Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

varmint

I'm trying to figure out a way to explain that there's a smart way to do stupid things... It's not coming.

theracoon

I'm trying to figure out a way to explain that there's a smart way to do stupid things... It's not coming.

"Look before you leap", or in this case, look before you splash through the mud?

j2thomas

I'm with Harry on this one. 2 year old CRV, 20K miles and nothing but oil changes and tire rotations. It's been a stellar vehicle, I plan on keeping it until it falls apart.

At the next maint I'll change the tranny fluid and the rear diff fluid and mount the dedicated snows.

t4him

Thanks Jason.
    Yes I did read your post, that is what prompted me to write this post. I want to see if this is an example of a few "Isolated incedents" or if it is a "Real Problem". I know mechanical things "BREAK", I also know sometimes parts runs are not "up-to-par" when manufactured.

    To the other post reply, I do not have an extended warrenty. Though they make the owner "FEEL" safe, they are not worth the dollars spent, especially on a Honda or Toyota. My 1997 Toyota T-100 4X4 has 220,000 miles on it without a blemish. It works in the woods on the week end, hunting and fishing, and goes 120 miles a day back and forth to work during the week. Great Truck!

    Thank You all for the post you are making out there, It truely is a wealth of information, keep it up.

    God Bless,

        Tim in Florida

matthooper

Hi all, on my 2000 EX, the passenger door handle (on the inside of the car) is really hard to open. So if you are sitting in the passenger seat and want to get out, you have to pull the handle way out to get the door mechanism to trigger and open the door. I am hoping this is some kind of lube situation that I can resolve without a trip to the dealer. Anyone heard of this symptom?

Matt

mkrege

I have a 1999 CRV that has been making noise in the rear for a while. I took it to my regular mechanic and he said he couldn't find anything. I finally called the daeler this week and the mechanic recommended changing the fluid. I took it and had it done , but barely made it home. The noise and rubbing sounds were terrible when I turned and it vibrated also. I ended up taking it to the dealer. He told me that the rear differential was shot and gave me a repair price of $3300. This truck has 63000 well cared for miles on it. I drive it rather easy, I don't use it a lot in the winter,and I have kept up on all the recommended maintenace.
  The dealer mechanic said I should have changed it at 30000 miles because of the weather. I live in NY and I do not consider this the sever arctic.
  We are going to fight this since we did follow the maintenance book. Any suggestions to help us in our fight?
 A Honda that takes a dive at 63000 miles-come on!

mikefm58

Sorry to hear about your problem. I take it your CRV is 4WD. Unless Honda wants to do something in the name of good customer care, you don't stand a chance as it's out of warranty. Granted, I agree with you, it is very unfortunate to have that type of problem with any make.

theracoon

I took it to my regular mechanic and he said he couldn't find anything. I finally called the daeler this week and the mechanic recommended changing the fluid. I took it and had it done , but barely made it home. The noise and rubbing sounds were terrible when I turned and it vibrated also. I ended up taking it to the dealer.

After talking to the dealer who did you have change the fluid? The dealer or your regular mechanic? The rear differential requires a special Dual Pump Fluid that's only available from Honda. If you took it to your regular mechanic what kind of fluid did he use?

That the noise increased after having the fluid changed suggests to me that the wrong fluid was used, which may have contributed to the damage.

JM2C

varmint

"I have a 1999 CRV that has been making noise in the rear for a while."

I hate to ask, but how long is "a while"? It sounds to me like the differential got chewed up. This will happen if the dual pump fluid goes bad and is not replaced. Just like an engine will seize if you don't change the oil. Read up with the link below:

varmint "Honda CR-V Owners: FAQ" Nov 22, 2003 1:10pm

I think this is the best course of action for you. The manual instructs owners to have the rear differential fluid changed every 90K miles. Frankly, this is a bogus recommendation. Owners have found that the fluid typically needs replacing between 30 and 50 thousand miles. Contact Honda and have them start a case for you. You might get them to offer a "goodwill" or partial extension on the warranty. Use the recommendation in the manual as part of your justification for the request.

They will probably resist, saying that a diff could not get completely chewed up unless you ignored the problem for a long time. Be reasonable and don't expect full warranty coverage. For example, they might pay for parts while you are responsible for labor.

kyfdx

On another note.. Does anyone think $3300 seems excessive? Kind of makes me glad that I have the extended Hondacare warrranty.

regards,
kyfdx

varmint

Yeah. I agree. A whole transmission probably wouldn't cost that much. If all they have to do is replace the rear diff, I would have expected something less than $2,000.

