I currently have one of these and I can tell you the IMA does ALL the charging and starts the car. Hearing the starter tells me the battery is done. Also the 12v battery is insanely expensive. Cheapest I could find was $120... one thing of note based on the mileage, it is due for the valve lifter adjustment and I would do a trans flush with the Honda CVT fluid ASAP! It's awesome to see you got one of these and I look forward to your videos.
Another pro tip: Do the gearbox fluid flush ASAP, these 7th generation honda gearboxes (if it is the SXLA gearbox, I live in Brazil and we don't have the hybrid here) are prone to failure around 150000 km without frequent (30-40k km) fluid changes. Good luck, I'm looking forward to see you messing with the IMA battery =D
@@ChuckFinley. since he's going to flip it, he could go with a cheap battery, but it's not going to last. The reason the 12v hybrid battery is expensive is it is a lot better battery made for a hybrid car.
make sure after you get the new cells installed in the IMA battery to also pick up an IMA grid charger and install the harness while you're in there will be awesome for the owner of the car to be able to maintain the IMA battery and get many more years of service out of it
I know someone who put one of those in and it absolutely destroyed the IMA battery since the battery was being charged beyond the car. The IMA system can't equate what the charge is. The plug-in devices do not charge each rail specifically like the car does and the cells are worn out faster.
@@thedextertech22 the car dose not charge each cell pack separately in these older systems I also do not see how the grid charger destroyed The pact unless it was installed incorrectly or the wrong charger was used. They charge at an incredibly low amperage.
I have a stick shift 2004 civic. Great car. My IMA system threw a code, replaced the IMA battery, everything ran fine, but still got an IMA charging system failure. Never replaced that, but hybrid system still works, car is surprising faster than you would think. I think your issue is the Voltage regulator, that may have went bad which would explain why your battery is dead. My car has 180k miles on it. Problem I am having now is the key ignition switch broke, replaced that, but I have to locate the right OBD programmer that will reprogram the key to the car. As for the IMA battery, I got lucky and got a used complete system for $500, swapped the battery, I never replaced the complete IMA charger system which is in the back right of the system. My car HYBRID charging still work, and the boost still works, got me a few speeding tickets because I did not realize the boost had me 10 mph over the speed limit, but the courts dropped the ticket when i told them the car is a hybrid with a boost system that does adjust the power output, and you really don't notice the speed difference. I do have extra automatic ECU for your car if you want to try it out in your car. That might fix some of your code issues, If I was there in Kansas, (which I am planning on moving to from Lakewood WA), I would let you try out the other ECU, and swap in my Original IMA box, or core swap the IMA core batteries. There is a way to individually recharge EACH Core rod on the battery, it requires disassembly to get each core battery rod out. The device you need is a special deep cycle recharge unit that you can buy through walmart. I was going to try that, but the swapped in system worked. But if your IMA is an issue, I have a complete IMA, ECU, Battery system in my backyard, just needs to be cleanses up. It looks like good condition, If youwere to get that, I would reconmend that you open the battery crate, and pull each battery rod, do an amp/volt check, look for the difference and swap out the bad cores. I believe you can actually by each battery core rod. I hope this helps. Also check your transmission for fluid levels. The Auto's are plagued with transmission issues. That is why I got the 5 speed manual, which are next to impossible to find, and have a very expensive clutch.
i work at honda as a diagnostic tech, we have a full set of ima tools that are all rubber insulated and elbow long rubber gloves that are mandatory when working on the ima system. make sure you do a cvt relearn once the engine battery and ima are all okay
DUMBERTHANYOUTHINK you’re right. I brought my 03 Accord in (car for my daughter) into a dealer back in 2017 when I bought it for her.... and the replaced the entire system because the belt was starting to fray. And discolor. And the retractors were shot. Etc etc. yup. Free of charge. The Honda rep who helped me told me that Honda is really good about safety stuff free replacement
I have a 03 civic lx, even though it's not the hybrid model its insanely cheap for a full tank, and gets an easy 40mpg if you drive it right. Absolute love it!
We had one of these! Manual transmission :D Such a high quality car, and because it's heavier and lower than normal Civic it feels very planted to drive. Not, by any means, fast ... and that's WITH the IMA working. Excited to see what you will do with it!
Yes it was offered in a manual transmission. Bought new, probably hard to find now. The take rate must have been suuuper small, Honda totally missed their target segment unlike Toyota. So not fast, but probably the best manual transmission I've found in a Honda, really S2000 shift quality.
@@busydadscooking001 I have an 05 with 264k miles. The shifting really is amazing. The extra weight really does slow it down even with IMA. I don't know how the automatics handle it. Great being able to pick a gear for the job.
I just picked up an 03 with a manual. It's dead in the water after like 55mph. The ima light just came on after owning it for 1 day. I've put 190 miles on it and it has only used a quarter tank according to the gauge tho! The batteries I don't think are crazy expensive anymore. I also read you can drive them without the ima forever basically.
I recommend you start with the IMA swap, since you have the cells and you are going to do it anyway. Once that's able to power all the systems it's supposed to, you can diagnose anything left much more easily. (And, it will start in a different way - it will do this cool "auto start" thing and you don't crank it like an ICE). But honestly, if the gas engine runs smoothly for you, it's unlikely to have anything seriously wrong with it.
Dude, you have my car, only mine is gray and it’s a stick shift. Been across the country from Georgia to Oregon and back three times. IMA light has been on for 60,000 miles. Sitting at 281,000 on original everything as of today. Worth fixing - these cars are weird alien Civics but are somehow still reliable as hell and it still manages to pull 40-45mpg at 80mph on the freeway. Looking forward to seeing you flip it. (Fun fact - when the IMA is working as intended, with the Assist the 2003-2005 Civic Hybrids have more torque in 1st gear off the line than standard Civics. Not that they are intended to be “fast” by any means!)
