Thank you so much. Was gonna buy a new car after years bs with this car. So much easier than I thought to bypass the ima system. Gonna drive the wheels off it now while still getting better gas mileage than 99% of new cars🤘
I just now finished this operation on my 2002 Insight with CVT. Where I live, it's not even a deal if the check engine light is on. Now, so long as my under the hood battery stays charged, I'm happy once again getting 45 mpg.
I have had my Mk1 UK Honda Insight since 2006 I was completely unaware this could be done.. Thank you! I was considering letting the car go. I reconditioned the pack back in 2013 iirc with a guy up north into these but did not really want to spend another £2k right now! So this will enable me to still drive around. And still be mobile. So pleased this will be getting done tomorrow..
Just what I needed to know! Infortunately I gotta pass smog to renew tags so I guess I gotta buy bumble bee battery but great info! Great video man! Thanks
Great video! Help me to understand one part, when you exceed 4500 rpm do your charging volts instantly drop? You explained how to make it go away very well but basically to avoid this just keep your rpms down?
Correct. It stops charging for the duration of the extra lights being on. But when you shift to a higher gear for a little while the lights go away and the charging with restart. Ive done this hundreds of times. Sometimes i need the extra revs from the car to pass someone or pull put into traffic and its like. Welp. I can afford 30 seconds of no battery charging for the ability to not be destroyed pulling onto a busy road.
@@thousanddollarcarguy "Because up-shifting lowers RPM. Signed: Captain Obvious." (Sorry, just wanted to make it clear for the otherwise mystified. In my case--2000 MT--it also drops out below 1200RPM, suggesting downshifting or gentle over-revving.)
This is a great video and I am so grateful. Am going to do this as same thing happened to my 2003 automatic insight. When I open and take off the metal cover I know the main switch will be in the off position because I did itv3 yrs ago. So the two plugs you referenced will be plugged in and I unplug them correct? If so can you explain how the 12v battery recharges itself with no alternator? Thanks and sorry for long winded questions
Thank you so much for making this video. It helps those of us who need to get the money together to fix the battery or do it ourselves. Good way to buy time. Since I live in CA, I will be looking for the other video about how to take care of the lights. Can you provide the link?
Unfortunately i never made that video and have since sold both of my insights. Truly wonderful cars tho. I believe you should be able to find the ecu light bypass relatively easily tho. Best of luck.
Great video. I may have to do this soon as I think my hybrid battery is done taking the balance charge. I was just wondering how much of a mpg hit you took without the hybrid system functioning?
I am inclined to believe with the hybrid battery out, the electric motor no longer works if the hybrid battery was the one powering it. That thing will eat the under hood battery for lunch if that was the case
Thanks for the video. I have heard that you can run it on gas only, but I thought you needed to buy or make a plug. I guess the plug is for the clutch bypass switch? Could you do a video about that? I have two Insights I want to get back on the road, but batteries are very expensive.
Actually tried it myself today drove over 160 miles and it did just fine...and just as you said over 4k rpm the battery stops charging for less then a minute then it comes back on again. Thanks for this video!!! I still get about 60kmiles a gallon on all motor.
Good stuff Bro! I was wondering whether it is possible at all to do it the other way around. I mean running the car with electric only. Thanks for a prompt reply. Sham.
Even if you could the 10hp motor wont get you moving very quickly. Best bet would be to replace the in trans motor with a more capable motor and then swap the 144v battery pack put for something bigger. Anythings possible. But i dont know if the cables would even be up to the task. It would almost be like starting a fresh build.
While doing what i said the 12v battery charges up front. You dont have the stock ima battery but you do charge the 12v battery so you can keep driving the car.
I was hesitating to drive Insight from Los Angeles to Houston & back to LA with weak IMA battery. I decided to disable IMA. I just made 3,800 miles trip without IMA battery & I really appreciate your TH-cam post. Thank you so much!!!!! Only thing I notice was driving over 4,000rpm, battery and break light come up until I reduce RPM below 4,000. Lights goes off & car drives fantastic!! Again, thank you so much. I proved your system works.
gota few questions, can i run the car with the headlights on, i also have an after market touch screen radio head, can i have that running aswell, lastly, would this bypass hold up long enough for me to drive the car for an hour and a half at freeway speeds. oh and i dont have a scan gauge should i gamble and not be able to see exact volts?
