I am new to this forum. I signed on in hopes of finding someone out there that can give us some advice. My 27 year old single parent daughter that is in school full time purchased a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid a few months ago in an effort to save on gas for her commute to classes. The car has basically died in the driveway. We took it to our local Honda dealership for diagnostics and were informed that the IMA Control Unit would need to be replaced. (2000 dollars) and that they were not sure that would fix it. That after replacing that part, it may need a new IMA Battery (3600 dollars) and that the catalytic Converter was going bad. She just bought the car so she has a full loan to pay off and approximately 6k on top of that. We absolutely cannot fix it so it is sitting in the driveway. Does anyone know if it is possible to find salvaged IMA Control Units? I have searched and called several places and have not had any luck. Has anyone out there had anything like this happen? This car is just out of warranty. I called Honda and they said they wouldn't help us. I plan on trying again Monday because of a prior post I saw where a girl had called twice and gotten some help. Looking forward to any suggestions. Thanks!

 

What year is the car? How many miles? Is it the CVT or manual transmission?

What do you mean died? It won't turn over at all? Are the IMA, Check Engine or 12V battery icon lights on?

If the car won't even turn over and you have no power at all (no dome light, instrument panel lights, power door locks won't work, etc) the first thing you want to check is the 12V battery under the hood.

They might very well be right but I would take what the dealer says with a grain of salt. I haven't heard of any IMA control units going bad and even with weak IMA batteries the car will usually run if only in a diminished power condition. I personally have a 2003 Civic hybrid with a manual transmission and have been driving it with the CEL and IMA light on for close to 70,000 miles.

 

It is a 04 Manual Civic Hybrid. Everything works except the radio. The CEL Light and the IMA light are on but the 12V isn't. Honda Svc said the IMA Control Unit was not working AT ALL and it wasn't safe to drive. We started it up in the driveway and it doesn't run well at all. Sputters. The computer software update was performed on this car under the ownership of the previous owners and apparently they have replaced the IMA battery with a used battery according to the Service Mgr at Honda. Our plan is to try and find an affordable control unit and replace it and see if that works. I just wonder if anyone has ever replaced one of those and if so with a salvaged or used part. I guess the first thing we need to do is find one. That is the hard part. Thanks Mark for your reply and suggestions. This is just a bad situation. Lots of lessons learned! Oh and forgot to mention.... It has 150k miles on it.

 

I can sort of find one, but when I go to click further into the link I can't seem to get to the part. Maybe you will have better luck trying it (maybe you have to submit a part request?) :

http://www.partrequest.com/used+auto...a/civic-hybrid

Be sure to double-check any part you find with an official Honda parts website like Majestic Honda parts or Bernardi Honda parts.

(Did Honda service actually check to make sure the IMA control unit on the car is properly installed or plugged in, whatever the case may be? Just wondering since it seems that the IMA battery had been replaced. Did they pull up a particular error code and let you know what it was?)

 

Thank you for your reply! The error codes are P0420 and P1435 and P1570. We are not exactly sure how to get to the IMA Control Unit. If it is behind the rear seat, we couldn't see how to access it. Surely Honda service checked to see if it was plugged in properly. At this point I don't want to assume anything. We will try the link you so kindly gave us! Thank you!

 

With respect to code P0420, you might want to find out if Honda can determine whether the car has had Technical Service Bulletin 07-036 applied to it:

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/p0420/A07-036.pdf

I looked up code P1435; it says Charge/Discharge Balance Problem. Looking in the section of the service manual for that, it says to trouble shoot error codes having a lower number first (that would be the 0420 in your case), then recheck for the P1435. Next thing it goes on to say is to check the 12V battery. Probably a very good idea to check the 12V battery; if it's the original one, it's probably going bad, and that can cause all sorts of weird problems. The other thing they mention regarding P1435, after dealing with any 12V battery problem is to check the idle speed.

P1570 is listed as: Battery Module Individual Voltage Input Problem. The section of the service manual dealing with that code involves resetting the MCM, turning off the battery module switch and going in to check connections at the MCM connector, loose connections at the battery module, measuring voltages between MCM connector terminals, making sure the MCM has the latest software... some things that involve going into the IMA system and could be very dangerous if not done by a professional.

Anyway, I think maybe first you should make sure you have a good new 12V battery.
Then look into that TSB for P0420.
Try to find out if the replacement IMA battery was done by Honda, or if a previous owner just had a used one put in, and maybe it wasn't reconditioned/balanced properly.
You could maybe ask questions over at hybrid-battery-repair.com to get some guidance on that.

(PS: I'm no mechanic or anything; just reading from the manual to get some ideas for you to follow up on.)