I've owned a used one with a dead hybrid battery from 2005 automatic and I drove it for 2 years and replaced the battery while adding trans fluid to it twice after 30k miles and it still works I got the refurbished battery replacement installed at my house for 850$
@@andrewx7806 This was in Austin Texas - Through some 3rd party hybrid batter company who only did this with the Prius's and the Honda Civic Hybrids. I'm currently trying to figure out how to get my car to pass emissions in GA without putting tons of money in it. Sucks I'd reccomend getting a non-hybrid
Nice buy. I picked up an 07 civic hybrid for $400 with a half dead hybrid battery and 305k miles on the original engine and transmission. 5k miles later and it still runs amazingly
My first brand new car was an 04 Civic EX coupe with a 5 speed, the optional side impact seat airbags, and then need to turn the ac off on steep hills lol. It was a very nice car, but looking back it felt like a toaster.
Techguy after some girl changed lanes and redesigned the entire passenger side, I traded it in for an 07 Accord V6, with an engine. 244hp of gas guzzling fun that was ha.
My 04 ex does fine on hills. I often put it in 5th hear going 45mph in city and climbs most small hills without having to downshift. Have never taken in the mountains yet. But I have been through the rockies back when I used to have a CRX. That was scary! No matter how many times I would downshift I couldn't accelerate, just prayed that I could maintain whatever speed that I did have
I just got a 2000 Insight with a manual transmission, a lot of similarities to the setup. Mine has a recent new IMA battery from Honda though, and I paid $1500 for it. Interested in the work you guys do on this!
JR, you remind me of the way I used to buy my VWs. Usually a Saturday, I'd take my current one in for scheduled service. Nothing to do, I'd hang out in the showroom looking at cars. And of course, talking with the salesman. Not long before I'm waiting on the service to be finished so I could move the contents over to my new car. In nearly 23 years, I think there was only one or two times I was actually looking for a new car, the rest were due to oil changes! (I averaged a new VW about every two years, sooner if there was a design update).
i got bad memories on these cars. my uncle built the cvt trans in one, and he put the belt in wrong.(its like a bunch of little mustaches smushed together and held with two steel bands) he started it up, it wouldnt move, so he floored it and you could hear the belt snap and what sounded like someone dropping a bunch of pebbles into a coffee can. bad times.
A bunch of little mustaches smushed together? Omigosh can you please track down a snapshot of it? I want to make new dreams about what you just said :)
I bought one June last year with a bad IMA battery and 86k on it for $3,000 in CA. Still running strong and did 6 months of Uber with it til it no longer qualified as an Uber car earlier this year. Now sitting at 113k miles. With bad IMA it average 36-38 mpg but on long trips I get 40+ mpg. I'm interested to see this car get fixed as I'll need to get new IMA to pass smog next year. Only downside is it lose a quart of oil every 1k miles.
Go to www.insightcentral.net to learn about these 1st gen Honda Hybrids, The Civic is basically the same system as the Insight. These cars can easily be driven on the gas motor only IF you switch off the battery pack in the back. Then it absolutely needs a healthy 12V battery to work properly. This car does not have an alternator. It uses the electric assist motor to charge the 12V battery. You have to be running at least 1500 RPM to start charging, but 2500-3000 rpm charges faster. At idle it is not really charging at all. Also this car has electric power steering which puts a good draw on the system at low speeds.
i bought a 2003 with a good battery pack, a dead 12v battery and a bad CVT. replaced trans after freshening it up with new clutch and orings . $700 car. $700 trans. $100 trans rebuild kit. $50 ball joints. $8 serp belt. $9 cabin filter. $30 radiator fan $40 HVAC fan. $3 oil filter $25 oil $49 transmission fluid. $12 tie rod
I have a 2003 Civic Hybrid but because the engine light is on (code p1600) I can't get it smogged and will have to junk the car. The fix is probably a new hybrid battery. Very costly. It's sad because the car runs great and gets great mileage. CA smog rules are ridiculous.
My wife had an 03 Civic Hybrid 5spd manual (in white.....w/ start/stop!) and it was an amazing commuter car...right up until the O2 sensors went (and those weren’t cheap parts from Honda) and it got traded in.
I have a 2007 civic hybrid, and everything for it is insanely expensive. The 12 volt battery was $130 for a lawnmower size battery, and the hubcaps for the hybrid only wheels were $70 each.
Cool that you found one that wasn't like a billion Yen, that actually seems pretty sound. Extra bonus on the Cell's already being on board. Wish you luck with this slick Civic.
Funny thing is that the plastic cover for the air freshener trees is not supposed to be removed when new but just opened enough to allow it to be slid down to expose just the top of the tree and afterwards slid down as the smell diminishes which makes it last much longer and avoids overwhelming you and your passengers. My father pointed to the instructions which apparently absolutely no one reads. (well almost no one)
You’ve probably seen it, but the Honda Insight website (InsightCentral) has a wealth of knowledge about refreshing/maintaining the IMA system. The ICE is different, but the IMA system is almost identical. Cool part for this generation CVT Civic is that it will go into leanburn (my CVT Insight won’t) just like the manual. You’re right, JR, the system is very easy to work on. Good luck, they’re great little gas sippers!
