[pasei]

Hello,

So this has happened twice to me recently.

After a long highway trip, I get off the highway, I come to a stop, and the engine doesn't turn off. I press EV, and it says: Battery Temperature At Limit.

This happened yesterday, it was only 77F outside, and I had the AC at 70F the whole time (about 1h30). I was going pretty fast on the highway, and it was rather hilly (I mean, as hilly as Massachusetts can get), so yeah the engine did get a workout, but I don't know why the battery wasn't cooled by the cabin AC.

And why wasn't the battery fan revved up? That would be the way to cool the battery no? And the fan works, I heard it earlier, just not hen I got off the highway.

It's a little scary, I can only imagine when it will be 95 F this summer...

2019 Touring with 13,000 miles.

 

[jensight]

Sorry you're having this problem! I hadn't heard about this. I searched and found:

Battery temperature at limit after long drives?

This concerns a new 2019 Accord Hybrid (~7000 miles). Under normal operation under 75 mph, the battery cycles between 20-50% charge on the highway, with the engine coming on intermittently to charge the battery. However after driving for more than 60-90 minutes, the engine no longer cycles and...

www.driveaccord.net

Solution in post 21:

The dealer finally got it fixed! Battery behaving normally over a 200 mile drive. Replaced the fan and the battery condition monitor.

I hope it's a simple fix for you and covered under the battery warranty.

 

[andrew28]

I hope it's a simple fix for you and covered under the battery warranty.

He should be covered under the emissions warranty for these two items. 15 years/150k miles for living in one of the CARB states (MA).

I'm not sure if it helps but when I vacuum the interior I also vacuum the battery air vent to clean out possible dust.

 

[pasei]

Thanks guys, so we can all agree it is abnormal given my driving conditions?

I don't have kids/pets or friends , so the rear seats are virtually never used. There should not be any dust but I'll vacuum anyways ;-)

 

[rhoneyman]

Get your dealer involved just in case your battery is defective (replacement almost certainly under warranty). Chances are they'll demur on the first visit. It's sort of how they seem to operate. You may have to yell at them twice. But the risk is if the flaw is random and intermittent. If it goes away for another year and then comes back, it may wind up being your dime to replace.

 

[andrew28]

Thanks guys, so we can all agree it is abnormal given my driving conditions?

Yeah, definitely not normal. Honda and other automakers test prototypes in extreme cold and hot temps. The Insight is even sold in Mexico so the battery shouldn't be overheating at the temps you described.

Honda has a test facility in the Mojave Desert.

Your symptoms sound very similar to the person in the Accord forum that @jensight linked. Most likely the battery module temperature sensor went bad.

I don't have kids/pets or friends , so the rear seats are virtually never used. There should not be any dust but I'll vacuum anyways ;-)

Same, but I get dust and pollen in my car from having windows down or the wind blowing it in when I have my door open. It looks like you've some dust on your speedometer display. 😉

 

[pasei]

Ugh -- made an appointment online but they only had a spot in ten days (Honda Everett). Will I have a better chance if I call them? Like do they have earlier appointment for real problems? @andrew28

 

[pasei]

Ugh -- made an appointment online but they only had a spot in ten days (Honda Everett). Will I have a better chance if I call them? Like do they have earlier appointment for real problems? @andrew28

Ok yes I called and they did give me an earlier appt.

 

[andrew28]

Ugh -- made an appointment online but they only had a spot in ten days (Honda Everett). Will I have a better chance if I call them? Like do they have earlier appointment for real problems? @andrew28

New owner has the appointments in sync with Honda's online scheduling. Previous owner I normally was able to get an earlier appointment by calling even if online showed fully booked. You might be able to get an earlier appointment by calling if a booked appointment was recently cancelled.

 

[pasei]

OK internet friends, I am just out of the dealer. They replaced the 12V AGM battery and said: "the 12 volt battery was not commanding the cooling fan on the PCU was not turning on due to low voltage". $0 (under warranty still).

I cannot be sure that it fixed the problem (traffic is absolutely mad in Boston right now, cannot do highway speeds), but I already noticed that the fan seems to kick in more. Also using my OBD reader, I noticed that the idle current is now 0.2A (it was never below 0.7A before, so it was probably always trying to charge the 12v). And also my battery died last winter so that part makes sense, at least.

I'll post an update if I still have the issue.

Thanks for the help!

 

[jensight]

Glad it was an easy fix and under warranty. Thanks for sharing the fix to your problem.

 

[pasei]

Update: I don't want to jinx it but I think (and hope) the problem is solved. Did a couple of 2h hwy trips and the fan was kicking in just fine. MPG is as good if not better than before (but also temps are optimal these days).

So yeah... check your 12V folks!

