Just bought a 2003 hch1 5 speed with 205,000 on it. I got it for short money with the IMA and CEL on, it drives great and the engine runs smooth it has been well taken care of.
The codes its throwing are 1600 and 1449 both common i know and i might need to replace the battery sooner or later.
My question is about the cooling fan, I did a 40 mile trip and the fan never came on is that normal?
Does the fan just come on sometimes and is it hard to hear if it is running?
Also is there a fuse just for that fan? and is there a way to test that fan?
I know that code 1449 has something to do with the battery "overheating" (among other things)thats why I want to look at the fan first.
Thanks in advance for your input,
Pete

 

You need to know the P subcodes to diagnose the issue properly using the blink code method.
P1449 has several variations not all connected with battery heating.
Most likely voltage deviation and that a grid charger might be a cheap fix for the time being.

The battery fan in the G1 Insight and HCH1 civic tends not to come on until the battery is too hot. A problem for those in the hot US states.

The HCH1 fan is PWM controlled so cannot be tested by simply applying a 12v power source to it.

It's quite hard to hear the fan at low speeds but it sounds like a leaf blower on full power.

I supply a pcb which allows you to have the fan running when grid charging and all the time when the car is on to help with the heat issue.

http://www.insightcentral.net/forums...n-control.html

I also have a manual IMA control and battery protector device, current hacks, data display device etc etc pcb's

http://www.insightcentral.net/forums...ch1-civic.html

http://www.insightcentral.net/forums...ic-hybrid.html

You have quite a bit of reading to do now

 

Thanks for your response and yes that is allot of reading!
So far I've put over 1000 miles on the car and the IMA system seems to be working well even though the the CEL and IMA lights are on. Im averaging 49-51 mpg!
Do you know if I can use something like this: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/a...232#fragment-4
to get the P subcodes? Not sure what the "blink code method is

 

OK,Just did a little poking around and found this:http://99mpg.com/mikestips/readingtheblinkcod/
Will this work the same way on the HCH-1?

 

It will be a lot simpler to get a relatively cheap scanner (+/- $100) if you plan on working on the car yourself.

 

Can someone tell me on a 2003 honda civic hybrid, when the battery fan is supose to come on and how can you find out if the fan is defective

 

A cheap OBDII reader won't tell you the IMA subcodes so you still need to use the blink method unless you have a very expensive OBD reader.

Eightbreak see my earlier answer.