Jr Very interesting video we love u fixing old. cars has these are what most average people's budget can afford well done mate nice Honda it will be interesting to see u fix this one with so many faults Phil in the uk
Broken civic ima club here: my manual civic boned it’s battery around 80k miles and it was covered under warranty. When the battery failed it ran outta juice fasssst - two short pulls on the freeway and it would be done.
You will need to check the air bags because of the Honda air bag recall because when the air bag deploys shrapnel gos in the the Passenger compartment injuring you or killing you
Electric power steering and the alternator works internally with the Hybrid Battery. My battery light turns on i pop it in neutral roll down hill and pop the clutch, mine is 5spd. 2003, its still broken i got it broken, even have spare 20k motor for it.
My friend has a civic hybrid with 370k miles and we beat tfffff out of it. Im talking spraying starter fluid in it while its on full rev, no exhaust, exhaust stack up the side, 40 mph through a construction site, hit a massive rock at 60 mph went right through the bumper left a massive hole, jumping it, full rev everywhere. See how long this car lasts. Beat it up see what it can take
I bought a similar used civic hybrid as this more than a decade ago. By the time I sold it less than 2 years after owning it, it depreciated like a BMW 7 series.... :P I traded it in for a non-hybrid civic under lease, by the time I traded the non-hybrid ones, the dealer paid me money to take it out of my hands... nice...
I had one of those for a short time. A co worker owned one and the hybrid battery died. He had just put a new under hood battery in it. $100 later it was mine. Swiped the brand new under hood battery for my lawn tractor and scrapped it for $150.
Watch out John Ross I think you have the Car Owners Virus.LOL I really enjoy your channel. Thanx for sharing your passion with the rest of us gearheads.
Great video and interesting use of the MX808 during slow drive dependent on the jump pack... Still able to read all the codes and so many live data options!!!
Dude I bought one of these too a few weeks except with a manual. I was so stoked that they made a hybrid with a manual I ended up paying like $100 mOre than you😂. It’s got like 250k on the odometer and I’ve already taken it on a couple 4hr+ road trips with the family with zero issues besides my wide open broken exhaust and the warm glow of the ima light staring me in the face.
So are you going to loan your manual to JR so we can all watch him read it and fix the car (after reading the instructions :) together? Teamwork! :) I only have the non-hybrid 1984 and 1986 carbureted Honda hatchbacks and 1989 and 1990 fuel-injected FWD wagons. Only 4 Hondas, so sad. Excited to see how he tackles this one. I love his no-fear approach the unknown...I wake up to his videos and they comfort me before sleepytime when I can't figure out something that's stumping me all day. Thanks to JR and everyone here for making the lockdown way better over here in So. California! ;)
@@natalies.8800 right same I'd definitely be down. I was so stoked when I saw he basically had the same car as me it's super motivating especially when it took a while for my wife to come around and appreciate the civic for what it is flaws and all lol.
Now, in 2024, the real problem is the availability of sticks with quality cells that will last longer than the 90 day warranty many rebuilt packs come with. If the cheapest sticks cost $50 a piece or more to import, and you need 20 of them, that doesn't inspire much confidence in packs costing less than $2000. In the better times, this would've been a fairly straightforward job to pull the pack, swap the sticks with new ones, and pop it back in. Another wiggle to watch out for is the fact that some owners will drive the vehicle around with a screwed pack until the inverter finally burns out from constantly recharging the 12v battery and it's not a $20 part either.
My dad and I dailied our '05 Hybrid. The IMA lasted nearly until 140k, for 12 years. Sold it for $5 to family who wanted it and would buy a new IMA. Good car, no excitement. My '17 Civic is far more interesting.
WatchJRGo just discovered your channel recently, and it’s really giving me inspiration to continue fixing up my beater! It’s a ‘91 190E, and I love it.
I had the later model Civic Hybrid 2009 euro model. Really nice car to drive, but I got rid of it after having to change the battery pack multiple times. First time with a new pack under warranty. Second and third time (outside warranty) with refurbished packs, both of which turned bad within six months... Still love Honda tough, just not IMA ones anymore. Now drive a 2005 accord CL7 2.0L euro model.
@@jasminesorchids9598 the IMA battery kept going bad. The original IMA battery was already bad when I bought the car (at only 2 years old). The new replacement IMA battery (under warranty) lasted maybe 2,5 or 3 years. The used / refurbished ones I had put in after that, didn't even last a year. I got rid of the car in 2017, because of this. It was a 2009 model year. Those were known for this issue (2009 to 2011), at least over here with the euro spec model. A friend had a 2008 pre facelift model, and never had this issue. Different battery manufacturers.
Note the Prius II must have both the 12v battery & Main HY battery working or the system will NOT READY ON or start I guess Honda is a different Prius was what we were trained on at Chaffey
I actually almost bought one of these back in like 2016. This was the only gen Civic (to my knowledge) that had a hybrid AND manual transmission option. I ended up getting a 7th gen coupe instead.
I suspect the old guy that had it before Roberto took it to a garage to get the issues fixed, and all they did was take the bulb out of the EML and tape over the IMA light on the dash. And charged him several grand for the "work." "Yup, it's all fixed" when the car is still as sick as it ever was, just without the warning lights. I wonder if his new vehicle came from the same garage, as some places are really not at all above doing really shady stuff if they think they can force the customer into spending a load more money on buying a new vehicle rather than fixing what they already have...
