2001 - 2006 Honda CR-Vs

blueboyjocks · January 2006

Has anyone had this problem with the new CRV 06? (PTTR)

Hey Susan, I just bought 2006 CRV LX a week before christmas and I don't have PTTR problem with mine. I will post my buying experience etc with pictures soon, hopefully next week. I took a long vacation over the holiday and enjoy driving my CRV. Several times when I'm driving, I let the streering wheel go (hands off) and the car goes straight, I try this in different speed from 20 to 50 mph.

As a good advise given by varmint, have a test drive to the car you intend to buy and see if it has PTTR, if there is no PTTR asks the salesman write down the VIN and match it to the car you have test drive. Then when you're ready to pick up the car, have another test drive and don't forget to check the VIN number. Make sure the dealer gives you the car with the same VIN number. Somebody from another forum has experience the VIN does not match with the car he had test drive and when he check the car there is a big sratch on top. So watch out!

I know buying a car can be emotionally exhausting but it's all worth it. Good luck and let us know when you buy one.

gujushah · January 2006

I have a 2001 Honda CR-V. My stereo and clock do not work. I was listening to music one day and both of them just went out. I tried replacing the fuse for the radio and that didn't work. I even used to a fuse checker to see if the fuse had ppower and it did..

Any other suggestions? By the way, I have a system in my car, with amp and subwoofer.

Let me know if anyone has any suggestions....

2yearleaseonly · January 2006

My neighbors, friends and relatives sometimes kid me for "over maintaining" my vehicles. However, when I'm in the mood to sell they show up checkbook in hand.

Put me in the same category. Everyone loves my used cars, when even the OEM floor mats look brand new after 3 years. Yet in the same breath they say im compulsive about the maintenance and cleaning of my vehicles. My vehicle always sells to the first buyer who sees them.

Two Year

david59 · January 2006

I recently purchased a Garmin C330 for $550 total from Newegg. Great product and it fits into the storage unit under the radio in my CRV. The built-in antenna works but I decided to purchase a Gillson exterior unit for $29 from the GPS Store. I removed the rear cover from the storage area and fed the antenna lead under the dashboard and it sits on the dash pressure fitted between windshield and dashboard with no cement. Hardley noticeable. The units gets its power from a $6.99 car cigarete unit from Radio Shack that is hard wired to the existing cigarette unit through the same rear opening. When I park I just close the door to the storage unit. I can still easily removed the unit for use in another car.

varmint · January 2006

Post some pics of that install if you can.

blueiedgod · January 2006

I have a 2001 Honda CR-V. My stereo and clock do not work. I was listening to music one day and both of them just went out. I tried replacing the fuse for the radio and that didn't work. I even used to a fuse checker to see if the fuse had ppower and it did..

Any other suggestions? By the way, I have a system in my car, with amp and subwoofer.

Let me know if anyone has any suggestions....

Check the back up power (always on) fuse. Consult the OWNER's MANUAL as to exact location. If memory serves me right, it is in the under the hood fuse box.

ateixeira · January 2006

I said that tongue-in-cheek, but if you drive with the windows open (smokers and fresh air lovers) ear plugs really can help, particularly in a convertible.

Wind noise is annoying and can even give you head aches. Miata owners call it "wind burn".

So, indeed, try ear plugs.

When varmint gets his S2000 he'll understand I was actually trying to help. :P

David: brilliant, but slow down a bit...you have some potentially very useful tips in that post.

Can you offer more details, please? Pictures, perhaps? I can host photos for you if you want to e-mail them to me.

So the antennae is at the base of your dash? With one wire running to the c330 unit, and another (power) spliced into your cig. lighter?

Other questions - how is the unit itself mounted in that storage unit, just placed there loosely, or did you fasten it down? And no problems with fuses given you're drawing all that power?

Nifty idea. Kudos.

I ordered the Garmin dash mount for my c320 (same, but SD vs. HDD for yours). I'm not too happy with the mount. The power portion doesn't seem to work properly, as it doesn't turn on and off with the ignition like my suction-cup mount does.

