New Honda CRV toad wiring

[Highflyer]

Purchased a new Honda CRV and need to wire the taillights for towing. Both the new car and motorhome have separate brake and turn signal bulbs so do I need the six-wire electrical cord?
AND my biggest problem, how to get the wiring back to the taillights from the front of the car. While the CRV is a nice car getting to anything is very hard.

Does anyone have any ideas? I hate to take it to the local RV dealer who wants $100. an hour and told me it would take between 4 and 6 hours of work if they wire the car, not counting his estimated $175.00 for parts.

[sfischer]

I'd go with the Blue Ox separate bulb installation . I plan to do this on the CRV we are about to purchase. Following the instructions look pretty simple to see. Certainly not a 4-6 hour job.

[LK23]

I did the install on my 2008 CRV. I ran the wiring through the grill, behind the LF wheel well and along the frame near driver's side of the CRV. As I recall I drilled a hole for the wires to enter near the threshold for the hatch door. I drilled a hole for the bulb in the compartment where the existing brake light bulb is located. That was the tricky part. I used the info and photos in this web site:

2007 Honda CR-V

[becks]

I too went the separate bulb route and it was an easy install on our CRV. I then did the same thing on my Ford Ranger which we tow when we want to bring the motorcycle along.

[RoadRohrers]

Think I have tried everything. The diode route was too expensive and troublesome. Came to believe car wiring, because of its duplexity should not be directly tampered with. Also tried the separate bulb route. Installation was easy. However, I did not think the bulbs were bright enough. In the end, I just plop the magnetic temporaries on the roof, run the wire through the tailgate, across the cab, out the driver door, under the hood and to the motorhome. This has worked much better for me. Of course, with a 2004, I no longer care about appearance as much since I have accumulated some "beauty marks" (each tell a story) along the way. Enjoy your travels.

BTW, they now sell wireless temporary tow lights using LEDs (much brighter) so you can eliminate the wire from motorhome to toad. Have not tried yet, but would cost less than your dealer wants for wiring the CR-V

[RoadRohrers]

Check out this website: www.wirelesstowlights.com The cost on the company's website is $169.00 Cheaper than the parts quoted by the dealer. I sure like the brightness and longevity of the LEDs

[LeeSoCal]

What ever you do, do not tap into the Honda wiring. Run complete separate wiring. I ran separate wiring on my 07 and it worked fine. It took me about 4 hours for the complete job by the time you figure out what goes where but it is an easy job.

[bldrbob]

I ran wires thru the black trim that runs along the roof by removing the inserts that are for the luggage rack.It leads from the engine compartment to the rear lights. I added new bulbs.
BOB

[Highflyer]

bldrbob,

Can you tell me where you got the wires into the molding cover from the engine compartment?

[hoppers4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadRohrers Check out this website: www.wirelesstowlights.com The cost on the company's website is $169.00 Cheaper than the parts quoted by the dealer. I sure like the brightness and longevity of the LEDs

Looks to me like the easiest solution. Doesn't cost a whole lot more than wiring kits and certainly a lot less trouble.

[Monaco38]

First, welcome to iRV2. I went through this very exercise last year with the same questions...and more... regarding plug type, number of wires, color code and pin wiring standards for the plug wiring. There is some good information on several threads on this forum regarding toad wiring, some with links to information off site as well. The big question for me once all the easy questions were answered was how to get through the firewall with the wiring! Here is what I found and did which may help point you in the right direction.

For a 'separate' lighting configuration on both the MH and toad (brake and turn signals separate rather than combined) you will need at least a six wire plug and wiring harness to serve the requirements for brake, tail, left turn, right turn, and ground. Regarding getting the wiring from the front of the toad to the rear lights there have already been several examples or suggestions of how to get there. I wanted as clean and neat an installation as possible and chose to locate and follow the existing wiring run. I did not want to run wiring outside underneath the vehicle, and I didn't want to drill any new holes in panels, framework or firewall. Ours is a 2004 CR-V and a wiring loom runs in a channel or wire race along both the left and right side of the vehicle accessible from the interior of the vehicle by removing the edge molding and lifting up the carpet. I ran the wiring on the left side (driver's side) of the vehicle which gave a direct route to the point in the firewall where you can access the engine compartment. The wiring loom goes through the firewall through a large rubber grommet or boot just behind the gas pedal. It is not very obvious. If they haven't changed this arrangement through the model years this 'through point' is behind a molded plastic 'foot rest' under the carpet behind the gas pedal. Remove this molded plastic piece and the rubber boot is on the firewall near the top of this location with the wire loom running through it. From there it is a matter of neatly routing the wiring to the front of the vehicle through the engine compartment. You come through the firewall left of center and so the most logical route was to the left side behind the wheel well to the grill location where you mount the plug. We went with the Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain tow bar, base plate and accessories and the base plate incorporated a plug mount for the lighting wiring. I did the base plate installation myself, but will leave that for another post, suffice it to say that if you are reasonably mechanically inclined it is a relatively straight forward project that you could do yourself.

One last item, I know there are a number of different opinions and schools of thought regarding mounting separate lights in the tail light lens modules or using diodes with the existing lights. Some of this centers around warranty concerns or concerns about creating electrical problems with the vehicle if the lighting is not kept separate. For this everyone has to make there own decision. I chose to use diodes and the existing lights. I wanted the toad lighting to mirror or display the exact lighting functions when towed as displayed when driven, and I didn't like the idea of drilling into the taillight modules and attempting to mount three separate lights in each unit (or two, if you reverted back to a 'combined' lighting configuration for the toad). There is room in each light module for the diodes and it made a very neat installation that has worked well with no electrical problems. Feel free to PM me if you would like any more detail on the installation or wiring questions. Good luck on your project and again welcome aboard.

[bldrbob]

On my 2003 Honda the windshield post is open into the engine compartment and at the top inside the black trim.It is open at the back down into the light compartment.
BOB

[fatguy57]

This posting is a little old, but I'll give my 2 cents. I installed both Blue OX base plate and separate bulb wiring in my 2008 CRV. I found this vehicle very easy to do these installs. I ran the Blue Ox wiring kit wires thru the firewall (rubber plug hole already available behind the brake pedal. Along the left side of vehicle, plastic panels pop off easily to the rear tail assemblies which pop off easliy also. I use a four pin connector with a tail light converter to connect to the motorhome. The seven pin connector on the motorhome would not work correctly, so I installed a separate four pin connector to work with my toad.

[Highflyer]

Thanks to all. I purchase the Blue Ox bulb kit and will be doing the job soon. The problem is trying to find a way into the interior at the firewall. "Very" tight in the area.

Next will be installing some type of brake system. Looking at the M&G system as the install seems like something I can do myself.

Thanks