The 12v battery charge by the generator that charges the HV battery as well. It doesn’t have a alternator like regular gas cars. So if HV batteries are shot the 12v battery will drain as well.
pull all the ima garbage out and k swap it(the ima batter is very heavy on that model) and yes as long as they can't prove neglect (ie cut or animal chewed seatbelt) belts and buckles are free replacement from honda (ima battery replacement at honda was 2-4k depending on the model iirc)
3:03 "When the battery gets weak, the power steering gets hard". I had that exact issue with my 2006 Civic Hybrid and the dealership couldn't find what was wrong (the car was about 2 years old that that time). Possibly a recall/defect that Honda didn't want to address?
I once bought a used car that had electrical tape over the check engine light that I didn't notice for a day or so, luckily it was on the outside of the cluster & it was a loose gas cap.
Should be a fairly easy though possibly involved fix. I would think it depends on how easy that pack is to break down and swap in new cells. Hopefully everything else clears once the hybrid system can take a proper charge and deliver the proper voltage and keep the service battery charged again. If it works out should be a easy 2k or higher flip.
The commutation sensor failure is probably causing the ima system to not charge the 12v. The battery may shut down the dc-dc after a bit, but it should be a minimum of half a minute or so before it detects the battery condition and shut it down. The sensors rarely fail, so look for damage to the commutation sensors (under the ima motor) or to the cables running from there to the back. Look for road debris damage or even rodent damage.
A coworker bought one of those and was bragging about his 40 MPG. Another coworker had a Dodge Neon that was getting 50+ MPG. He rubbed it in a bit and dude traded his CIVIC.
I also own 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid. It runs fine and performance are also fine (it seems that IMA battery is working). But my 12V battery often dies and recharge/jump start. According to the battery specialist, this is the sign of the beginning IMA battery failure. Is it true?
Think that's rough, try driving a ford five hundred with no power steering. Yea it was absolutely miserable. A body builder wouldn't be able to maneuver it in tight spaces.
In a perfect world Hoovie would be a personable midwestern version of Mike Brewer, complete with the agony Tyler faces whenever he makes a poor choice, and you would fix his cars with your unique methods. An updated US wheeler dealers, except not forced- on the square, you are mates, you are in the same area, and you do have similar interests. Of course busted Ferrari’s and Rolls Royce’s are no joke to mess with.
i found a Honda Civic 1.3 IMA from 2005 with the same problem the hybrid cistem has errors the guy is asking for 1800 euros its almost the same in dollars, is it a fair price?
Love the cheap flippers. You teach a lot of young kids and old about cars thay can actually afford. Thank you
You spelled thoy wrong
No he spelleded it korectly
Randy Taylor 69 your hair is the wrong color but does everyone comment that in your face?
This dude drove off like he sold a $500 Honda for $1,100 bucks 🤭
Funny seeing you here
@@mdx_vr birds of a feather 🤔
How strange 🙃
110% Accurate
Mexicans.... (just joking)
Ohhhh a Honda... you know we cant resist a Honda!!
The moment when the license plate almost falls off, like it’s an omen. 😂
I currently have one of these and I can tell you the IMA does ALL the charging and starts the car. Hearing the starter tells me the battery is done. Also the 12v battery is insanely expensive. Cheapest I could find was $120... one thing of note based on the mileage, it is due for the valve lifter adjustment and I would do a trans flush with the Honda CVT fluid ASAP! It's awesome to see you got one of these and I look forward to your videos.
I agree, the 12v battery has probably been deep cycled many times, hopefully it's not that much! 🍻
Another pro tip: Do the gearbox fluid flush ASAP, these 7th generation honda gearboxes (if it is the SXLA gearbox, I live in Brazil and we don't have the hybrid here) are prone to failure around 150000 km without frequent (30-40k km) fluid changes. Good luck, I'm looking forward to see you messing with the IMA battery =D
I do all the repairs on this car and love working on it but the parts can be insanely expensive because it's a hybrid. Don't expect racing speeds!
@@ChuckFinley. since he's going to flip it, he could go with a cheap battery, but it's not going to last. The reason the 12v hybrid battery is expensive is it is a lot better battery made for a hybrid car.
just buy one of those small 12 volt batteris for like running big radios and stuff.
Your friend Roberto is so laid back, he's almost unconscious.
the power of thc
@@davidchang8428 you watch too much t.v
Stoned
make sure after you get the new cells installed in the IMA battery to also pick up an IMA grid charger and install the harness while you're in there will be awesome for the owner of the car to be able to maintain the IMA battery and get many more years of service out of it
I know someone who put one of those in and it absolutely destroyed the IMA battery since the battery was being charged beyond the car. The IMA system can't equate what the charge is. The plug-in devices do not charge each rail specifically like the car does and the cells are worn out faster.
@@thedextertech22
no it can be set to what u charge it. tons of folk do it to 1st gen insights.
Where can I buy a Grid charger ?
@@juantorressanchez9920 Google it but the year make and model of your car then the words grid charger. Also go look on forums and do some research
@@thedextertech22 the car dose not charge each cell pack separately in these older systems I also do not see how the grid charger destroyed The pact unless it was installed incorrectly or the wrong charger was used. They charge at an incredibly low amperage.
I have a stick shift 2004 civic. Great car. My IMA system threw a code, replaced the IMA battery, everything ran fine, but still got an IMA charging system failure. Never replaced that, but hybrid system still works, car is surprising faster than you would think. I think your issue is the Voltage regulator, that may have went bad which would explain why your battery is dead. My car has 180k miles on it. Problem I am having now is the key ignition switch broke, replaced that, but I have to locate the right OBD programmer that will reprogram the key to the car. As for the IMA battery, I got lucky and got a used complete system for $500, swapped the battery, I never replaced the complete IMA charger system which is in the back right of the system. My car HYBRID charging still work, and the boost still works, got me a few speeding tickets because I did not realize the boost had me 10 mph over the speed limit, but the courts dropped the ticket when i told them the car is a hybrid with a boost system that does adjust the power output, and you really don't notice the speed difference.
