Michael Luscher Actually I went through this with my old Element and the Takata recall. Not every component of the system has a lifetime warranty but I recall belt buckles were covered.
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 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 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!
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.
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.
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'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
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...
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.
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.
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 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.
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!
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.
If I saw gauges painted over, that is a straight up deal breaker. Immediately. What else is this dude hiding? Something illegal or disgusting under the seat that I will get blamed for? Plus what kind of shitbag tries to trick innocent car buyers into buying a car with expensive issues? Why would I reward such behavior with my money? Plus it's illegal and I wouldn't wan't to get blamed. I would report him to the feds probably... Not to mention the restored 12v battery with no labels? Rolled on touch up paint? Opened box of cells with "hopefully" all of them there? I hope it wasnt Roberto who did it... But even if it wasn't, how could he possibly purchase the car and then sell it for profit? (guaranteed he did not buy it for over $500... ) No wonder he skirted out of there so quick! It's a challenge for you JR, that's great.. I think the instrument cluster as a whole is easy to swap, and fairly cheap, and changing the high voltage cells will be a really great video... but whoever covered the warning lights COMMITTED THE CRIME OF FRAUD -CONCEALMENT OF A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR FINANCIAL GAIN, and is a huge fucking dick face.
Okay, first off, likely not a federal crime to sell a car without disclosing known issues with it. State law crime, possibly a consumer protection law - not really much to report to the feds. ;) Second, it's a used car. Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware, etc. The taped-over gauge may have been covering something, but the fact that something was being covered was out in the open, so he could make his decision based upon that. It wasnt something that looks reputable but is really fake. It looked tampered-with from the outset, so he had an ida of what he's getting into JR inspected it and decided he wanted to go for it, paying the price they agreed upon. JR knows how to fix stuff, so he's more knowledgeable than most, and seems like he wants the challenge of sketchifying this car. I would have hoped to pay less for something with so many unknowns, but I also would have been working with my own budget without sponsorships or a possible secondary benefit of having a teaching channel over it. Anyway, completely unnecessary to accuse the seller/rior owner of fraud and call him names. Might be in violation of RUclips's terms of service to target an individual like this. Let's focus on the positive and see what adventures can be made out of learning how to fix this 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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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 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.
I think my neighbor has a first or second generation Prius and it's still going strong unbelievable. Those things are a mystery to me great video as usual stay safe stay well and as always God bless
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 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...
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.
You should start a collection of the regular car hybrids they had! Tahoe, Sierra, first Gen Highlander, fusion? Did they make a fusion hybrid? All of those though!
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!)
If the car was sitting for a while it’s more likely the engine light went away from no battery unless they removed the bulb behind the dash so it can’t illuminate cause I’ve seen that to
This is not a fix … the battery won’t charge under 1500 RPM… don’t be fooled by this video …. Car is a bad day waiting to happen… people that don’t know better will do this and regret it later … I watch ur video to learn not to get wrong advise…this should have a big warning sign do not try this at home ….
Yup. I believe I preferred the term "dangerously slow". And I had a 106hp del Sol to compare it to :D It's a good highway car, but not the on-ramp part.
@@WatchJRGo It was a company car. Ours had a check engine light that would never go away. A lot of our fleet were hybrids, mostly Escape and C-max. I'd always grab one of those first!
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
On a Toyota hybrid, the 12v battery gets charged by a separate alternator. Honda uses the mains generator? That sounds like an overvoltage waiting to happen.
pddixon Seriously? He just didn't want to get any further into it. Probably sold it at a loss....was telling JR exactly what he knew. In your opinion, what should he have done? Are you going to keep your current car forever? When you sell it, does that make YOU shady?
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.
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.
Basic car guy 101, if the alternator works, it'll run fine as long as you don't shut it off. A bad battery won't generally cause the issues you have. The battery is probably also shot, but not the base issue.
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 mom had one of those Civic Hybrids. The hybrid battery died out and the dealership said it would cost $3-4k to replace. She just drove it til the trans started slipping bad and then traded it in 8 years later. That civic was a piece of crap.
The Hybrid battery is going out. Any way I can fix that without buying a whole new hybrid battery? That would cost way much more than I paid for my car in the first place. My car is running good it is just making some sounds when I drive it due to the hybrid engine going out. One car dealership said I could drive it after that engine goes out, another dealership said I couldn’t. Just don’t want to give up on my car when I might be able to fix it
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?
Yeah, the only difference is that it normally uses the IMA motor to turn the engine over. If it’s starting off the “backup” 12V starter, there’s definitely something up with the big battery (or it’s really, really cold!).
@@johngarciaii6927 I was wondering why I heard the standard starter noise of a regular car. I thought that the IMI is what turned the engine over. interesting that they put in a backup 12 volt starter also. The Toyota Prius does not have one of those if the hybrid battery is completely flapped it will not start It does not have any way to start. That being said the battery pack can be in really really really bad shape. And it will still turn the engine over. You will then find though that the car does not operate very well. But I've not ever seen one that would not turn the engine over and start it. We just fixed one that had six cells that were completely trashed. And it still started. Interesting differences in design. The Prius seems to be far more complicated, but I think a little bit more redundancy built in. The Honda system is definitely simpler but perhaps not quite as robust.