If you prefer, we can move this discussion to the NAV thread: ateixeira, "Navigation / GPS Systems" #520, 6 Jan 2006 6:45 am

-juice

only1harry · January 2006

KYFDX (host): I think that 's an incorrect assumption. CRV's with the Bridgestone tires can get noisy on bad or all-concrete roads but my Civic and Integra are the same way with 6 different brands of tires. On smooth and well paved roads the CRV is not bad. CRV's that come with the BFG tires reportedly are less noisy.

The CRV's road noise can be CONSIDERABLY (not slightly) reduced by installing passenger tires. The Bridgestone Dueller that many CRV's come with, is categorized as a Light Truck/SUV tire, not a "passenger car" tire. Many other tires out there for cars and Minivans work much better on the CRV. Besides making the CRV's ride more quiet, they provide much improved handling and also handle better in the wet and snow/ice. I discovered that most tires that get good reviews from Minivan owners (including Honda Odessey) work well for the CRV.

The Bridgestone Dueller is simply and average or below tire. My brother-in-law's Suzuki Grand Vitara (SUV-bigger than the CRV) had the exact same Bridgestones and he hated the ride and the tires in general. He went with Kumho All Season passenger tires and is much happier. I just ordered the same tires after doing extensive research on tirerack.com by reading all the reviews by people that have bought them. The Michelin Harmony is another decent tire that rated the pretty much the best in the All Season (regular performance SR) category but the cost might be a little too high for some.

Speaking of tire pressures as someone mentioned, you have to run your Bridgestones at 28-29psi, not 26 as is recommended on the driver's door. Most Honda dealers also deliver the SUV with 28-29psi tire pressures. This not only makes the CRV handle a little better (you 're not riding on the sidewalls as much when cornering) but seems to provide the best mileage and I believe actually reduces road noise. Do not go 30psi unless you have 4 adult passengers in the car or considerable extra weight in the car or the back is fully loaded with heavy gear and/or luggage or other heavy tools, etc. At 30psi or above the ride becomes bumpier and the steering more sensitive which some people may not like. Steering sensitivity or quicker steering results in quicker turn-in and can lead to small miscalculations like cutting the corner too tight and hitting a sidewalk or metal sewer protrusion with the inside wheel. My wife almost did that when I went up from 28 to 30.5 psi all around. 28.5-29.0psi seems to produce the best results on the stock Bridgestone 205-70-15's. The reason Honda recommends 26psi is because they only take into account the actual weight of the CRV + 1 driver. When carrying 1 or more passengers you need to go higher. Also most people carry a lot of stuff in the cargo area all the time (usually unecessarily) and this increase the weight of the car by a couple of hundred pounds sometimes. If you add the weight of a baby carriage, wipes box, a soccer ball, other toys, extra jacket(s)/clothes, auto emergency kit, CD's, books, some tools, etc., you 'll be surprised how much these can add up, and also hurt your gas mileage, as well as wear out your tires faster. Add this extra weight to the # of pounds 2 (or more) adult passengers can weigh, and 500lbs would probably be a conservative figure. This is why you need to keep them well inflated and check them regularly. The Bridgestones besides being a "crappy" tire they also don't maintain a good seal around the rim. They gradually lose air in a short period of time. I have to add 2+ PSI at least every 4 weeks! One time in the summer time (when they 're supposed to read higher, warmer=higher pressures), I didn't check them for about 7 weeks and they were all down to 24psi from 29. One was 23.5 (I use a digital pressure gauge but have analog ones too). So don't complain about poor gas mileage or possible handling deterioratin and excessive road noise before you check your tire pressures.

kyfdx · January 2006

Well.. I didn't assume it... That is from my personal experience.. My '02 CR-V came with Duelers, that were then replaced by BFGoodrich Touring T/As..

I agree that the Dueler is a crappy tire..(and, it is a passenger car tire in the CR-V size.. it has nothing in common with the SUV/truck tires in the larger sizes). but, my CR-V is just as noisy with the current Goodrich tires..

I've had both generations of CR-V.. and neither is a quiet ride.. A lot of road noise and wind roar in either iteration.. I'm not saying it can't be improved.. but, I think slightly was an accurate assessment..