I do have extra automatic ECU for your car if you want to try it out in your car. That might fix some of your code issues, If I was there in Kansas, (which I am planning on moving to from Lakewood WA), I would let you try out the other ECU, and swap in my Original IMA box, or core swap the IMA core batteries. There is a way to individually recharge EACH Core rod on the battery, it requires disassembly to get each core battery rod out. The device you need is a special deep cycle recharge unit that you can buy through walmart. I was going to try that, but the swapped in system worked.
But if your IMA is an issue, I have a complete IMA, ECU, Battery system in my backyard, just needs to be cleanses up. It looks like good condition, If youwere to get that, I would reconmend that you open the battery crate, and pull each battery rod, do an amp/volt check, look for the difference and swap out the bad cores. I believe you can actually by each battery core rod. I hope this helps.
Also check your transmission for fluid levels. The Auto's are plagued with transmission issues. That is why I got the 5 speed manual, which are next to impossible to find, and have a very expensive clutch.
Did he call the Little trees air freshener a "felony forest"? lmao
😂😂😂😂😂😂 yes he did that was great
What part
@@adamdomonski1619 8:09
Had the non-hybrid of this Civic. Most reliable car I've had. Bought it with 68K miles, put another 100K on it with just oil changes and a starter.
I have a 09 Honda Civic lx I got it with 103,730k and now I have 113,810k
wow thats crazy, im looking for one aswell
That's nothing for a Civic
i work at honda as a diagnostic tech, we have a full set of ima tools that are all rubber insulated and elbow long rubber gloves that are mandatory when working on the ima system. make sure you do a cvt relearn once the engine battery and ima are all okay
How much cost new batery for this car?
If it's throwing SRS codes for seatbelt buckles, they have a lifetime warranty at Honda
Yep had mine replaced for free
@Theodore Olson as far as i remember seatbelts on all Hondas are lifetime warranty
DUMBERTHANYOUTHINK you’re right. I brought my 03 Accord in (car for my daughter) into a dealer back in 2017 when I bought it for her.... and the replaced the entire system because the belt was starting to fray. And discolor. And the retractors were shot. Etc etc. yup. Free of charge. The Honda rep who helped me told me that Honda is really good about safety stuff free replacement
Solid move from honda
I have a 03 civic lx, even though it's not the hybrid model its insanely cheap for a full tank, and gets an easy 40mpg if you drive it right. Absolute love it!
We had one of these! Manual transmission :D Such a high quality car, and because it's heavier and lower than normal Civic it feels very planted to drive. Not, by any means, fast ... and that's WITH the IMA working. Excited to see what you will do with it!
Very jealous you found one with a manual.
wtf a hybrid with a _manual_ transmission??
Yes it was offered in a manual transmission. Bought new, probably hard to find now. The take rate must have been suuuper small, Honda totally missed their target segment unlike Toyota. So not fast, but probably the best manual transmission I've found in a Honda, really S2000 shift quality.
@@busydadscooking001 I have an 05 with 264k miles. The shifting really is amazing. The extra weight really does slow it down even with IMA. I don't know how the automatics handle it. Great being able to pick a gear for the job.
I just picked up an 03 with a manual. It's dead in the water after like 55mph. The ima light just came on after owning it for 1 day. I've put 190 miles on it and it has only used a quarter tank according to the gauge tho! The batteries I don't think are crazy expensive anymore. I also read you can drive them without the ima forever basically.
I recommend you start with the IMA swap, since you have the cells and you are going to do it anyway. Once that's able to power all the systems it's supposed to, you can diagnose anything left much more easily. (And, it will start in a different way - it will do this cool "auto start" thing and you don't crank it like an ICE). But honestly, if the gas engine runs smoothly for you, it's unlikely to have anything seriously wrong with it.
Dude, you have my car, only mine is gray and it’s a stick shift. Been across the country from Georgia to Oregon and back three times. IMA light has been on for 60,000 miles. Sitting at 281,000 on original everything as of today. Worth fixing - these cars are weird alien Civics but are somehow still reliable as hell and it still manages to pull 40-45mpg at 80mph on the freeway. Looking forward to seeing you flip it. (Fun fact - when the IMA is working as intended, with the Assist the 2003-2005 Civic Hybrids have more torque in 1st gear off the line than standard Civics. Not that they are intended to be “fast” by any means!)
4:28 i did the same thing to the airbag light in my old corolla. Black tape on the plastic cover wasnt gonna do it for me... worth it. lol
E
I've owned a used one with a dead hybrid battery from 2005 automatic and I drove it for 2 years and replaced the battery while adding trans fluid to it twice after 30k miles and it still works
I got the refurbished battery replacement installed at my house for 850$
where do you live and who does this at that price? I need this to save my car.
@@andrewx7806 This was in Austin Texas - Through some 3rd party hybrid batter company who only did this with the Prius's and the Honda Civic Hybrids.
I'm currently trying to figure out how to get my car to pass emissions in GA without putting tons of money in it. Sucks
I'd reccomend getting a non-hybrid
Nice buy. I picked up an 07 civic hybrid for $400 with a half dead hybrid battery and 305k miles on the original engine and transmission. 5k miles later and it still runs amazingly
I'm buying an 06 with 300,000 with an oil leak and needs drivers rear door.. for 500
I had a 7th gen coupe EX with a 5 speed, paid it off and was totaled a month later by a teenaged girl in a 70's model beetle. I still miss that car.
