2012 CRV charge line

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

I don't see how people can blame the battery in the CR-V. The battery works fine for many years when not being towed. It's only when you tow it that the battery becomes a problem. Nothing wrong with the battery or it's size, just people are using it for something it's not designed for.


Even the much bigger battery in our Ody is discharged in a day or so. Since adding the charge line works fine. On a 7 pin plug it's #4 that is the hot one if you follow the standard wiring diagram.

Mr D,

Please don't mislead folks on this. The battery is undersized on the CRV especially on the models with the nav system that draws with the key on ACC. Throw in the normal parasitic load and a braking system and the battery simply cannot handle the load. Also, when the recommended fuse is pulled, it does not disconnect the nav but does disconnect the Aux power socket so my Patriot would not work. Pulling the fuse was not an option.
In colder climates there are Many complaints about dead battery on the CRV from people who don't tow the car. And to say it's not designed for towing is not really accurate. This car was sold specifically on the premise that it is 4 down towable. The dealer even installed the base plate and wiring kit. The owners manual addresses the subject of towing behind a motorhome. Yes, it is designed to be towed.

Then of course, each time the battery is run down, the less time it will hold a charge. The OEM group 51 battery is rated at about 400 CCA. The replacement (same as the Odessy) is rated at 800+ CCA depending on which battery you get. Huge difference.

I even had mine go dead while not towing when I stopped for fuel on a foggy day and accidentally left the lights on for less than ten minutes, it was stone dead, would not even click the solenoid.
That is when I decided to change the battery and I have never had a dead battery since. Even after towing for two days without unhooking and just starting in the AM to lube the transmission. Prior to that, I was stopping every couple hours to run the car for at least 30 minutes or for sure after a four hour day, we would arrive with a Stone Dead battery and my Patriot beeping and showing a fault. I do have a functional charge line by the way.

Without admitting it Honda has acknowledged the problem by putting the group 24 battery in the 2015 models. Unfortunately, the 2015 as you know, is not towable.

Don't get me wrong, I like my Honda a lot. If they had put in a decent sized battery to begin with, it would have been the Perfect Toad. I had mine in to the dealer twice to test the battery and charge system and each time they said it "tested to spec".
When I went in to buy the new battery box for the Odessy, the service manager and parts guy both said, "yeh, a lot of people are changing their battery".

As I have said in my posts a number of times on this subject, you can add all the gizmos you want but eventually it will come down to installing a larger battery and your troubles are over.

Sorry for the lengthy rant but I read in this and other forums about the dead battery on the CRV and feel that folks need to know the cure for the problem.

[757driver]

I also have a CRV toad and while I have not looked at the battery to see what size it is I assume it is the small 400 cca one. I have the nav system and all the other bling that stays on when towing. I do not pull the fuse that Honda suggests. In 1.5 years of towing with a charge line from the coach (other than when my charge line fuse was blow) I have not had an issue with a dead battery. Even with an overnight at Wal Mart (with the toad unplugged) it started right up each time and lasted all the next day.

If the suggested Honda fuse does not blank the nav system a larger battery will definitely help but without a charge line you are just delaying the inevitable. Your mileage may vary. JMHO.

[Kerry Buchen]

Gentleman, Sorry for the delay! Been traveling to and from Entegra factory. We sure were pleased with what we observed!

Thanks for the CRV battery advise!! Sounds to me like the most complete and best long term fix, is to run a charge line from coach to car, of course w/ 20 amp fuses on each end.
Now time to "git'er done" before mid-Feb when we leave for Florida to pick up our new Anthem!

Thanks for the help!!

[Mr_D]

Yep, the charge line is the best and easiest long term solution.

[weirba]

I don't tow a CRV, but when I was rigging up my jeep to tow behind 2014 Anthem I knew I had 12v hot at the 7 pin trailer connector that was from the factory. So it was easy to continue that line through the embilical cord and directly to the battery on the jeep. I doubt the jeep battery will drain, but it is such a simple project to hook up I figured why not. That way the MH charging system will keep the jeep battery topped up. What I don't understand is ok the fuses you guys are talking about? There is never a "draw" on that wire, so why the worry about fuses at both ends?

[geneb28532]

If you are only worried about the CRV battery, do as I do and install a knife switch on the CRV battery. I have never had issues since doing this.

[docj]

Originally Posted by weirba

I don't tow a CRV, but when I was rigging up my jeep to tow behind 2014 Anthem I knew I had 12v hot at the 7 pin trailer connector that was from the factory. So it was easy to continue that line through the embilical cord and directly to the battery on the jeep. I doubt the jeep battery will drain, but it is such a simple project to hook up I figured why not. That way the MH charging system will keep the jeep battery topped up. What I don't understand is ok the fuses you guys are talking about? There is never a "draw" on that wire, so why the worry about fuses at both ends?

Without any form of protective device your setup will work fine--until it doesn't. For example, the ToadCharge contains a device which prevents current from flowing from the MH to the toad unless the MH engine is running. This keeps the MH battery from being drained if the toad battery were to have an internal short that keeps draining it.

Having a fuse or circuit breaker in the line is simply good electrical wiring practice when you connect a high power source (the MH battery) to a circuit with limited current carrying potential. My MH's pair of starting batteries are capable of providing 950 CCA each. If the wire going to the toad got pinched and grounded itself as a result, it's reassuring to know that a 20A fuse will blow rather than having the MH's batteries catastrophically discharging themselves.

In summary, your setup may work well forever. The purpose of electrical circuit protection devices is to provide safety in the event something goes wrong.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

weirba-

Fusing is recommended to protect against fires, should the wire between the batteries short to ground. Fuses are installed as close as possible to the batteries to reduce the length of unprotected wire. They are usually rated around 20 to 30 amps, well above any "normal" steady-state charge current, based on the size (gauge) of the smallest wire in the circuit.

Some people install self-resetting circuit breakers instead of fuses.

If your manufacturer supplies a charge connection at the trailer plug (and not all do), I'd expect them to also have a fuse at the battery end of that wire. You can confirm this with a wiring diagram and/or inspection. It's helpful to know where the fuse is, in case it blows someday. If the manufacturer did not supply one, I'd consider adding a fuse or circuit breaker into the circuit. Ditto at the toad end.

Mark

[weirba]

Originally Posted by Kerry Buchen

Monaco goes bye bye. But the problem remains, regardless of the coach. I have to turn the ignition key to the on position to unlock the steering wheel.

Your new Entegra will have a hot wire and ground in the 7 wire trailer connector. You will need to carry those on through your 6 wire embilical cord, that runs from the coach to your towed vehicle. Inside the 6 pin connector on your towed vehicle you connect the ground to the vehicle body and the hot to the positive post on the towed battery. Fairly straight forward process. if you are unsure which terminals are which on your seven pin and six pin connectors you can Google it and find lots of information and wiring diagrams. A simple test light will confirm things for you.