 

[Lavash]

Thanks for the info. It has been said more than once that many obscure problems with the behavior of electronic devices that operate on 12 volts are associated with a 12 volt battery. For any problems, it is worth checking the condition of the 12 volt battery.

 

[pasei]

Annnnnt there you go again. 2 hr highway trip, fast speeds, 90°F. Nothing too extreme especially if that car is sold in Mexico. Engine would not turn off at idle, battery at max level.

I am pretty upset, I thought they fixed it. Warranty expires in 3 months.

 

[andrew28]

Besides possible temperature sensor or fan failure. There's another possible reason why EV mode is not available. @Mobilcams provided a good explanation about this in the past.

EV Mode Unavailable

I skimmed through all the messages and didn't see (or maybe missed) another person pointing to this reason that EV mode not available appearing.. There are more things at play here than just the engine temperature and cabin heating. As stated in the manual, our cars are not on usually long...

www.gen3insight.com

Honda Insight Questions

The only changes to the algorithm in #4 are done by the drive mode you are in (ECO/Normal/Sport). Here's the deal in a nutshell: Any exceeding of the blue power band in any drive mode normally invokes the ICE. Sport Mode will always attempt to keep the battery at 80% for power reserve. ECO...

www.gen3insight.com

 

[pasei]

Besides possible temperature sensor or fan failure. There's another possible reason why EV mode is not available. @Mobilcams provided a good explanation about this in the past.

EV Mode Unavailable

I skimmed through all the messages and didn't see (or maybe missed) another person pointing to this reason that EV mode not available appearing.. There are more things at play here than just the engine temperature and cabin heating. As stated in the manual, our cars are not on usually long...

www.gen3insight.com

Honda Insight Questions

The only changes to the algorithm in #4 are done by the drive mode you are in (ECO/Normal/Sport). Here's the deal in a nutshell: Any exceeding of the blue power band in any drive mode normally invokes the ICE. Sport Mode will always attempt to keep the battery at 80% for power reserve. ECO...

www.gen3insight.com

Thanks Andrew. Definitely interesting, but I would think the car had ample time to burn canister fumes in 2 hours of highway. Plus, this issue happened from the highway to my place, so TWO miles, with a resulting disgusting 32 mpg (should have been around 70mpg easy). I doubt Honda would design to allow that...

I am sure Honda dealership is going to give me an hard time. They of course wont be able to reproduce unless they drive 2 hours at max+ speeds, which they won't do...

 

[Lavash]

This not normal.
Check the following:
1. Visually inspect the radiators for clogging of the cells with dirt, plant fluff and insects.
2. You need to check the 12 volt battery level again. If it is discharged, then you need to look for the reason why. Problems can be both in charge and in increased consumption by one of the consumers (that's why I entered point 1).
3.High voltage battery vent must be open.

Well, if this does not work, then you need to go to the dealer and let them look for the cause by checking:
1.12 volt battery
2.Charging a 12 volt battery
3. Consumption in the 12 volt circuit of all significant consumers (air conditioner, radiator fans, high-voltage battery cooling, ....)
4.Checking the high-voltage battery cooling system for operability. (air flow, fan operation, cleanliness, etc.)

 

[pasei]

This not normal.
Check the following:
1. Visually inspect the radiators for clogging of the cells with dirt, plant fluff and insects.
2. You need to check the 12 volt battery level again. If it is discharged, then you need to look for the reason why. Problems can be both in charge and in increased consumption by one of the consumers (that's why I entered point 1).
3.High voltage battery vent must be open.

Well, if this does not work, then you need to go to the dealer and let them look for the cause by checking:
1.12 volt battery
2.Charging a 12 volt battery
3. Consumption in the 12 volt circuit of all significant consumers (air conditioner, radiator fans, high-voltage battery cooling, ....)
4.Checking the high-voltage battery cooling system for operability. (air flow, fan operation, cleanliness, etc.)

Thanks Lavash. Do you know where is the HV battery vent?

 

[Carfreak09]

Thanks Lavash. Do you know where is the HV battery vent?

This isn’t something you can easily check unless he means the vent below the rear seat cushion. The other vent is somewhere on the bottom of the car in front of the driver side rear wheel. Air is pulled in by the fan and exhausted out a tube, just like the exhaust fan for a bathroom. I doubt you will want to get under the car. Unless that tube is completely clogged with mud from a flood, I highly doubt that’s your issue. While the dealer has the seat off to fix your seatbelt, tell them you want the temperature sensor and fan system checked due to this recurring battery temp limit warning.

 

[pasei]

Ah ok thanks. I only have 15k miles and I really avoid dirt roads like the plague so the bottom vent shouldn't be clogged. I also always make sure the vent under the rear seat is always clear. Also no pets/ no kids (yet).