My first brand new car was an 04 Civic EX coupe with a 5 speed, the optional side impact seat airbags, and then need to turn the ac off on steep hills lol. It was a very nice car, but looking back it felt like a toaster.
That was the first car I ever bought, mine was used though.
Techguy after some girl changed lanes and redesigned the entire passenger side, I traded it in for an 07 Accord V6, with an engine. 244hp of gas guzzling fun that was ha.
Same here! My first new car was a 2004 civic ex. still have the car. 302k I still love it. Also have a 2019 accord touring 2.0.
My 04 ex does fine on hills. I often put it in 5th hear going 45mph in city and climbs most small hills without having to downshift. Have never taken in the mountains yet. But I have been through the rockies back when I used to have a CRX. That was scary! No matter how many times I would downshift I couldn't accelerate, just prayed that I could maintain whatever speed that I did have
First time I've ever heard "felony forest". That's a good one.
I just sold one of these a few months ago because I was scared of the battery going out. But I really liked the car!
Should have installed a grid charger
The more serious version of Tyler Hoover: buying everything he comes up
I love it!
I just got a 2000 Insight with a manual transmission, a lot of similarities to the setup. Mine has a recent new IMA battery from Honda though, and I paid $1500 for it. Interested in the work you guys do on this!
JR, you remind me of the way I used to buy my VWs. Usually a Saturday, I'd take my current one in for scheduled service. Nothing to do, I'd hang out in the showroom looking at cars. And of course, talking with the salesman. Not long before I'm waiting on the service to be finished so I could move the contents over to my new car. In nearly 23 years, I think there was only one or two times I was actually looking for a new car, the rest were due to oil changes! (I averaged a new VW about every two years, sooner if there was a design update).
i got bad memories on these cars. my uncle built the cvt trans in one, and he put the belt in wrong.(its like a bunch of little mustaches smushed together and held with two steel bands) he started it up, it wouldnt move, so he floored it and you could hear the belt snap and what sounded like someone dropping a bunch of pebbles into a coffee can. bad times.
A bunch of little mustaches smushed together? Omigosh can you please track down a snapshot of it? I want to make new dreams about what you just said :)
I almost choked laughing at this comment 🤣
I learned to drive in a 2002 Honda Civic so hearing that door chime brought some memories back!
That door chime is Morse code that spells out Honda.
I bought one June last year with a bad IMA battery and 86k on it for $3,000 in CA. Still running strong and did 6 months of Uber with it til it no longer qualified as an Uber car earlier this year. Now sitting at 113k miles. With bad IMA it average 36-38 mpg but on long trips I get 40+ mpg. I'm interested to see this car get fixed as I'll need to get new IMA to pass smog next year. Only downside is it lose a quart of oil every 1k miles.
Go to www.insightcentral.net to learn about these 1st gen Honda Hybrids, The Civic is basically the same system as the Insight.
These cars can easily be driven on the gas motor only IF you switch off the battery pack in the back. Then it absolutely needs a healthy 12V battery to work properly.
This car does not have an alternator. It uses the electric assist motor to charge the 12V battery. You have to be running at least 1500 RPM to start charging, but 2500-3000 rpm charges faster. At idle it is not really charging at all. Also this car has electric power steering which puts a good draw on the system at low speeds.
i bought a 2003 with a good battery pack, a dead 12v battery and a bad CVT.
replaced trans after freshening it up with new clutch and orings .
$700 car.
$700 trans.
$100 trans rebuild kit.
$50 ball joints.
$8 serp belt.
$9 cabin filter.
$30 radiator fan
$40 HVAC fan.
$3 oil filter
$25 oil
$49 transmission fluid.
$12 tie rod
great car i have 2004 civic hybrid 214800 miles still gets 43.5 MPG
I have a 2003 Civic Hybrid but because the engine light is on (code p1600) I can't get it smogged and will have to junk the car. The fix is probably a new hybrid battery. Very costly. It's sad because the car runs great and gets great mileage. CA smog rules are ridiculous.
I had a 2005 Civic LX, such a good car that I bought another Civic, really can't go wrong with one.
My wife had an 03 Civic Hybrid 5spd manual (in white.....w/ start/stop!) and it was an amazing commuter car...right up until the O2 sensors went (and those weren’t cheap parts from Honda) and it got traded in.
I have a 2007 civic hybrid, and everything for it is insanely expensive. The 12 volt battery was $130 for a lawnmower size battery, and the hubcaps for the hybrid only wheels were $70 each.
No idle hands on this channel. I love the content!
Cool that you found one that wasn't like a billion Yen, that actually seems pretty sound. Extra bonus on the Cell's already being on board. Wish you luck with this slick Civic.
This project is going to help so many people figure out and fix thier hybrid Civic. These cheapie flip cars are my favorite on the channel.
Yes, same here! Great to see them revived and on to a new home (or whatever ends up in your fleet :) Thanks for keeping us Honda geeks happy.
Funny thing is that the plastic cover for the air freshener trees is not supposed to be removed when new but just opened enough to allow it to be slid down to expose just the top of the tree and afterwards slid down as the smell diminishes which makes it last much longer and avoids overwhelming you and your passengers. My father pointed to the instructions which apparently absolutely no one reads. (well almost no one)
You’ve probably seen it, but the Honda Insight website (InsightCentral) has a wealth of knowledge about refreshing/maintaining the IMA system. The ICE is different, but the IMA system is almost identical.
Cool part for this generation CVT Civic is that it will go into leanburn (my CVT Insight won’t) just like the manual.