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
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?
I'm fairly certain I jinxed myself by watching this video last night. I have the same model year Civic Hybrid, Friday when I parked it after work it had zero issues. This morning the car barely started and acted exactly like yours does when you drive it home. I'm hoping it's just the 12 volt as I replaced the IMA at 175k and I'm at 233k currently, so I should have another 100k before needing to replace/recondition
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)
Did he call the Little trees air freshener a "felony forest"? lmao
😂😂😂😂😂😂 yes he did that was great
What part
@@adamdomonski1619 8:09
The moment when the license plate almost falls off, like it’s an omen. 😂
If it's throwing SRS codes for seatbelt buckles, they have a lifetime warranty at Honda
Michael Luscher Actually I went through this with my old Element and the Takata recall. Not every component of the system has a lifetime warranty but I recall belt buckles were covered.
Yep had mine replaced for free
@@theodoreolson8529 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
Your friend Roberto is so laid back, he's almost unconscious.
the power of thc
@@davidchang8428 you watch too much t.v
Stoned
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 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!
Ohhhh a Honda... you know we cant resist a Honda!!
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.
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.
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).
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
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.
You so need a shirt that says "You can find cool shirts, not like this" in the store! 🤣
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.
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
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...
No idle hands on this channel. I love the content!
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
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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!
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.
If I saw gauges painted over, that is a straight up deal breaker. Immediately.
What else is this dude hiding? Something illegal or disgusting under the seat that I will get blamed for? Plus what kind of shitbag tries to trick innocent car buyers into buying a car with expensive issues? Why would I reward such behavior with my money? Plus it's illegal and I wouldn't wan't to get blamed. I would report him to the feds probably...
Not to mention the restored 12v battery with no labels? Rolled on touch up paint? Opened box of cells with "hopefully" all of them there?
I hope it wasnt Roberto who did it... But even if it wasn't, how could he possibly purchase the car and then sell it for profit? (guaranteed he did not buy it for over $500... ) No wonder he skirted out of there so quick!
It's a challenge for you JR, that's great.. I think the instrument cluster as a whole is easy to swap, and fairly cheap, and changing the high voltage cells will be a really great video...
but whoever covered the warning lights COMMITTED THE CRIME OF FRAUD -CONCEALMENT OF A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR FINANCIAL GAIN, and is a huge fucking dick face.
Okay, first off, likely not a federal crime to sell a car without disclosing known issues with it. State law crime, possibly a consumer protection law - not really much to report to the feds. ;)
Second, it's a used car. Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware, etc. The taped-over gauge may have been covering something, but the fact that something was being covered was out in the open, so he could make his decision based upon that. It wasnt something that looks reputable but is really fake. It looked tampered-with from the outset, so he had an ida of what he's getting into JR inspected it and decided he wanted to go for it, paying the price they agreed upon. JR knows how to fix stuff, so he's more knowledgeable than most, and seems like he wants the challenge of sketchifying this car. I would have hoped to pay less for something with so many unknowns, but I also would have been working with my own budget without sponsorships or a possible secondary benefit of having a teaching channel over it.
Anyway, completely unnecessary to accuse the seller/rior owner of fraud and call him names. Might be in violation of RUclips's terms of service to target an individual like this. Let's focus on the positive and see what adventures can be made out of learning how to fix this 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
I've been waiting for a vid like this. GJ JR.
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.
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.
Yay the cheap flips are back!
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
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
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
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
This month marks a a year of watching your videos JR! came for the cheap flips and stayed for the knowledge u sure know a lot keep it up!
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.
Don't forget thick glves & the HY Battery Plug to disable the system
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.
I think my neighbor has a first or second generation Prius and it's still going strong unbelievable. Those things are a mystery to me great video as usual stay safe stay well and as always God bless
Lucky the transmission stayed working mine has all kinds of electrical issues when the battery dies.
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 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...
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.
you can see the black tape over the IMA light
Jake's the guy you don't ever want working on things lol
My grandpa had this exact same car color, year and water bottle!
You should start a collection of the regular car hybrids they had! Tahoe, Sierra, first Gen Highlander, fusion? Did they make a fusion hybrid? All of those though!
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!)
If the car was sitting for a while it’s more likely the engine light went away from no battery unless they removed the bulb behind the dash so it can’t illuminate cause I’ve seen that to
This is not a fix … the battery won’t charge under 1500 RPM… don’t be fooled by this video …. Car is a bad day waiting to happen… people that don’t know better will do this and regret it later … I watch ur video to learn not to get wrong advise…this should have a big warning sign do not try this at home ….
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
I love your videos! They are my RUclips comfort food.
Buy my 2002 330ci bmw for $200 !!! I also have A 2002 Mitsubishi diamanté for $200!!!
IMA big fan of these cars.
Dang 🥉 comment!
Classic Jake joke
It is one of the slowest cars I've ever driven
Agreed especially with a dead ima battery lol. Still not bad once you get up to 65-70 ish
With the IMA failure and a dead 12v battery it wouldn't even get up to speed 😬
Yup. I believe I preferred the term "dangerously slow". And I had a 106hp del Sol to compare it to :D It's a good highway car, but not the on-ramp part.