Now, if they have to replace the transfer case (on the tranny) as well as the rear differential... well... now that $3,300 figure starts to make sense. I'm not certain, but they may need to yank the engine and tranny just to get at those parts. Lots o labor.

toddv

My wife's 98 CRV began stuttering upon acceleration yesterday. My first guess is bad gasoline, followed by fuel filter, and then fuel pump. When there is slow throttle input, the car will rev fine. When there is a lot of throttle input it revs fine.
   Any takers? and is the fuel pump and filter in the tank?
    Thanks,tv

theracoon

and is the fuel pump and filter in the tank?

The fuel pump is in the tank. The fuel filter is in the engine compartment. It's mounted to the firewall to the right of the battery (in US CR-Vs).

billpa

Have a '99 CR-V with 115K miles. Over last 6 mos., has developed stalling/stuttering illnes for first few minutes after morning startup or just about any cold startup. Starts fine; but put it in gear, it dies. Have to pump accelerator to keep it running, and/or keep one foot on brake and one foot on accel at traffic lights and stop signs. Idles horribly. Five minutes later, is OK. Problem less severe when gas tank is full. Spent $300 at dealer, absolutely no change. Any ideas?

muxa

Has anyone noticed an unussual color in the oil in thier cr-v.My wifes cr-v has 1,500 miles on it and i checked the oil for the first time today and was very surprised to find that it was a yellowish-greenish color,with a very thin texture.At first ithought that i was mistaken so i also cheked the oil for the first time in my suzuki xl-7,wiped them both on a white paper towel and compared.Sure enough the cr-v oil was much lighter and thinner than xl-7 oil.I called the dealerships service dept and was told to bring it in imidiatly.When i got thier the service menager took a look at the two oil samples and told that it was normal for the oil to be so light in a new car and that the other sample must be from a car with much higher milage.When i told him that the other car was also new and had under 3,000 miles he said that honda uses a special type of oil to break in thier engines.Needless to say i left the dealership feeling like a fool.However i have owned more than a few cars in my life and have done many of an oil changes on them and i have never seen any oil that is this color or of such a light texture. If anyone knows please answer.

inkie

The break-in oil contains a molybdenum compound which should not change the amber color of fresh oil. The viscosity of 5W20 is verrry thin but it works in the engines made to use this oil. The color should not be toward the greenish side unless anifreeze or some type of dye used at the factory has contaminated the oil. Check level of antifreeze unless dealer has done so. Easiest fix, if you want peace of mind. Change oil and filter and check color. You are supposed to leave the breakin oil for at least 5k but, if you have a problem I am sure the Dino 5W20 oils on the market will afford the same properties as the so called break in oils. Hope this helps.

mikefm58

< The color should not be toward the greenish side unless anifreeze >

Isn't Honda antifreeze red?

varmint

Water or antifreeze in the oil should turn the oil a milky color. Not white, but more like a half-mixed cappuccino effect. I had it happen to my 2.8L Cavalier. That was the end of that car.

I'm sure that if a service tech looked at yours, he/she would recognize the signs of bad oil. If there is a problem, this would be covered under warranty.

inkie

Antifreeze comes in various colors as you write, Perhaps Honda has a new RED mixture but the Honda antifreeze I have in my two Hondas and in the recently purchased containers are green.

naparish

Yakima's configurator does not show any racks that fit the 2005 CR-V. As far as I can tell, however, the 2004 and 2005 have the same roof configuration. Does anybody know for sure if the roof rack mounting points are the same for 2004s and 2005s?

naparish

The Honda Australia website shows a cargo barrier that fits behind the rear seat as an available accessory for CR-Vs, but U.S. Honda does not show any such barrier. Does anybody know for sure if the Australian barrier would fit the 2005 U.S. model? FWIW, the Australian cargo barrier is a mesh thingie that is apparently much stronger (and more useful) than the pet barriers available from WeatherTech and its competitors.

chevy4life

My 02' CRV has started making this grinding noise when accelerating in 2nd and 3rd gear. It has 54K miles. Think it's a CV joint, or the tranny? The clutch feels fine, no smell, and is still smooth with no slipping. I've never owned a car with CV joints before, so I don't know if that's it or not. When out of gear, the noise is not there, so I don't think it's the engine.

varmint

There haven't been any changes to the roof rack for 2005. It's likely that Yakima simply hasn't updated their product information.