I ran the car for hours like normal when I did this. If you don't have a scan gauge I would recommend using a volt meter to see of its charging properly after doing this. You don't want to get stuck an hour away with a dead battery.
On a car with a with an almost dead battery, but not completely dead (just used clutch switch mod to prevent assist and regen from kicking in), would leaving it alone be better? IMA start still works. Or would it be better to bypass it?
That really depends on you. If its just a band aid to keep 1 feature and you value that feature then make it last as long as possible. But if its going to break and leave you stuck somewhere just bypass it and be done.
@@thousanddollarcarguy will lean burn still function with the bypass? After bypassing the big battery, will the 12v still be charged if the big battery is completely dead?
@@HokKan im not sure what the lean burn function is. Ive not heard of that yet. But yes the 12v will still charge correctly by bypassing it like i showed in the video. Actually you should be able to completely remove the big battery now if you wanted.
Did you thank me by sending 2$? If you did that's really generous. But you don't have to do that. I make the videos to help people and youtube pays me enough for that.
DO NOT BYPASS THE battery. You can recondition the battery pack with a grid charger and a deep discharge.. I spent only 165$ and mine is renewed at 142k.
I am going to bypass till I can recondition my second battery (each set of 4 sticks takes me 3-4 days ~20days I have 2 gen 1 hondas and I have one extra pack so I have up to 20 dead batteries till I have concerns I plan on buying a set of new 10000mah replacements when money allows when I install that battery I'm also installing a grid charger :)
"gridding" is great as long as there's enough battery to take a charge. I did it for two years. Finally it wouldn't take a charge. I also couldn't do longer trips being dependent on having to plug it in. This is the clean, worry free solution. It's easy to adapt to linear acceleration, still yielding an incredible 60 mpg.
Honestly i couldnt tell you. Even if the battery light comes on it only stays on for 30 seconds as long as the car shifts and the rpm come back down youll be fine.
@@thousanddollarcarguy Thank you for your replied. I don't have money for new batteries yet, am i still able to daily drive like this? Will it hurt anything to the car with disable IMA switch off and disconnect BCM?
![IT LIVES! Installing and DRIVING my LITHIUM-SWAPPED HYBRID! [Insight Lithium Swap pt 4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2qFQ5n3M4rU/mqdefault.jpg)
Crystal -clear. Love it. Someday when my battery is really dead and I get some money Im gonna buy the lithium replacement battery
Thank you so much. Was gonna buy a new car after years bs with this car. So much easier than I thought to bypass the ima system. Gonna drive the wheels off it now while still getting better gas mileage than 99% of new cars🤘
I just now finished this operation on my 2002 Insight with CVT. Where I live, it's not even a deal if the check engine light is on. Now, so long as my under the hood battery stays charged, I'm happy once again getting 45 mpg.
HI there. I have exactly same as your car with CVT. So with this setup, are you running daily? Does it effect anything to the car?
Those crickets are really noisy. Nice vid and a good addition to the 100percentjake insight series
Yeah super noisy
I have had my Mk1 UK Honda Insight since 2006 I was completely unaware this could be done..
Thank you! I was considering letting the car go. I reconditioned the pack back in 2013 iirc with a guy up north into these but did not really want to spend another £2k right now! So this will enable me to still drive around. And still be mobile.
So pleased this will be getting done tomorrow..
you can reset the IMA light after reconditioning battery as well
excellent camera work, content and voiceover. this really clarifies battery-less operation.
I appreciate the positive feedback. Thank you!
I was looking for a video like this for weeks thanks man
@Thousanddollarcarguy: With the IMA bypass, does it mean that the autostop (start/stop) feature will no longer work?
Yes, I think that is no longer available as you are running on the ICE engine
Just what I needed to know! Infortunately I gotta pass smog to renew tags so I guess I gotta buy bumble bee battery but great info! Great video man! Thanks
Great video! Help me to understand one part, when you exceed 4500 rpm do your charging volts instantly drop? You explained how to make it go away very well but basically to avoid this just keep your rpms down?
