How can I fix Check engine light and IMA light that is on a honda Civic HYbrid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_803592&feature=iv&src_vid=nl942t0SClQ&v=yZIK9MjquMw

hey alll .... i have the same isuue with my honda... here what i do .. rather then spending $ 3000 ... i bouyght a cheap battery charger from wallmart n a 12 v battery new batter n a used battery from road side ..that makes me have tottal 3 batteries 1 in on the car .. so when i drive i always carry my 1 battery with me n keep 1 for charging .. so bi the itme i come from work the batery is cvharged .. then i switch the battery .. that way i have 2 bat on me .. if u travel long distance carry all 3 n the charger .. so i can charge to come back home

I think your car needs a IMA motor communication sensor. My car needed one and so I took it to the dealer and they said it has a 15 year warranty. So I got it fixed free of charge and all the lights left. Take it to your dealer and have them run a diagnostics.

His car needs the IMA pack either replaced or to deep cycle the cells in it. The 12v battery gets power from the IMA pack. Early cell imbalancing will cause all his issues. If he does nothing then he can expect P1600 and later on P1449 codes to appear. A year or so later he can expect the car to stop running.

my 2004 honda civic engine light is on and now my ima light has come on as well and the light that says require maintanace could you please help me

Hi Juanita. I own both and 03 and 04 HCH. If the IMA light has recently turned on and has not been on before then you have several options as to what to do: From least expensive to most expensive, you can find someone that can rebalance the cells in the IMA battery pack, I do this for for the right clients for about $550. Next you can buy a reconditioned IMA pack for about 1300. Then you have new packs for about 2000 to 4000. Be wary of people selling used packs since they are seldom better than the one you currently own. it takes very specialized knowledge about IMA packs to work on them properly. The "maint req" light is a very minor fix, Usually it means you need to change the engine oil, check in your owners manual. There is a page on how to reset the light once the oil is new again. You probably also have a "check engine" light on. This comes on with the IMA light and is usually related to IMA pack issues too. Obviously the IMA light is the biggest problem. Have a look at my article at homepower. com I wrote it in 2009 but the info is still reasonably good. it will give you some ideas.

go find homepower magazine issue 137 june/july 2010 Rebuilding a Hybrid Vehicle Battery Pack

My fuse #16 under dashboard blowed.

HybridHottie where are you located? I need that $550 service on my IMA battery.

I am in Manassas Va. What sort of hybrid do you have? year make model?

If your IMA and check engine lights are on-Try this. Disconnect battery. Push horn for one minute. Remove #16 fuse from under dash. Wait five minutes. Replace fuse. Hook up battery. Turn on ignition and wait for one minute. Start the engine.

I own both and 03 and 04 HCH. If the IMA light has recently turned on and has not been on before then you have several options as to what to do: From least expensive to most expensive, you can find someone that can rebalance the cells in the IMA battery pack, I do this for for the right clients for about $550. Next you can buy a reconditioned IMA pack for about 1300. Then you have new packs for about 2000 to 4000. Be wary of people selling used packs since they are seldom better than the one you currently own. it takes very specialized knowledge about IMA packs to work on them properly. The "maint req" light is a very minor fix, Usually it means you need to change the engine oil, check in your owners manual. There is a page on how to reset the light once the oil is new again. You probably also have a "check engine" light on. This comes on with the IMA light and is usually related to IMA pack issues too. Obviously the IMA light is the biggest problem. Have a look at my article at homepower. com I wrote it in 2009 but the info is still reasonably good. it will give you some ideas.

Hello, my car is Honda CIVIC Hybrid 56 plate, dashboard started to show IMA light from yesterday, how far can you drive with IMA light on. i have a 650 mile journey next week, is it safe to make the journey.

How bad off the IMA pack is for long trips is a matter of judgement. Over the years I have been dealing with my two 2003 Honda hybrids and their various weird battery issues there seems to be a pattern the pack degrading follows. (if you have some other model year it will be different): Initially the cells are "out of balance" meaning they are not charging and discharging in snyc with each other. The computer detects this and turns on the IMA lamp. Typical early codes are P1600 and P1449. Driving a lot of highway miles actually helps this to some degree. Driving in the city traffic is a fast death for a cell somewhere in the pack though. If the IMA light just turned itself on then you have about a year before something much worse happens suddenly. Like the car stops running in the middle of a intersection. I am not sure what a "56 plate" means.

I have no evidence whatsoever that a hybrid will stop running after the IMA check engine light comes on if you replace the regular car battery every six months. That's better than trashing your Honda or buying a $3000 battery, especially if your car us old. OK those commenting here. SHOW ME THE EVIDENCE that the car will stop running unless the internal battery is replaced, provided you continue to change the regular car battery when it dips below 75%.

I think I answered this on youtube a few min ago. Looks like the same guy anyway. However if this is someone else the ans is: The car will stop moving at some point when the pack gets bad enough and stops sending power to the 12v system in the car. There is not doubting this will happen. I have seen it several times personally. However there are a few work-arounds to replacing the pack. read what I wrote at youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=yZIK9MjquMw&lc=UgxTS7CbfAhtn6myk7t4AaABAg.8lUE0ZLmwKm9FPCChbVz_Z&fea ture=em-comments

Hi Mike, I need that $550 service on my IMA battery for my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. I'm in Leesburg, Va. How can I contact you?

Hi Martin. Sorry but I dont do that sort of work any more. Too labor intensive and half the time it wasnt worth doing at all. This is especially true of Gen2 Hondas. Those modules really take a beating and seldom survive enough to work right ever again. I would be happy to tell you what to do if you want to DIY it though. Also there are a few reputable places that will sell you a refurb' pack for about 1600 or so. Greenbean is one of them with a lifetime warranty too.

Hi Mike, Thank for the response! I would like to try to DIY (myself) if you are kind to share what to do. Thanks!

Hi Martin. Ok, let begin. First thing you need to do is watch a few youtube videos on how to remove the pack from the car safely. There are a good number on youtube. Any of them will be good enough. Next you need to watch this video on disassembly of the pack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT71em4Ei2Y It is the best one on that subject. Be very careful to remember where everything goes. After this the real fun labor begins! We discuss this by writing to me directly. michael 47 lamb at g mail dot com Sorry about the address but I do not like bots finding this.

Hi Mike, I really appreciate your help! I already watch the video and ordered the chargers, will contact you via email once this is done. Thank you again!

No problem. Not a lot else going on around here these days, helping you should be fun. FYI If you can find a used pack like yours cheap it would probably be helpful since I doubt all of your modules are still fit to use. What is the history on the car anyway? Has the pack been replaced before?

Hey Martin. I was just thinking that I should warn you that this is not a sure thing project. It is even money that nothing will be significantly better in the end. Most of the time the best you can expect is a 50% increase in capacity from where it is now (maybe 3000 probably.) eg. if the pack is about 3000 mAh now and it is supposed to be 6500 then 6500-3000=3500 loss. You may see half of 3500 return for a pack that yields about 4750 mAh in operation. This will not keep the IMA lamp off for long. But the car will go better, for a while and then slowly get worse again. Old chemistry just gets older you know. ;-) Think of this project as a learning experience that doesnt need to cost a bunch. In the end nothing you can do will work like new cells will, that is why they cost a lot more, huh? LoL