The noise doesn't bother me.. but, I stand by my earlier statement.. If you want a quiet vehicle, don't get a CR-V. Otherwise, I recommend it..

regards,
kyfdx
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david59 · January 2006

Sorry, but a picture is really not going to help. Go in to your Honda dealer and request a schematic print out from their computer of the dash area where your radio, storage box, cigarette lighter, cup holder is located. At the rear of the storage area is a access panel with two small screwdriver slots. Remove the panel. Take a stiff wire like speaker wire and thread it through that opening on the left side toward the accelerator pedal area. The wire will apppear by your accelerator pedal. Remove the retaining screws from the panel to the right of the accelerator. You can now use the speaker wire to pull your antenna cable and power cable from the new cigarette unit. Also drop the dash panel under the steering wheel. Feed your antenna cable through to the door well and run it up to the top of the dash using a screw driver with tape on the bladed to force the wire between the plastic dash panel and the car body. My Glission antenna just sits on the dash and is forced fit and held in place between the glass and the dash panel over the vents for the air that clears the windshield. I guess that you can hide the antenna in a speaker at the top of the dash but I was not willing to disassemble any more of the dash. The wires from the new cigarette lighter in the storage compartment are tapped into the original cigarette lighter. You can access this area by squeezing the plastic together on door ofthe very bottom storage area at floor level. There is an in line fuse with the new unit as well as an inline fuse with the C330 Cigarette power line. The C330 is almost exactly the size of the storage unit opening and will held in place by slight force fitting with all the power lines behind it. Do not replace the rear cover so there is plenty of air circulation to dissapate the heat from the GPS. This setup permits you to use the GPS in another car by disconnecting the antenna line at the GPS and pulling the GPS power line out of the storage unit cigarette lighter. When you park, you close the door to the unit and it is completely hidden. If you forget to turn the unit off when not using and your car is running and the door to the storage unit is closed, it will not overheat because the access panel in the rear has not be replaced. Place the GPS equi distant from the right and left side in order to not impair sound transmission.

explorerx4 · January 2006

did you check the color of the oil before you stored the car? it could have already been black.
i have a car that i have driven maybe 5 months a year for 15 years. i changed the oil in fall '03, didn't drive until spring '05 and changed the oil of fall '05.
the oil (dino) was fine. the front drain plug always gets oil over the front stabilizer bar. it was still really slippery. put some valvoline maxlife in it last fall (synth i think). sure made the engine purr. i hated to put the car cover on it.

it usually warms up enough in february to start it. i'll check the oil for level and color when i do that.

only1harry · January 2006

Yes I did. If you read my post carefully I mentioned that the color of the oil was brown. Looked much darker several months later after storage. Could have been because the car was raced a lot before I took it off the road. That is its primary duty. Oil was Mobil-1 synthetic.

You left the same oil in your car for almost 2yrs? Not good my friend. Makes my hair rise when I hear things like that :surprise:

jwb18t · January 2006

Looking for the payload capacity of the 2006 CRV EX, not listed on Honda website nor does it show when you do a comparo on this site. We have a 98 CRV EX, Bought new in June of 1997 with 101k. Kids are alot bigger. Went on a ski trip last week where we estimated with passengers and cargo we were in the 950 range, used a Yakima rocket box and ski rack too!. Want to consider the new CRV but want to make sure it has a larger capacity than the 98. Thx.

varmint · January 2006

I want to say 850, but that may depend on model and transmission.

tcasboy · January 2006

850 is correct, according to the owners manual (page 151, under load limits) of my 2006 EX. No mention of it being different for different models, although the sticker on the door jam might be a good place to look as well.

only1harry · January 2006

I would have to guess that the '06's payload is higher than previous models and even '02-04 CRVs because those all came with 15" wheels & tires. Tire size is also factored in when engineers calculate the maximum payload.

The '05-06 models have 16" wheels and larger 215-65 tires which in themselves can handle more weight than the 205-70-15's. 1653 vs 1499, a difference of 154lbs.