I don't believe there are any differences in the cargo area between US spec and Australian CR-Vs. Many owners have ordered Aussie parts in the past, so it's a good bet that the barrier you've seen will fit.

edunnett

Does the grinding happen during shifting or only while driving in 2nd or 3rd? If you hear/feel grinding DURING your shift from 2nd to 3rd, it's likely due to a bad 3rd gear synchro in your transmission. That's surprising at 54K miles! Has someone changed your transmission fluid recently with the wrong fluid? Or could you have let your tranny run dry? Or do you have a short shifter installed? It could just be a manufacturing defect also - shame Honda doesn't offer a longer power train warranty like Subaru. Anyway, if it is the synchro you will need to fix or replace the tranny to make it go away. Either way a $1500 job minimum unless you know someone who can do it for you. If you're feeling too poor for that, just try "granny shifting" (shifting slowly extending the time your foot is on the clutch) into 3rd and that will keep the grinding at bay.

xtyprice

Our 2002 CR-V has under 46000 miles and we believe the AC Compressor has gone out. We will be taking it in to confirm. Our warranty is up. Isn't 46000 too soon for something like this to occur? I read of others experiencing the same problem. Has anyone been successful in getting Honda to cover replacement without having the warranty? If so, how?? Thanks

wen

I&#146;m sure almost everyone with an &#146;04 and older CR-V agree the 15&#148; x 6&#148; (JJ) RIMS, whether alloy or steel, as well as stock 205/70-15 tires (26.6&#148; diameter &#150; 8.2&#148; section width &#150; 783 revs per mile) are a bit &#147;undersized&#148;, which definitely was verified by the 2005&#146;s having 16&#148; RIMS and 215/65 tires. I DON&#146;T want to &#147;debate&#148; this, but want professional / expert opinions. I own an &#146;04 EX, but to get thru New England Winters, I purchased (on eBay) &#146;04 STEEL RIM &#147;take-offs&#148;, like new w/less than 10 miles on them, and from Tirerack.com I purchased four Blizzak WS-50&#146;s.
In the Spring when I take off the Blizzaks/Steel rims I DO NOT plan to put back the Alloys with those stinkin&#146; Duelers. I actually have FIVE brand new, yes never used, 16&#148; X 6.5&#148; (JJ) five-spoke ALLOY rims (also new &#147;take-offs&#148;) from an &#146;02 Acura TL. When I measured the &#147;interior offset&#148;, that is from the mounting surface back to &#147;inside&#148; lip of wheel, I got 5 7/8&#148; on the 16&#148; Acura Alloys and 5 5/16&#148; on the Honda Steel rims. Important question: Will this 9/16&#148; &#147;inner&#148; offset make a big difference and/or &#147;interfere&#148; with any suspension or body parts, especially if I use 225/60-16 (26.6&#148; diameter &#150; 8.9&#148; section width &#150; 783 revs per mile). By keeping the diameter the same I will not change gear ratio or decrease quick acceleration, and from the side view it will still &#147;look undersized&#148; but I&#146;m sure the improvement in handling with a good set of 225/60&#146;s will make my CR-V a bit better and safer to drive. By the way, the 5-spoke Acura alloys really change the looks of the &#147;stock alloy&#148; &#146;04 CR-V. Just gotta remember to pop out and change the plastic Acura center caps….. or should I leave &#145;em ??
But seriously, what do you think of me using the 16&#148; Acura Alloys ??

chevy4life

The grinding happens as the clutch has just been fully engaged and you are depressing the accelerator to increase speed. It doesn't happen between the shift. I have heard it in 1st gear, but not very loud; 2nd and 3rd very noticeable. none in 4th. I've made no modifications to the car; it was serviced at the 30k or 35k mark; I'll have to see if they fooled with the tranny fluid. I own a pair of greasy-hands, but not sure whether or not I want to do this one myself. I've worked very little on foreign cars, and none on an AWD.

kyfdx

Does it accelerate okay when you hear the noise? Or does it chatter and slip a little? It sure sounds like the throw out bearing going out to me.. Might need a clutch job...

christinan

I just experienced about the same thing. Everything was working fine - 37,000 mile on the car. I've had it less than 6 months. (thank goodness it is a certified used car) and this loud hideous noise that lasted about 30 seconds... Followed by no AC. Funny. When I called the dealer, they suggested that it might be the compressor. "We've seen this before" they said. Not cool. I just hope that once it is replaced that it is fixed for good.

mjk22

I have a '98 CRV with 151000 miles. Here are the things I've experienced other than the routine tires/brakes/tune-up.