You’re right, JR, the system is very easy to work on. Good luck, they’re great little gas sippers!
You so need a shirt that says "You can find cool shirts, not like this" in the store! 🤣
Nice I have non hybrid ‘04 that runs great! Bought it from a grandma with 65k now at almost 90k four years later haha
Josh Nielson hug that transmission every night, it’s not long for this world. I love both my civics too
Jr
Very interesting video we love u fixing old. cars
has these are what most average people's budget can afford well done mate nice Honda it will be interesting to see u fix this one with so many faults
Phil in the uk
Broken civic ima club here: my manual civic boned it’s battery around 80k miles and it was covered under warranty. When the battery failed it ran outta juice fasssst - two short pulls on the freeway and it would be done.
You will need to check the air bags because of the Honda air bag recall because when the air bag deploys shrapnel gos in the the Passenger compartment injuring you or killing you
Electric power steering and the alternator works internally with the Hybrid Battery. My battery light turns on i pop it in neutral roll down hill and pop the clutch, mine is 5spd. 2003, its still broken i got it broken, even have spare 20k motor for it.
My friend has a civic hybrid with 370k miles and we beat tfffff out of it. Im talking spraying starter fluid in it while its on full rev, no exhaust, exhaust stack up the side, 40 mph through a construction site, hit a massive rock at 60 mph went right through the bumper left a massive hole, jumping it, full rev everywhere. See how long this car lasts. Beat it up see what it can take
Anyone can just destroy. I'm here to watch JR make it better!
I bought a similar used civic hybrid as this more than a decade ago. By the time I sold it less than 2 years after owning it, it depreciated like a BMW 7 series.... :P
I traded it in for a non-hybrid civic under lease, by the time I traded the non-hybrid ones, the dealer paid me money to take it out of my hands... nice...
I had one of those for a short time. A co worker owned one and the hybrid battery died. He had just put a new under hood battery in it. $100 later it was mine. Swiped the brand new under hood battery for my lawn tractor and scrapped it for $150.
I have one of those civics, I had the same problem with the electronics and it had to do with the starter battery not the hybrid battery
Is it still running good?
Watch out John Ross I think you have the Car Owners Virus.LOL I really enjoy your channel. Thanx for sharing your passion with the rest of us gearheads.
Your channel is a recent addition if mine. Love these flip videos, keep up the great content!
Nice find! Excited to see you rebuild that battery mang!
Great video and interesting use of the MX808 during slow drive dependent on the jump pack... Still able to read all the codes and so many live data options!!!
Dude I bought one of these too a few weeks except with a manual. I was so stoked that they made a hybrid with a manual I ended up paying like $100 mOre than you😂. It’s got like 250k on the odometer and I’ve already taken it on a couple 4hr+ road trips with the family with zero issues besides my wide open broken exhaust and the warm glow of the ima light staring me in the face.
So are you going to loan your manual to JR so we can all watch him read it and fix the car (after reading the instructions :) together? Teamwork! :)
I only have the non-hybrid 1984 and 1986 carbureted Honda hatchbacks and 1989 and 1990 fuel-injected FWD wagons. Only 4 Hondas, so sad.
Excited to see how he tackles this one. I love his no-fear approach the unknown...I wake up to his videos and they comfort me before sleepytime when I can't figure out something that's stumping me all day. Thanks to JR and everyone here for making the lockdown way better over here in So. California! ;)
@@natalies.8800 right same I'd definitely be down. I was so stoked when I saw he basically had the same car as me it's super motivating especially when it took a while for my wife to come around and appreciate the civic for what it is flaws and all lol.
I love the quick , cheap flips
IMA big fan of these cars.
Dang 🥉 comment!
Classic Jake joke
Now, in 2024, the real problem is the availability of sticks with quality cells that will last longer than the 90 day warranty many rebuilt packs come with.
If the cheapest sticks cost $50 a piece or more to import, and you need 20 of them, that doesn't inspire much confidence in packs costing less than $2000.
In the better times, this would've been a fairly straightforward job to pull the pack, swap the sticks with new ones, and pop it back in.
Another wiggle to watch out for is the fact that some owners will drive the vehicle around with a screwed pack until the inverter finally burns out from constantly recharging the 12v battery and it's not a $20 part either.
My dad and I dailied our '05 Hybrid. The IMA lasted nearly until 140k, for 12 years. Sold it for $5 to family who wanted it and would buy a new IMA. Good car, no excitement. My '17 Civic is far more interesting.
Legend has it that JR still hearts comments...
Legend confirmed 🍻
@@WatchJRGo has witnessed us!
WatchJRGo just discovered your channel recently, and it’s really giving me inspiration to continue fixing up my beater! It’s a ‘91 190E, and I love it.
I had the later model Civic Hybrid 2009 euro model. Really nice car to drive, but I got rid of it after having to change the battery pack multiple times. First time with a new pack under warranty. Second and third time (outside warranty) with refurbished packs, both of which turned bad within six months...
Still love Honda tough, just not IMA ones anymore. Now drive a 2005 accord CL7 2.0L euro model.
Your regular battery went back every 6 months? Not the IMA battery?
*bad
@@jasminesorchids9598 the IMA battery kept going bad. The original IMA battery was already bad when I bought the car (at only 2 years old). The new replacement IMA battery (under warranty) lasted maybe 2,5 or 3 years. The used / refurbished ones I had put in after that, didn't even last a year. I got rid of the car in 2017, because of this. It was a 2009 model year. Those were known for this issue (2009 to 2011), at least over here with the euro spec model. A friend had a 2008 pre facelift model, and never had this issue. Different battery manufacturers.
