Morning. I own a Accord Hybrid 2005. It’s got 190K miles and the car is really beat up and it’s used very infrequently but has proven to be very good in a pinch. I don’t want to invest $$ into the car.
I’ve been looking for info re disabling my IMA for the purposes of passing inspection. Unfortunately I live in a state that will not let my HAH pass inspection with the error codes. Ive tried resetting the instrument panel but the codes appear again. He suggested that i switch off the battery and try again. Will this prevent the error codes or am I wasting my time. Thanks

 

Not without the ability to intercept the signals and spoof the computer into thinking whatever is wrong isn't wrong. You would clearly need intimate knowlege of how the HAH communicates with itself and the exact information that it needs. To my knowledge, this information is not public knowledge and would require you to "reverse engineer" it with a working car in addition to yours.

The short answer is "no."

You mentioned codes, but you didn't say what they were.

If it's the battery, a grid charger might get you there.

 

Thanks for the response. It’s pretty cold outside and it would have been a waste.
I shouldn’t have typed “codes”. On the dash I’m seeing the IMA, the engine light and the !(inside a triangle). If I disconnect the 12v battery it clears them. But they reappear after less than a mile of driving. The mech was able to use a one time inspection waiver last year but this year I’m stuck. The car drives great, it would be a shame to have to junk it

 

The HAH is pretty unique. It's more of a hot rod than a hybrid, that's why it runs well even with a bad IMA. The next time you get codes, drive to O'Reilly (not autozone) and have them check your codes and report back. It's most likely the battery, but you need to know for sure.

Note that your description of driving habits is worst case for a hybrid, especially a Honda. "Very infrequently" = IMA battery death. Worst thing you can do with these is let them sit. They need to be driven regularly.

 

In your opinion, is it okay to replace the Motor Power Inverter with a rebuilt or refurb one?

 

I assume you're talking about a 2012+ model. Absolutely. Honestly, I don't think "rebuilt" or "refurb" is truly an option regardless of what anyone says "Tested" is probably the most you can hope for, and I would consider an untested unit from a salvage yard as well.

 

My 2012 Civic Hybrid has 99,000 miles on it. I'm still on the original IMA battery pack. Looking ahead, do you think
1. Is it worth replacing the battery pack? I haven't found a good cost estimate yet, but seems like it could be about $2500 - $3000. I'm concerned something else might go wrong and I'll have spend all the money to replace the battery. I know Honda's in general run much longer than 100K, but don't know if a hybrid is different.
2. If it's worth replacing, should I just wait until my current pack fails, or be proactive and replace it now?

 

1. no.