer or any other mechanic with a code reader.

The car has two batteries of course, the IMA high voltage battery and the regular 12V battery under the hood. Unlike most cars your Civic hybrid doesn't have an alternator to keep the 12V battery charged. Instead the car uses the IMA battery and a DC-DC converter to charge the small battery. Again, just like any other car you NEED a charge on the 12V battery for the car to run. If the IMA system isn't charging the 12V it will quickly drain under normal use (lights, fuel pump, spark, fans, radio, etc...) and once the charge drops below a certain threshold the car will not run.

I have been running my 2003 manual transmission Civic hybrid with the CEL and IMA light on for over 100,000 miles. The difference is my 12V battery light doesn't come on at engine idle. The fact that the 12V battery light comes on is indicative of something besides a weak IMA battery pack.

Also, did you check the 12V battery under load? Did you check the ground straps? I found my negative battery cable almost rotted completely through where it attaches to the transmission housing. Check the cables, replace if necessary, disconnect the 12V battery and clean the posts and connecters. BE SURE to have the radio code BEFORE disconnecting the 12V as you will need to reenter it after reconnecting the battery.

Best of luck...

 

This is an old thread, but I thought some info here. The 03 Hybrids had a factory software/programming defect. The defect causes the engine to run lean and, over time, this burns up the catalytic converters. Honda has issued a software patch for this, but once the O2 sensors or cats are burned up, they have to be replaced. There was a class action lawsuit filed against Honda, because they would not warranty the replacement of the burned up cats and O2 sensors. The result of the lawsuit was that all owners would get a gift certificate, per se, to be used against the purchase of a new Honda. Big woop. Honda also had a problem with the Hybrid CVT transmissions. They would slip and balk badly (defective start clutches). Honda reformulated the CVT fluid to try and help solve this, but if too much wear had already occurred, then the tranny would quickly exhibit the same symptoms. Again class action lawsuit and again no fix from Honda. See the pattern? I could go on with the battery packs, etc, but you get the drift.....

 

Just bought a 2005 HCH with a dead IMA battery in April 2012. Same conditions as you stated. You need to get the IMA battery issue resolved and then tackle anything else that remains after that. I had all kinds of codes (P1600-generic, P0420-cat ineffient, P1570-low voltage IMA stick, P1433-degraded IMA battery). I refurbed/balanced the IMA battery myself and am having outstanding results. Just resolved the P0420 issue and passed emissions test this morning. Please, DON'T DO ANYTHING with the catalytic converter(s) and/or O2 sensors until you have a good IMA battery. Good luck!

 

New to this forum, what a great resource!

When you say below that you've run you civic with CEL and IMA light on for over 100k miles, did you really mean the lights have been on for over 100K miles or just that the car was over 100k miles?

Thanks
Tim

 

The former. If I recall correctly the lights started coming on with around 160,000 miles on the odometer. I am now over 267,000 and counting.

Keep in mind I have the manual transmission. If (when) I lose assist I can simply downshift and keep going. I don't know how drivable these cars are with a weak IMA system and the CVT.