How to open and start a Honda Insight with a flat battery
ID: 108298
Description: If you leave a light on or leave a car foo too...
Steps:
- Unlock the drivers door with a key
- Check if any lights are on. Turn them off
- Open the hood
- If you have a multimeter - check the voltage on your battery. Anything above 12 is good (this means your problem is not the battery).
- If it is close to 0 it means that something is still draining on it (probably a light is on)
- You can jump start the car by connecting it to another battery, car or booster battery (see other guide on how-to). You can also charge existing battery if you have a charger. Use any available option.
- Once you connect the power the alarm may go off (depending on how you opened the car)
- To disable alarm, before you put a key into ignition, lock and close all doors and unlock it with a key from the outside. This should stop the alarm.
- If this did not work or you already have a key in ignition you can disable the horn by removing the corresponding fuse (see pic which one). There is also a tool for removal in the compartment
- Additionally it may happen that the gearbox is stuck and does not allow you to move it
- For this there is a unlocking mechanism under a cap, from the right side.
- Pull it up using a plastic card or something similar
- Then push down on the middle part (eg. with a key)
- if you used a boost you want to drive for at least 30 minutes for your battery to pick up some charge
- use the gearbox in 'S' position for this drive - it disables the engine start/stop feature and also keeps the revs higher, thus the battery will charge faster.
- Check again if you have left any missing ligts on which may have drained your battery
- If you find the battery flat again, and no light have been left on - show your car to a mechanic. You may either have a dead battery or problem wth a charging circuit.
- Punch your code into the radio to unlock it (simply press numbers 1-6 in secuence). Code is 5 digits long.