I also believe the previous gen. CRV ('01 & older) like yours, has 25-30 less HP (but curb weight is less too) with less torque. So my guess would be the payload capacity of a '98 CRV would be around 700lbs, 750 the most. Don't feel bad. RAV-4's have a payload max. capacity of 675lbs. 850 is not bad but still on the low side. Now keep in mind these #s include the driver as well.

Many claim that Honda always publishes smaller payload #s on purpose and that the real #s are a bit higher. I kind of believe that because if you look at many V6 SUV's and pickup trucks with only 180-200hp (not a lot), you will see that their payload capacity is 1,500lbs. That's over a 75% increase! A huge increase if you consider the fact that they weigh much more than a CRV, and only have 20-25% more HP and 25-30% more torque. Now I 'm not saying HP/torque and payload capacity are increased geometrically in relation to each other. It's probably exponentially but still, a lot of these trucks weigh 3800lbs, 500+lbs more than the CRV!

I think the truth is as you found out that the CRV can take a lot more weight than the recommended payload (which btw, the # should be on your door, required by law) but I 'm guessing Honda is afraid, and rightfully so, of an increased # of warranty repairs should the owners operate their CRVs with the "actual" (higher) max. payload capacity for prolonged periods of time. The tranny, shocks and bushings (rear mostly) would be affected in that order from the most expensive to the cheapest. Tires would also deteriorate faster. They don't want people to haul heavy loads of stuff in their CRVs. It takes its toll on the car (any vehicle) if done frequently and major components would fail earlier giving the CRV an average or not so great reliability rating. I don't really blame them. It's just smart planning and looking out for yourself, and even us, the consumer.

My guess is the Ridgeline can haul twice as much with ease and was designed more for that. Our CRV's are really just tall cars. My wife's previous '01 Altima & '98 Accord could haul pretty close to what our '04 CRV can. We haven't really seen any benefits to buying the CRV except for sitting higher but my wife quickly learned that you still can't see ahead of you if there 's another SUV in front of you. Her main reason for wanting the CRV was to "see around other taller cars or SUV's"!!

I tried explaining to her that with another CRV, or Cherokee or Explorer in front of her, nothing would change unless she was driving a MACK truck or 18-wheeler. She didn't believe me until after she bought the CRV and found out I was right :confuse:

explorerx4 · January 2006

harry... from your reply it sounds like you didn't check the color of the oil before storage?
my car... 2 years not many miles.
with my workhorse explorer, i have the oil changed avery 3k. other commuter vehicles, every 5k.

varmint · January 2006

Actually, the 05-06 models weigh more than the 02-04 CR-Vs. That cuts into the amount of weight they can carry. And having larger tires doesn't improve payload if the limiting factor is the suspension, brakes, or chassis.

ateixeira · January 2006

The 675 lb. number is actually from the Honda Element.

The RAV4 had a payload of 760 lbs, and of course the new generation that just came out has a lot more than that, I think about ~1100 lbs since it has a 3rd row of passengers to haul.

CR-V has been at 850 lbs all along, I believe. But to get the exact number, look at the GVWR in your door jamb, then subtract your curb weight.

-juice

dmutt · January 2006

In my new Popular Mechanics magazine, there was a very small spy pic of the 2007-08 CRV. Said it would have a 200 hp four. Nothing about a six being offered. Wonder if it may not come out until late 2007.

varmint · January 2006

Late 2006 is when it's expected. The CR-V model year starts in mid-October.

kyfdx · January 2006

The new Acura RDX, which is built on the same platform is getting a turbo-charged version of the 2.3 litre 4-cylinder.. My guess is the new CR-V will get a tweaked version of the same engine it has now... like the TSX..

regards,
kyfdx

varmint · January 2006

Just to be clear for folks...

The RDX is based on an "all new" platform. The next generation CR-V will also be based on this same platform. That's different than the RDX being based on the current CR-V platform.

kyfdx · January 2006

What? Are you saying I wasn't clear??!!

Okay.. maybe not..

ateixeira · January 2006

Put in the TSX engine, de-tuned slightly to run on regular for the LX/EX, and in full-tune for the SE.

