Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

joshua1229 · December 2007

I have a 2001 CRV. I went to start it a couple of days ago and it wont turn over. It's not a power issue because I have all of my lighting and other features. I got a new battery and checked all of my fuses but It still wont start. Maybe I missed a fuse, maybe it's the ignition, or starter...any suggestions to help me begin my quest would be greatly appreciated.

eroc69 · December 2007

I dont think it inherent to the OEM treads. I had the Desert Duelers and they wore out around 20K {BETTER THAN MY TURANZAS ON MY CAMRY AT 13K}
and replaced them with Michelin Hydro-Edges.
Still PTTR. and its a MAJOR PITA.... :P
Now with the bad weather, I need to drive it more cause I work nights now and they dont do much plowing at night.
Thing has 46K on it and still reliable but the PTTR is soooo annoying.

Anyone have issues with teh STEERING?
Being floaty or seems to miss a little in a turn?

fnamowicz · December 2007

You could have over several dozen problems from an open fuse link to a bad starter or other electrical problems.
You can not make a diagnosis just from your description it has to be taken to a repair shop and looked at.
Good luck let me know what the problem was.

joshua1229 · December 2007

I figured it was not going to be an open and shut type of problem. I was just wondering if anyone else has encountered something similar with their CRV. Thank you though, I thought this was probably a case for the repair shop. I Dont know the electrical side of things too well. I'll let you know what it turns out to be.

johnp7 · December 2007

I'll drive it for a month then post to let everyone know if the PTTR returns.
It was a MAJOR PITA for me too, but now it's driving straight as an arrow.
Mine seems a bit floaty but I think that's because of the new rubber.

marleyw · December 2007

I have a 2001 CRV which I have had maintaince done to the schedule in the owners manual. I now have 104,000 miles on it and 2 days ago it started running rough. Only to be told I burnt one of the intake valves. I am 2 hours from the nearest dealership and after talking with them they are telling me I should have had a valve adjustment every 30K miles-the owners manual says 105K. Does anyone know anything about this?

mikefm58 · December 2007

Does anyone know anything about this?

Yes. That is an issue with the gen 1 CRV. You're not the first one to get hit with this. I got lucky in that with my 99 CRV I had that done when I had the timing belt changed and have never had an issue with the valves.

zeen · December 2007

I have an 08 CRV EX with 1600 miles and there is PTTR. Same Bridgestone Duelers. Pretty wierd, huh??

johnsac · December 2007

Did they tell you what the code was for the check engine light coming on was. I have a 1998 crv with the check engine coming on but the car runs okay! Any suggestions for this action?

Thanks,

JohnSac

user777 · December 2007

You sure that's not the "Service Engine Soon" reminder? With engine off, push in Odometer reset, turn key to position 1, hold for 10sec till light goes out?

arrampico · December 2007

I have had the exact same problem since day 1. I bought my 2005 CR-V in Feb of 2005. I took it back to the dealer three times in the first few months and they tried everything and it still pulls to the right! I have about 30,000 miles on the tires and I am hoping the tires fix my problem too.

arrampico · December 2007

I hope I am not screwed. I was planning on meticulously following the owner's manual for service but I am in the Navy and got sent overseas. My ship is in Italy and all of the mechanics over here(EVEN AT HONDA DEALERS!) say just to put in 5W-40 and that is what they put in their CR-V's.....In fact I have called many dealers and they don't even carry 5W-20 over here! What do I do? Is there a way to ship oil? A friend of mine recommended putting in 5W-30 and adding an oil additive....help? I don't want to jack up my valve adjustment. I am thinking of calling Honda Motor and asking how it is they put different oils in the same engines.....

joshua1229 · December 2007

Took it to my local Honda service Department. It was a bad starter. I'll let them change that out. I have changed starters on a few Honda's and I don't remember it ever being a pleasant experience.

nvbanker · December 2007

I'm betting, the 5/40 won't hurt it. 4 million Italians in Hondas can't be wrong. Besides, remember, 5/40 covers the spectrum from 5 to 40, which includes 5 to 20. It'll just handle even higher temperatures than you need to in that motor. Of course, I could be wrong.

lzc · December 2007

Maybe 10 years ago Consumer Reports said that oils with wider viscosity ranges tended to break down earlier than those with a narrower range. But, the breakdown occurred under extreme testing conditions. All name-brand oils provided ample protection under normal driving conditions.