Correct. It stops charging for the duration of the extra lights being on. But when you shift to a higher gear for a little while the lights go away and the charging with restart. Ive done this hundreds of times. Sometimes i need the extra revs from the car to pass someone or pull put into traffic and its like. Welp. I can afford 30 seconds of no battery charging for the ability to not be destroyed pulling onto a busy road.
@@thousanddollarcarguy "Because up-shifting lowers RPM. Signed: Captain Obvious." (Sorry, just wanted to make it clear for the otherwise mystified. In my case--2000 MT--it also drops out below 1200RPM, suggesting downshifting or gentle over-revving.)
This is a great video and I am so grateful. Am going to do this as same thing happened to my 2003 automatic insight. When I open and take off the metal cover I know the main switch will be in the off position because I did itv3 yrs ago. So the two plugs you referenced will be plugged in and I unplug them correct? If so can you explain how the 12v battery recharges itself with no alternator? Thanks and sorry for long winded questions
We need the bypass for the check engine light 😁
Thank you so much for making this video. It helps those of us who need to get the money together to fix the battery or do it ourselves. Good way to buy time. Since I live in CA, I will be looking for the other video about how to take care of the lights. Can you provide the link?
Unfortunately i never made that video and have since sold both of my insights. Truly wonderful cars tho. I believe you should be able to find the ecu light bypass relatively easily tho. Best of luck.
Great video. I may have to do this soon as I think my hybrid battery is done taking the balance charge. I was just wondering how much of a mpg hit you took without the hybrid system functioning?
I still got 61mpg consistently
Holy shit you got an Insight.
tts cool to see this video. I couldnt find any info on his a couple of years ago
So does it use the electric motor at all anymore or are all hybrid batteries disconnected? Pretty savvy of you. What fuel economy do you get?
I am inclined to believe with the hybrid battery out, the electric motor no longer works if the hybrid battery was the one powering it. That thing will eat the under hood battery for lunch if that was the case
Thanks for the video. I have heard that you can run it on gas only, but I thought you needed to buy or make a plug. I guess the plug is for the clutch bypass switch? Could you do a video about that? I have two Insights I want to get back on the road, but batteries are very expensive.
I didnt do it on my own. But i believe its just a neutral safetly switch mod. Im sorry i dont have any more info on it than that
Also will this work if my ima batteries are totally depleted?
I use lights about 80 miles before i reach to work. Will this mod kill my 12volt battery?
Actually tried it myself today drove over 160 miles and it did just fine...and just as you said over 4k rpm the battery stops charging for less then a minute then it comes back on again. Thanks for this video!!! I still get about 60kmiles a gallon on all motor.
Can I drive like this for longer trips like 100 miles a day ?
Yes. It functions like a normal gas powered car now.
@@thousanddollarcarguy Technically, "it functions like a normal gas under-powered car now." :^)
cant remove a fuse or something to make it work better? eventually those lights on dash will burn out with increased use.
Can you take the entire battery pack out to reduce the weight of the car?
Yes its very possible. Theres a write up on how ro do this on the bumblebee batteries website for this car.
Will this work if u only turn the main breaker off?
no
Anyone with a Honda CRZ (2013), is the process similar or more complicated with the CR-Z?
Now that you will be turning her over, with the 12v battery, would you suggest putting in a deep cycle 12v battery? Thanks!
I personally don't think it's required. I had zero issues for over a year doing it this way.
Good stuff Bro!
I was wondering whether it is possible at all to do it the other way around. I mean running the car with electric only. Thanks for a prompt reply. Sham.
Even if you could the 10hp motor wont get you moving very quickly. Best bet would be to replace the in trans motor with a more capable motor and then swap the 144v battery pack put for something bigger. Anythings possible. But i dont know if the cables would even be up to the task. It would almost be like starting a fresh build.
man those cicadas are louder than you.. hah I appreciate you making this video though
Does this work on a 2009 Honda insight?
Without IMA battery assists, is there problem not to charge small battery in front? Can someone answer? Thank you so much.
While doing what i said the 12v battery charges up front. You dont have the stock ima battery but you do charge the 12v battery so you can keep driving the car.
Thank you so much. I do it today!!!!!!!!!