-juice

varmint · January 2006

All they would need to do is give it a power-biased VTEC cam profile, rather than the VTEC-E set-up it has now. I don't think it would need the variable timing and lift on the exhaust side (which the TSX has).

drive62 · January 2006

Turbo?? When was the last time Honda used a turbo engine in the States? Ever? How about anywhere? Not usually their MO.

theracoon · January 2006

Turbo?? When was the last time Honda used a turbo engine in the States? Ever? How about anywhere? Not usually their MO.

From Hondanews.com (the official Honda news release site):

RDX [prototype] features an all-new 2.3-liter i-VTEC(R) four-cylinder turbocharged engine that generates 240 horsepower and 260 lbs-ft of torque. This is the first application of forced induction technology in Acura history. The revolutionary i-VTEC Turbo technology uses a variable flow turbocharger, which is exclusive to the RDX,...

So if the turbo is really "exclusive to the RDX" then we probably won't see it on the next CR-V.

Of course until Honda releases final information on the production models this is all rumors, speculation, and wishful thinking.

JM2C

drive62 · January 2006

So does that mean "all-new" to Acura? Or "all new" because it is a turbo? Or...?

If it's still based on the current engine used in the CR-V/RSX/TSX I don't think they should call it "all-new".

varmint · January 2006

Turbos? Lemme see here.

We got the Turbo Life Dunk (fun name) over in Japan since 2000.

We got the Accord CDT-i over in Europe.

The Legend came with a turbo V6 in Japan back a decade or so.

A few random marine engines.

And, of course, Honda was so successful with their brand of turbo-charging it was banned from F1 racing for the reason that it provided an unfair advantage.

But, yeah, they seem to resort to turbo power only when it cannot be avoided. During the development of the S2000, they considered going with a turbo, but rejected it because of turbo lag. In their minds it detracted from the driving experience. They wanted fluid power delivery, even if you had to go to 9,000 rpms to find it.

My guess is they engineered their way around the turbo lag problem. So, there was nothing holding them back.

varmint · January 2006

If it's still based on the current engine used in the CR-V/RSX/TSX I don't think they should call it "all-new".

We don't know if it's based on the K series. It could be, but Honda did not have any engine badging on the concept RDX.

Force fed engines run best when the engine is designed to be a turbo from the ground up. You slap a turbo on any existing block, but it doesn't work as well as one built to be a turbo. Back when the rumor of a turbo first appeared, it included the idea that it was an all-new-from-the-ground-up engine. But no one has been able to confirm that part of the rumor.

ateixeira · January 2006

I bet the block is at least revised. You often get oil jets to cool the bottom of the pistons, some times forged internals, even.

Subaru's EJ257 block, the turbo one, is actually different than the EJ255 normally aspirated one. The turbo has a semi-closed deck design, plus oil jets to cool the pistons, which are forged to boot.

People assume they're the same, but even though they're in the EJ family, the block is in fact different. Even the gasket part numbers differ.

I bet this block is different, even if it has the same geometry as the current CR-V engine. Turbos get beefed up.

-juice

varmint · January 2006

One of the theories (from a guy who races and tunes Hondas) is that they decreased the bore 1mm to allow for better cooling. That coincidentally puts the engine at 2.3L. And then recast it with a fully closed deck.

theracoon · January 2006

So does that mean "all-new" to Acura? Or "all new" because it is a turbo? Or...?

I'm not sure. Are there any other 2.3L Honda gasoline engines?

That the press release says "all-new 2.3-liter" and "first application of forced induction technology in Acura" suggests that the engine is new, as is the use of a turbo.

varmint · January 2006

I'm not sure. Are there any other 2.3L Honda gasoline engines?

There was one in the Accord prior to 2003. But it's highly unlikely they revived a dead block for this.

drive62 · January 2006

240 hp is more than I would want/need in a smaller SUV. Although I suppose if the mileage is ok I wouldn't mind.

The 3G CR-V with a more pedestrian power set up and corresponding mpg will probably be more to my liking. If not, there's the Fit.

theracoon · January 2006

240 hp is more than I would want/need in a smaller SUV.