 

Not sure if this link will work, but I found this on a google image search for IMA contol unit:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/03-04...iesQQxZ27QQyZ7

 

The link worked Gairwyn. Sounds like a 12V to me as well. Why don't they take a min. to check the cheapest a most obvious things first? H

 

If your Honda Hybrid is completely dead, then its fuse#1(IMA Fuse), and it cost about $10, but Honda will pay for the Tow and the fuse, because its been recalled,you just have to Google: Honda recall or go to www.ahm-ownerlink.com/SEO/HondaRecall.asp then register on their website,plug your VIN# which is located on your dash,can be seen in driver side windshield. Call your local Honda dealer ,speak to their manager.They did it all for me,but I was prepared with all the recall info. Before doing that I had bought the fuse myself and tried installing ,but it blew. It was much easier just to get recall info and call dealer. Check out info below!!
IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL NOTICE

Dear Civic Owner:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

What is the reason for this notice?
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has decided that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2006 Civic Hybrid vehicles. Certain parts of your vehicle's integrated motor assist (IMA) system are located under a metal cover behind the rear seat-back. Over time the weight of rear seat passengers may cause the metal cover to come into contact with a rubber cap covering an electrical terminal. The rubber cap may get pinched, exposing the electrical terminal. The terminal may come into contact with the metal cover, which can result in an electrical short that may blow the IMA fuse. A blown fuse will cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

What should you do?
Call any authorized Honda dealer and make an appointment to have your vehicle repaired. The dealer will install a plastic cover attached to a metal bracket over the rubber cap, free of charge. Please plan to leave your vehicle for half a day to allow the dealer flexibility in scheduling.

Who to contact if you experience problems.
If you are not satisfied with the service you receive from your Honda dealer, you may write to:

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
Mail Stop 500-2N-7A
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
If you believe that American Honda or the dealer has failed or is unable to remedy the defect in your vehicle, without charge, within a reasonable period of time (60 days from the date you first contact the dealer for a repair appointment), you may submit a complaint to:
Administrator
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
Or call the toll-free Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236 (TTY [800] 424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
What to do if you feel this notice is in error.
Our records show that you are the current owner of a 2006 Civic Hybrid involved in this campaign. If this is not the case, or the name/address information is not correct, please fill out and return the enclosed, postage-paid Information Change Card. We will then update our records.

Lessor Information.
Federal law requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within 10 days.

If you have questions.
If you have any questions about this notice, or need assistance with locating a Honda dealer, please call Honda Automobile Customer Service at (800) 999-1009.

We apologize for any inconvenience this campaign may cause you.

Sincerely,

AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.

Honda Automobile Division

 

Based on what I hear, the hybrid battery likely has issues. However, the car sputtering is an entirely unrelated problem. If the hybrid battery is completely dead, then the car would still run off the regular gasoline engine; which works just fine without the added gas efficiency nor horsepower. Also, if the car starts, your 12V battery is also likely fine.

It has 150k miles on it you say, and you just bought it. It is also my guess that your spark plugs were not replaced by the previous owner nor has there been a tune-up performed, and this car is obviously ready for it. Here is what I would do in order:

- Check spark plugs and replace if needed- $8 X 8 spark plugs = $64, you can do it yourself.
- While the spark plugs are pulled, do a compression check - Can also do yourself, I can provide instructions if you would like.
- If compression is bad, you'll need to check your valves and piston rings, which is a long and challenging procedure but still possible to do yourself. In the worse case scenario, your head gasket is shot. But you'd be blowing smoke out your pipe and you didn't mention that. Paying someone else to do the valves and rings will cost well over $400 though, so you might want to stop here. If compression is good, then you're set on the engine at this point. No big expenses here, let's just continue cleaning it up:
- Clean EGR valve with carb cleaner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNTBkXWC2A8
- Do the tune up yourself. There are tutorials searching google for this. I can provide them if needed.
- Add Chevron Techron Plus to gasoline to clean fuel injectors. $10 If engine improves and no longer sputters, but then goes back after added, then your injectors are severely clogged and need cleaned. Also a challenging procedure but can be done yourself, or you can pay $350 for someone else to do it.
- Do an oil change, and replace the PCV valve. Warning: this is not a simple procedure as any other car. I took it to a dealer service center who took 2 hours doing it as they couldn't figure out how to get to it either. It doesn't cost much for them to do the oil change and change the PCV, (~$90 plus $23 for part or supply your own), so just get it done.

You have no O2 sensor codes, so your O2 sensor should be fine as well as your cat. Ignore the service guy on this one. There is also an update that came out in the last few weeks to address early codes for cat. At 150k miles, your cat is likely fine.

The above steps should clean up your engine, and the car will still get ~35 mpg even without the hybrid battery. If you want to get 45, you will have to address that problem. It might be the fuses or the fuse block, check those first. Check the voltage across the fuse to ensure you have current flowing through it. I can't believe the MCM is bad unless the person installing the other hybrid battery didn't know what they were doing. Therefore, it comes down to the battery. The above steps will clean up the engine and the car will be perfectly driveable, and they don't cost a lot of money. But, if you live in a state with emissions inspections, the CEL being on for your battery will make you fail every time. You can reset the code as needed before an inspection, and the code should stay off for 10 miles. Drive 8 miles before inspection, get it done, and then continue for a year with the CEL. As you aren't throwing O2 codes, your emissions are fine.

I have the same car. It has issues like any other car. Clean up the engine first. Then let's hear about the battery.