I was hesitating to drive Insight from Los Angeles to Houston & back to LA with weak IMA battery. I decided to disable IMA. I just made 3,800 miles trip without IMA battery & I really appreciate your TH-cam post. Thank you so much!!!!! Only thing I notice was driving over 4,000rpm, battery and break light come up until I reduce RPM below 4,000. Lights goes off & car drives fantastic!! Again, thank you so much.
I proved your system works.
@@ishizakitokuji987 thats amazing
Im so happy i was able to assist you in a way.
@@ishizakitokuji987 Wow. Is your car manual or auto? I have auto and wondering if it happens same driving at 4k rpm?
My insight battery dies after a while
Hmm im thinking its just the dc to dc now?
Just bought it yesterday. Drove it home 35 miles
Get one of those plug-in voltmeters for the cigarette lighter and monitor the voltage as you drive to get some idea about when it's charging.
gota few questions, can i run the car with the headlights on, i also have an after market touch screen radio head, can i have that running aswell, lastly, would this bypass hold up long enough for me to drive the car for an hour and a half at freeway speeds. oh and i dont have a scan gauge should i gamble and not be able to see exact volts?
I ran the car for hours like normal when I did this. If you don't have a scan gauge I would recommend using a volt meter to see of its charging properly after doing this. You don't want to get stuck an hour away with a dead battery.
Can this be done for a Gen 2 Insight? Do you know which connectors to unplug?
Unfortunately i dont know for the gen2. I suggest the facebook group for them. Its where i found the info i used to do mine. Best of luck.
On a car with a with an almost dead battery, but not completely dead (just used clutch switch mod to prevent assist and regen from kicking in), would leaving it alone be better? IMA start still works. Or would it be better to bypass it?
That really depends on you. If its just a band aid to keep 1 feature and you value that feature then make it last as long as possible. But if its going to break and leave you stuck somewhere just bypass it and be done.
@@thousanddollarcarguy thank you.
@@thousanddollarcarguy will lean burn still function with the bypass? After bypassing the big battery, will the 12v still be charged if the big battery is completely dead?
@@HokKan im not sure what the lean burn function is. Ive not heard of that yet. But yes the 12v will still charge correctly by bypassing it like i showed in the video. Actually you should be able to completely remove the big battery now if you wanted.
My Honda insight was running fine then bam wouldn't both engine and battery lights came on
I read that you only need to unplug the BCM, to bypass the IMA.
Only thing i can say is i unplugged 2 of the 3 plugs that i show and it works
@@thousanddollarcarguy Great. What is your fuel economy like now, in the city?
@@keithc8108 currently 53mpg. Typically around 70 to 80 degrees everyday. I havent ised the ac in a few weeks its been too nice.
I did exactly as you did and car cranks and won't start.
Thanks!
Did you thank me by sending 2$? If you did that's really generous. But you don't have to do that. I make the videos to help people and youtube pays me enough for that.
DO NOT BYPASS THE battery. You can recondition the battery pack with a grid charger and a deep discharge.. I spent only 165$ and mine is renewed at 142k.
I am going to bypass till I can recondition my second battery (each set of 4 sticks takes me 3-4 days ~20days I have 2 gen 1 hondas and I have one extra pack so I have up to 20 dead batteries till I have concerns I plan on buying a set of new 10000mah replacements when money allows when I install that battery I'm also installing a grid charger :)
"gridding" is great as long as there's enough battery to take a charge. I did it for two years. Finally it wouldn't take a charge. I also couldn't do longer trips being dependent on having to plug it in. This is the clean, worry free solution. It's easy to adapt to linear acceleration, still yielding an incredible 60 mpg.
started to watch but too annoying with those crickets
That's too funny! I never even noticed.. maybe try lower volume.
Lol black tape will fix them lights lol
Cicadas!!!!! 😆😆
fucking sounds effects.!!
Cricketsssssssssssss
would high voltage gloves be necessary to do this?
I have automatic. is that mean just don't go pass 4k rpm?
Honestly i couldnt tell you. Even if the battery light comes on it only stays on for 30 seconds as long as the car shifts and the rpm come back down youll be fine.
@@thousanddollarcarguy Thank you for your replied. I don't have money for new batteries yet, am i still able to daily drive like this? Will it hurt anything to the car with disable IMA switch off and disconnect BCM?
@@jeanbkletsgo7446 no it wont hurt anything driving it that way. Your good to go.