@@busydadscooking001 Strange, a 2200lb Saturn SC2 can do a 7.5second 0-60 with 125hp.
@@WatchJRGo It was a company car. Ours had a check engine light that would never go away. A lot of our fleet were hybrids, mostly Escape and C-max. I'd always grab one of those first!
Might just need a new flux capacitor to get it running normally again
I don’t know much about hybrids but if a couple bad batteries is the only problem you definitely scored lol. 👍👍
JR I just sold my honda civic hybrid it was a 2003. You have to buy the battery from honda.
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?
Love the vids🖤
On a Toyota hybrid, the 12v battery gets charged by a separate alternator. Honda uses the mains generator? That sounds like an overvoltage waiting to happen.
had to tune into the Honda content
What happened with the other projects??? The Austin-Healey Sprite? The Audi R8 ? Are these just in limbo?
does the car run normally without the IMA batteries? (minus what the batteries provide, obviously; start-stop and (more) power...
Roberto is SHADY AF
🤔
How!?
pddixon
Seriously? He just didn't want to get any further into it. Probably sold it at a loss....was telling JR exactly what he knew. In your opinion, what should he have done? Are you going to keep your current car forever? When you sell it, does that make YOU shady?
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 🍻
1.3L engine, same engine in the Gold Wing?
Not unless it’s a 6 cylinder.
I had a 2005 Civic LX, such a good car that I bought another Civic, really can't go wrong with one.
My friend has the first gen and her trans is rough!! Haha she lets go of the break and has to kinda slam the gas for it to engage
I was not aware there was a hybrid Civic. It looks just like a regular one.
Lots of those for sale around here I’m to nervous to mess with those electric issues lol
The moment when the license plate almost falls off, like it’s an omen. 😂
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 🤣
So...how many vehicles in the JR fleet now?
I had a 2005 civic hybrid with all the same issues. Eventual death of the car was the transmission. Rip Goldie
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.
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.
Let’s do hybrid things 🤙🏻
Basic car guy 101, if the alternator works, it'll run fine as long as you don't shut it off. A bad battery won't generally cause the issues you have. The battery is probably also shot, but not the base issue.
If I saw that right and these things don't have an alternator, ugh. I'd never want to mess with this garbage...
What is it with Americans and not staying at home?
This car was the SMOOTHEST highway driver I ever had.
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.
The more serious version of Tyler Hoover: buying everything he comes up
I love it!
Prius Battery > Honda Battery Im not sure about engines.. Vtec just kicked in bro
Heck yeah, Prius gang 🤙🏻
I'm flipping cars, yes civics are good flips, but this was not a dirt cheap one like you said. This should have been $300-$500 in its condition.
My mom had one of those Civic Hybrids. The hybrid battery died out and the dealership said it would cost $3-4k to replace. She just drove it til the trans started slipping bad and then traded it in 8 years later. That civic was a piece of crap.
04 Honda Civic Hybrid with 486,340 miles
YAS LETS GOOO HONDAAAAA
Working on the battery right now! 💪
Do you take questions about cars?? I got a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. If so where can I find your email?
What's your question, I've got an 04 civic hybrid.
The Hybrid battery is going out. Any way I can fix that without buying a whole new hybrid battery? That would cost way much more than I paid for my car in the first place. My car is running good it is just making some sounds when I drive it due to the hybrid engine going out. One car dealership said I could drive it after that engine goes out, another dealership said I couldn’t. Just don’t want to give up on my car when I might be able to fix it
Love the videos...why do you always say go to the web site where you can buy merch not like this? Don’t you mean like this?
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?
wow interesting I wonder how that old hybrid system works... you start the engine with a key like a conventional car??
Yeah, the only difference is that it normally uses the IMA motor to turn the engine over. If it’s starting off the “backup” 12V starter, there’s definitely something up with the big battery (or it’s really, really cold!).
@@johngarciaii6927
I was wondering why I heard the standard starter noise of a regular car. I thought that the IMI is what turned the engine over. interesting that they put in a backup 12 volt starter also. The Toyota Prius does not have one of those if the hybrid battery is completely flapped it will not start It does not have any way to start. That being said the battery pack can be in really really really bad shape. And it will still turn the engine over. You will then find though that the car does not operate very well. But I've not ever seen one that would not turn the engine over and start it. We just fixed one that had six cells that were completely trashed. And it still started. Interesting differences in design. The Prius seems to be far more complicated, but I think a little bit more redundancy built in. The Honda system is definitely simpler but perhaps not quite as robust.
I'm sure the check engine light is on just because it needs an oil change!
At least its not Jake from State Farm and his shifting races...
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
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?
I'm fairly certain I jinxed myself by watching this video last night.
I have the same model year Civic Hybrid, Friday when I parked it after work it had zero issues.
This morning the car barely started and acted exactly like yours does when you drive it home.
I'm hoping it's just the 12 volt as I replaced the IMA at 175k and I'm at 233k currently, so I should have another 100k before needing to replace/recondition