-At about 85k miles, the distributor cap melted causing car not to start.

-At about 100k SRS light came on, passenger seatbelt tensioner (warranty repair)

-At 151000k check engine light came on, trans code. Dealer recommended trans fluid change. No other problems found.

-Front of hood severly rusted, no damage or accident occurred, at about the 4-5 year period, started to fight about it with the dealer, due to the number of miles and intense use, I let it go. It's the only CRV that year that I have ever seen with a rusted hood edge, believe my look evertime I walk by one in the parking lot.

It's been the most durable/stable car I've owned. I live in a northern climate with snow and it always starts and gets through. They only improved on 'em since '98 will probably by another one after I get to past 200k miles.

jamshed

I have an 04 CR-V. There is a rattling sound coming from the head liner just above & slightly behind the center rear seat. It occurs when going over rough road surface or when slamming the door shut. I can eliminate the noise for a while by pushing up on the head liner in that spot, like I was gluing it back to the roof. But after a day or so, the rattle returns. Any ideas?

tomk17

I know the sound, my wife's 04 has the exact same thing. I have not been able to fix it but I agree, pushing up on the headliner silences it. I tried taking the plug out of the ceiling and manually closing the sunroof a bit thinking maybe it was the crank assembly up there. No difference. Is this something that would be covered under the 3yr/36K mile warranty if the dealer had to drop the headliner?

edunnett

Oh boy. SOunds like you both have some loose part or clip floating around on top of your headliners! How annoying! Even more annoying is that the labor involved in dropping and re-installing the headliner is NOT trivial! It's such a big job for a 2 cent part floating around up there! Hopefully the dealer will get rid of the noise for you for good under warranty, but in my experience taking interiors apart and putting them back together is there is always the risk of introducing a NEW rattle in your attempt to silence the original one. :-\ Maybe they can do something without removing the headliner to stop the item from moving around... like maybe carefully placing a new plug through the headliner and into the metal frame above it? Good luck. The dealer SHOULD resolve it under warranty but I can see them easily trying to squirm out of it. May only be about $150 to pay an independent uphulstary shop to dig in there for you, or the better part of a day if you do it yourself with a shop manual.
Elissa

tomk17

Mine is definitely not a loose part up there, it's more like a sticky sounds when you pull apart 2 tacky components. I think the other guy described his similarly.

anubis1

I recently purchased a 1998 CR-V with about 100,000 miles on it. On a anything more than a moderate incline it will roll backwards in drive with foot off of the brake pedal. I know thats what the brakes are for but it does not seem to even try to hold on the hill. Is this normal for this model. Engine idle speed is about 750-800 rpms. Thanks, anubis1

varmint

Yes, that's a frequently asked question. It is normal for this vehicle (nothing is broken), but I'm told that most other vehicles don't roll back quite as much. Mine is a 5MT, so I can't claim experience with own car.

lsattle

I have a problem that I see no one else mentioning. I have a 99 with 63,000 miles 4wd. Been real reliable. For the last couple of years I have noticed that if I turn the wheel all the way (or nearly all the way) left or right and start up (like you do in parking lots all the time) I get a terrible vibration throughout the car. It's as though the cv joints are going nuts, lately I'm thinking it's the front wheel bearings. I was deceived for a while thinking it was just the tires sliding on the road, but it's getting worse. Happens more often recently as I turn into parking spaces without ever coming to a full stop, I get the vibration as I turn in. Am about to take it to the dealer. Thought I might find some similar posts here, but did not in reading about 30 minutes of posts.

varmint

Check the post at the following link. See if that sounds like what you are experiencing. I have my doubts that this could go on for years without destroying the RT4WD unit, but take a look anyway.

varmint "Honda CR-V Owners: FAQ" Nov 22, 2003 12:10pm

edunnett

I would also suggest not cranking the wheel so far. If you check the owners manual, it probably gives you a hint that cranking the wheel all the way for more than 5 seconds puts a way lot of strain on your power steering pump and can lead to premature failure. -elissa

isda65

I wonder if these are something that I should go to a dealer for:

-A kind of twanging sound occurs when I step on the clutch pedal while reversing. Is this normal in a 2003 5spd? Sometimes I also notice this when going forward especially when slowing down to almost a stop before getting into the garage.