Is there not an alternator that will charge the main 12v battery?
Nope, it uses a DC to DC converter 🔋
Note the Prius II must have both the 12v battery & Main HY battery working or the system will NOT READY ON or start I guess Honda is a different Prius was what we were trained on at Chaffey
I've been waiting for a vid like this. GJ JR.
I actually almost bought one of these back in like 2016. This was the only gen Civic (to my knowledge) that had a hybrid AND manual transmission option. I ended up getting a 7th gen coupe instead.
I suspect the old guy that had it before Roberto took it to a garage to get the issues fixed, and all they did was take the bulb out of the EML and tape over the IMA light on the dash. And charged him several grand for the "work." "Yup, it's all fixed" when the car is still as sick as it ever was, just without the warning lights. I wonder if his new vehicle came from the same garage, as some places are really not at all above doing really shady stuff if they think they can force the customer into spending a load more money on buying a new vehicle rather than fixing what they already have...
Yay the cheap flips are back!
The 12v battery charge by the generator that charges the HV battery as well. It doesn’t have a alternator like regular gas cars. So if HV batteries are shot the 12v battery will drain as well.
My girlfriend dailies an 05 civic hybrid. its a good little car. gutless when the battery runs low on long hills but otherwise great
Putting a sticker over the light haha. Not me. "This little light of mine. Ima let it shine, let it shiiine, let it shiiiiine, let it shiiiiiiiiine"
pull all the ima garbage out and k swap it(the ima batter is very heavy on that model) and yes as long as they can't prove neglect (ie cut or animal chewed seatbelt) belts and buckles are free replacement from honda
(ima battery replacement at honda was 2-4k depending on the model iirc)
3:03 "When the battery gets weak, the power steering gets hard". I had that exact issue with my 2006 Civic Hybrid and the dealership couldn't find what was wrong (the car was about 2 years old that that time). Possibly a recall/defect that Honda didn't want to address?
does the car run normally without the IMA batteries? (minus what the batteries provide, obviously; start-stop and (more) power...
I bought 1 for 1k with a ok battery. 3 months in it dead. Bought a hybrid battery for 1k i replaced it. Runs like a champ
I once bought a used car that had electrical tape over the check engine light that I didn't notice for a day or so, luckily it was on the outside of the cluster & it was a loose gas cap.
Can you get a closer shot of the tape job over the IMS light.
Should be a fairly easy though possibly involved fix. I would think it depends on how easy that pack is to break down and swap in new cells. Hopefully everything else clears once the hybrid system can take a proper charge and deliver the proper voltage and keep the service battery charged again.
If it works out should be a easy 2k or higher flip.
The commutation sensor failure is probably causing the ima system to not charge the 12v. The battery may shut down the dc-dc after a bit, but it should be a minimum of half a minute or so before it detects the battery condition and shut it down. The sensors rarely fail, so look for damage to the commutation sensors (under the ima motor) or to the cables running from there to the back. Look for road debris damage or even rodent damage.
I had a 2005 civic hybrid with all the same issues. Eventual death of the car was the transmission. Rip Goldie
I replaced my battery pack with 9 volt batteries from Walmart, works great now!
A coworker bought one of those and was bragging about his 40 MPG. Another coworker had a Dodge Neon that was getting 50+ MPG. He rubbed it in a bit and dude traded his CIVIC.
Excellent work and thanks for the awesome content
While the IMA battery is out I would check and clean all the contacts on the white connectors in that battery compartment.
My grandpa had this exact same car color, year and water bottle!
1.3L engine, same engine in the Gold Wing?
Not unless it’s a 6 cylinder.
Might just need a new flux capacitor to get it running normally again
Did you sell the Saab? I noticed that it wasn't in your driveway in it's usual parking spot...
It moved to Gabe's when I was getting a new roof on the house 🍻
JR Picks apart the dent in the deck lid on the civic but puts many hours labor and $1,000 into detailing into a $500 car with quarter panel damage.
These are my favorite types of videos you put out there, the quick flip type ones. Keep them coming. 👍
Did he call the Little trees air freshener a "felony forest"? lmao
Don't forget thick glves & the HY Battery Plug to disable the system
Was there any slipping/shuttering accelerating from a dead stop? Mine slips every time from a dead stop but fine when driving.
I also own 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid. It runs fine and performance are also fine (it seems that IMA battery is working). But my 12V battery often dies and recharge/jump start. According to the battery specialist, this is the sign of the beginning IMA battery failure. Is it true?
Think that's rough, try driving a ford five hundred with no power steering. Yea it was absolutely miserable. A body builder wouldn't be able to maneuver it in tight spaces.
Brian hell nah try a B6 Passat with electrical failure it was a bear
Power steering on our old fire engine has failed in middle of a 90° turn. Two people had to move the steering wheel
had to tune into the Honda content
Let’s do hybrid things 🤙🏻
JR with a Civic, an instant classic
I test drove a 2009 Volkswagen Passat B6( I affectionately called it Danielle) and it did the same thing power steering wise it was a bear driving it
In a perfect world Hoovie would be a personable midwestern version of Mike Brewer, complete with the agony Tyler faces whenever he makes a poor choice, and you would fix his cars with your unique methods. An updated US wheeler dealers, except not forced- on the square, you are mates, you are in the same area, and you do have similar interests. Of course busted Ferrari’s and Rolls Royce’s are no joke to mess with.
i found a Honda Civic 1.3 IMA from 2005 with the same problem the hybrid cistem has errors the guy is asking for 1800 euros its almost the same in dollars, is it a fair price?
Love the vids🖤