I have noticed a very brief, no more than a second, pause in power while driving at highway speeds. It usually occurs no more than once per trip and happens when on a level surface. I notice it when I am holding the accelerator very still attempting to keep the mpgs steady, I think always on a level surface so there is not a lot of accelerator. I am driving a 2006 insight mt with about 7,000 miles. Has anyone else noticed this behavior. It reminds me of years ago as I started through a light from a stop in my Civic that had a new vtec engine, there was a very brief but concerning pause in power about halfway through the light. Thanks, John

 

I have noticed something similar on my 05 HCH. It would happen intermittently on a long flat drive trying to maintain mpg. I haven't noticed it in months, so I attributed it to the current temperature/conditions during those trips (If anyone knows SR40 to Daytona Beach, FL). It was rather cool, spots where the forest was thick and then gone (regrowth) from the bad fires several years ago, and I made the drive late at night. I don't know what weather is like in Maryland right now, but it might just be something in the air. One of the reasons I thought it may have been temperature related as well is because of the lean-burn feature ... it has a temperature cut-off and I thought maybe I was on the razor's edge, so to speak, of when it was disengaging. It almost felt like a miss, but not that severe.

I know this may not be related to your experience, and I could be completely off on my assumptions, but it was similar as far as I can tell, and I thought this may help some just so you know you are not alone.

Maybe for those with greater knowledge you could give a little more information. Temperatures, the mpg you were maintaining and if it dropped or stayed steady during this stutter. a/c on (defroster)? you know, all the good stuff.

 

That sounds exactly like what I have experienced. I can't put a temperature on it, but now that you bring it up, it hasn't happened in the last few days and its been much cooler here in Maryland. We were running in the 80's to 90's and I did have the A/C on a lot of the time when this happened. I'll keep an eye on those things and try to report back. Thanks very much for the reply.

 

What setting do you usually set the AC to when you are driving?
If you have it on AUTO, then that brief pause in power might come right when the AC cycles on to maintain the certain temperature. If you aren't already, try setting the AC to a certain temperature, and controlling the fan speed manually. This is just my best guess, being very familiar with the climate control in the Insight even though I rarely, if ever use the AC in my car.

 

That's a good thought, but I never keep the A/C on auto. And today it was turned off completely and the symptom occured twice on my drive home. Once on a hill and once on level ground. I swear it has happened three or more times at the exact same point on a highway that I travel on everyday, and only in the one travel direction, which sounds very wierd.

 

Is this the effect of the lean burn/purge cycle?

My 5-speed Insight will see a slight burst of power and a 1-2 MPH increase when the purge cycle hits. While locking my foot on the go pedal, no change to the accelerator. And then the speed will gradually bleed off when it goes back into lean burn.

Is this what you are feeling? Just guessing.

Regards,

 

My insight has been doing this for about a month, now. Starting 10 days ago, it got much worse--stuttering almost continuously when trying to maintain constant speed. It also stopped using motor assist in first gear. It usually shows 4 lines of charging, and uses assist only in gears 2-5 just after I shift gears, but the battery charge never shows more than half. It feels like I'm driving through molasses, and the engine is louder. Mileage has dropped to the low 40s. The dealer looked at it over the last two days, and the only code it gave them was for the oxygen sensor. They replaced it, but the problems remain exactly as before.

As described above, loss of power occurs when holding steady, and backing off on the accelerator for better efficiency. MPG typically shows 45-55. Speed isn't an issue, since it will occur in gears 3, 4, or 5. It is not associated with the lean burn/purge cycle. I can only get to lean burn now when going downhill. Nor is it temperature related; it started this when the air temperature was in the 60's, and continues now with the air temperature in the teens.

The dealer seems not to have a clue. Any ideas anyone?

--Jose