-There are times when the clutch pedal squeaks.

-When I step on the clutch pedal to shift from first to second and/or second to third, the nose of the car dips which seems to prevent it from establishing a progressive momentum/acceleration. There are a couple of posts in the Accord MT that describes the same problem. Is this normal?

Thanks for any input.

lsattle

Thanks for the suggestion, I noticed that info during my research of the edmunds site yesterday. However, I'm thinking this is not my issue, but I may be wrong. It appears that those with this issue can tell the sound is coming from the rear. I don't get that indication, however I am not positive. My stearing wheel vibrates along wiht the my left arm sitting on the arm rest, aling with probably all the metal on my car. I will check further. A few months ago, I was deceived a bit by a tire guy. I was buying tires for another car and mentioned my problem to him. He said tires can tend to vibrate on the ground. I was thinking that was going on. I need to go to grassy area and try it. Also I need to have someone outside the car try to determine the direction (source) of the noise.

naparish

Thanks for the info. The next question I have is ... how can I order an Aussie part? I've tried emailing a couple of dealers, but haven't gotten any response, and I haven't been able to find any e-commerce website with the parts available.

stevengordon

I'm halfway to my first oil change fire and have a question.

When I start up in a parking lot, proceed a short distance, then lightly apply the brakes to slow down, I hear a click from the rear of my 2004 LX CR-V. It also seems to occur if I'm starting up an incline after being stopped, and then, again, lightly apply the brakes to slow down.

Each time I can't be going much more than 5 or 10 mph, and the click may be coming when I release the brake pedal after lightly applying it to slow down.

The click is not the transmission lock-out solenoid (mentioned earlier in this forum), which I've become accustomed to hearing. It sounds and feels like it's coming from the right-rear.

Anything I should keep an eye on before I take it for the first oil change in another 6 weeks?

lsattle

I stopped by the dealer on my way home friday and have the car in there this morning. He says what I am experiencing is the rear differential problem. I'm very irritated at Honda. The dealer says they are recommending changing this fluid at 30,000 miles. Why hasn't Honda sent us a letter. Such an expensive repair item. Got me questioning the smarts and / or integrity of the company.

tomk17

In my opinion, if you have less than 36K miles, any costs related the rear diff fluid should be covered under warranty. Matter of fact, I would beef about any failure of the rear diff related to the inadequate fluid regardless of mileage. Hang your hat on the fact that pre-mature fluid breakdown resulting in component failure is not your problem.

Anyone have any ideas on how we can push Honda to release the dual pump fluid specs so the real lube companies like Amsoil or Royal Purple can recommend a replacement fluid? Letters, emails, whatever?

stevengordon

Oops...I just did the Search on this forum and found all of these posts covering this subject.

Now that I think about it, I recall bringing my Civic in for the same problem a long time ago and received the same photocopied Honda page about the problem being "normal" and that the service tech could put a business card in the brake to demonstrate something.

One question: has anyone who kept the click/clunk (that is, did nothing to try to fix it) had any problems down the road with the brakes?

kizhe

During my last visit to the dealership (July.04 Keenan Honda, Doylestown, PA) they fixed me that "click problem" for free. I do not have this annoying "click" anymore. I did not ask them to do it. I do not remember if it was a "recall" or smth else. But I may check my paperwork for you if you want... .

stevengordon

If you have time, could you check the paperwork and see if there was a TSB (tech. service bulletin) covering it. Thanks!

Also glad to hear that the fix has lasted you this long. I guess I can get used to mine but if there's a non-catastrophic fix for it, then I'll get it handled.

varmint

varmint "Honda CR-V Owners: FAQ" Nov 25, 2003 1:25pm

Try that. I think there was a separate TSB for front and rear brakes, but that link should get you started.

varmint

I think you may have a hard time getting Honda to cover the repair (if repairs are necessary) given that you've been ignoring the problem for a while.

That said, you should contact Honda and inquire about having the repairs covered as a good will gesture. In ideal (laboratory) conditions, the fluid is apparently good for 90K miles. In the real world, it should be changed every 40-50K. Honda's manual describes only a 90K interval.

Use that fact (politely) as a reason for having them cover repairs. They might pay for parts, while you cover labor, or something like that. But it's like I wrote above. By ignoring the problem for a year you've turned a quick maintenance item into an expensive repair. They may not have much sympathy for you.
:-(

Good luck!