I'm with you on this issue. My 1st Gen CR-V with 5 speed manual transmission has plenty of power. I don't need or want 200+ HP in my CR-V.

varmint · January 2006

I would take 200 hp in a CR-V. But only if it still got excellent gas mileage and emissions were good.

jwb18t · January 2006

Thanks all for the help on load capacity. I prefer not to go to a larger vehicle than the CRV. Maybe a new one is in order though given the age and miles on ours. Thx again for the information.

john_f · January 2006

I promoised to buy my son a CRV this spring. He is so excited he went out and purchased 18" wheels in anticipation of the wonderful event.

Does anyone have 18" wheels on their CRV, and if so, are there any good or bad things to be aware of? Thanks in advance.

edgor · January 2006

...What it is going to look like inside? I'm most curious about whether they are going to put an armrest more like the Rav4, the Pilot, etc, and a console that has the cupholders up off the floor.

varmint · January 2006

I think it can be done (assuming the offset is the same or close enough). However, that's going to add quite a bit of weight to the wheels. That weight will have a negative impact on emergency handling and braking. In fact, the change has the potential to goof up the ABS and VSA sensors.

varmint · January 2006

Summer. Nothing will be reliable until summer. Then we will start to see spy pics of lightly disguised 2007 CR-Vs. In August, we'll get more info about the specifications and you might see the interior. Pricing will be announced no earlier than October about 2 weeks before the vehicle goes on sale.

nowakj66 · January 2006

Varmint - you sound like you have seen this movie before. :-)

pretzelb · January 2006

Glad I started to monitor this board as I didn't know a new one was on the way. I drove a RAV4 finally and found it hard to pick the CRV after the test drive. I would guess that after I drive a 6c RAV4 it will be an even more pronounced difference. But, I do want to make a purchase in the next few months so this probably shouldn't even be a factor for me.

edgor · January 2006

We liked the 2006 RAV4 much better than the 2006 CRV. It is quieter in the cabin, it accelerated a bit better, it has nice features like automatic temperature control, and it has a better interior layout (buttons more accessible and the cupholders are off the floor). I wish Honda would give more info on what the interior of the 2007 CRV is going to look like before the summer. Not sure whether to hang on or not. Given how many strides Honda has made on its interiors in the past few years (cf. Civic, Pilot), I'm curious to know if the new CRV will blow away the old one.

pretzelb · January 2006

As someone who has never owned a Honda, and someone who hasn't shopped for cars in 10 years, I did notice that while the interior layout of the CRV was nice, it does appear to be largely different from say the Pilot. I never thought about it much before you said something. My guess is that it's one of the major things they're looking at, especially with the new RAV4 redesign.

drive62 · January 2006

How many companies do you know of who will release information about a new product nine months prior to it's launch?

One week after the new CR-V comes out, someone else will announce their latest offering and so on and so on....If you need a vehicle now you choose from what's available. Same with computers, consumer electronics, etc. If you constantly worry about what may be coming you'll make yourself crazy, imho.

varmint · January 2006

Honda has always been tight about releasing information on new models. If they release big details, sales and prices of the current model will suffer and dealers will complain.

In the past, they've done things like only tested the vehicles at night, covered in black tape, without any lighting on a closed test track.

Recently, they have begun letting out a little bit here and a little bit there... But they are still very conservative about it.

ateixeira · January 2006

Toyota shook up this segment, I bet designers went back to revise a few things after they saw a 269hp 3-row entry in the segment that still manages 20/27 mpg even with AWD.

Toyota still left room for improvement - the gate still opens to block curb side loading at the grocery store, visibility could be better, and the AWD was actually down-graded to part-time.

Still, I think they set the bar for the segment.

18" rims? That's a lot of unsprung weight. The springs and shocks aren't tuned for it. Plus there is more rotational inertia so it'll actually slow you down a bit.

That might be a bit overkill, just make sure they're forged so that they're both light and sturdy.

-juice

2001 - 2006 Honda CR-Vs

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