nitroturf

Hi everyone, I'm new here, I live in Canada.

Situation:
I have a used 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid (HCH) and the MIL light is on. When I was driving, the MIL light came on, as well as the IMA light above it as well, (IMA - integrated motor assist), however, the IMA light is now off.

Symptoms:
I do feel the HCH is a little weaker when accelerating.

What I've done:
I scanned the OBDII and nothing came up on my reader. Tried to take the light off, the light wouldn't go away. My reader says the light is off, but it is clearly on, in the instrument panel. I also have taken off and tightened my gas tank as well to eliminate that potential issue.

Current:
I'm not sure what the issue can be... Last resort is take it to a Honda dealership, which I have no warranty, like I said, I bought this used and it has 300,000 km on it. I've had it for 8 months and it's driven fine up until now.

Anyone that can help is greatly appreciated... thanks in advance!

ezone

Has your code reader EVER worked on this car? The tool needs to be CAN capable.
Or
You need a dealer level scanner. That's about the only way to read the IMA codes that I know of.

Have all of the recalls been completed? Many are software updates. There are a ton of software updates.

You, and 99.9% of independent shops have NO way to load software updates into the car.


One of the biggies is the update for code P0A7F, which MUST be done before the battery can be condemned. After the software is updated, the car has to be driven to see if the battery will fail.
So if the IMA battery is bad, you will be back at the dealer within a couple of days.


Just take it to a reputable dealer.

ezone

Also, if the IMA battery is really bad, there are places that will rebuild it, you can search the interweb for them.
I have no idea how reputable any are, I work for a dealership so you can guess what we do.

nitroturf

I checked with 2 friends who scanned it with their CAN readable OBD II readers as well, and both came up as Link error, tried reading it 3 times.. not luck

It looks like the dealer is my next option...

I've looked at the software update like you mentioned, I'm just afraid I'll have to keep coming back ... similar like this fellow here:

"The other day my check engine light and IMA lights both came on. I took the car to the dealer and they told me I needed an update for my computer. I had the work done and when i left the dealer both lights were off. A couple hours later both lights came back on." - Source: http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/200...rid-t1272.html

It'd be great if its just a software update!

ezone, if it is the IMA battery that needs a rebuild or replacement... this will be very costly wouldn't it? I'm thinking how much should it be for breakeven before I pay more than the worth of this car.

ezone

I had the work done and when i left the dealer both lights were off. A couple hours later both lights came back on." - Yeah, it sucks for the owner, but this is how it has to be done.
There is no real practical way to test the IMA battery, the software must be trusted to do it. Now the original software can't be trusted, so the software must be updated, and the battery must be deemed as "failed" by the new software.

There have been a few that I have driven far enough to fail, and they were real apparent something was amiss during a brief drive. I just kept driving until it failed. (Less than 5 miles after the update in those cases.)

Assuming this is even your problem.
We don't know for sure until it is properly diagnosed.


It'd be great if its just a software update!

Sure, but at that mileage I wouldn't hold my breath.



ezone, if it is the IMA battery that needs a rebuild or replacement... this will be very costly wouldn't it? I'm thinking how much should it be for breakeven before I pay more than the worth of this car.

No idea.
Seems like each one is ordered by the VIN#, so I can't really even accurately check the price. They are remanufactured though, so you get all new batteries inside a slightly used case.

Wait until it is known to be a real issue before worrying about it.
Then call the 1-800 customer assistance number and see what they have to say.



If you want to try going the non-factory rebuilder route, you are on your own.



HTH

nitroturf

so the best thing to do, next step is head over to the dealer eh.. i'm gonna head over there tomorrow

nitroturf

so i made an appointment with the dealer. i started driving it this morning, and the MIL light disappeared... strange, but woo hoo! Cancelled the appointment and continue to drive on.. Should i be concerned still?

ezone

Entirely up to you.

Data should have been stored even though the idiot light is now off, so hopefully a smart monkey would be able to do something with it if you DO go there.

I'd ask the dealer to run your VIN# and make sure all of the recalls are up to date. Go ahead and get that taken care of no matter what. Once you are there for that, mention that this happened and see if they will check it real quick before doing the recalls.