I emphasize, though, this report was written when 10w30 and 10w40 oils were standard in most cars. Others on these forums have written that Honda's newer engines are designed for 20w oil. They thought that heavier weight oil might not protect under certain conditions.

How much would it cost to send 4-5 qts of oil across the pond twice a year?

terryp1 · December 2007

I looked into this a couple of years ago after reading online that calling for the 5w-20 rather than 5w-30w or higher was an insidious scheme by Honda to get more gas mileage at the expense of engine life. (These are my descriptive words, but that was the writer's drift.) But I noted that the writer and the web site had to do with a particular synthetic oil that did not make a 5w-20 version. I believe that brand now makes a 5w-20.
I asked some friends at a local repair shop that is elite tier, thus of course non-dealership. They had looked into this matter by speaking with Honda technicians above the level of someone answering the phone at the dealership's service department. (That's where I'd been told by a very pleasant young woman that it was OK to go with 5w-30.)
The answer my friends got from those more likely to know is that the very sophisticated self-adjusting valves require the 5w-20. Other weights/viscosity will throw off that constantly changing adjustment just a bit. And that makes sense.

brianjandreau · December 2007

My 07 CRV is ready for its second service. The MM states that it needs a B (oil and filter), a 1 (tire rotation), and a 6 (rear differential fluid change). Has anyone else had to replace the rear differential fluid on the second service?

This is particularly interesting b/c I had to have the differential fluid changed at around 12000 miles (currently at 16000) b/c of the grinding noise issue. The dealer did this free of charge.

What did you have done on your second service?

dheg · December 2007

I just bought the CRV LX. I have trouble unlocking the driver side door but not the passenger door. I wiggle the key with very little success but if I wipe the key on my pant leg, the door unlocks when I use the key.

No trouble starting the car.

Could this be related to the antitheft feature or just a defective lock?

Dennis
:confuse:

user777 · December 2007

there was a post in the '03 odyssey thread about the locks being poor quality. in my LX without the auto unlock, my wife and I have trouble unlocking the driver's door with the key, but not the passenger or the hatch, because they see such infrequent use.

anyway the poster that I had replied to said a locksmith he consulted indicated he'd seen this before on the honda odyssey.

so i imagine they aren't putting very durable cylinders in (or the keys are too soft) and the people like me and you and the other poster that have the low-end trim are having problems from use.

rubbing the key on your pants? ahem, no, that's not likely to do anything but cause you to use the other side of the key. :shades: it works for us sometimes too (the other side of the key, not the pants trick.

tinkerbell07 · December 2007

I bought an LX FWD 2008 CRV base model in late November. Didn't test drive it on the highway - very big mistake. The car has a strong pull to the right! When my husband drove it, he said the car accessed the righthand exit ramp without any help from him. When I drove it just 2 hours after purchase, unless I grasped the wheel FIRMLY, it crossed over 2 lanes on the highway in the space of about 5 seconds. I brought it back to the dealer who, after 3 days of adjustments that made no difference, finally admitted the righthand "pull" was a recent problem encountered with newly arriving CR-Vs that had no "fix". Test driving another CR-V showed no difference in that vehicle, either. The dealer refunded my purchase in full. I think Honda has a real problem with the 2008 CRV steering design, or perhaps it's the suspension. Either way, can be dangerous.

tabcourt · December 2007

The low beam headlight went out. Tried replacing it (H1-55W), but still won't work. High beam okay. Looks like the original is just fine. 20Amp fuse in engine compartment looks good too. Anybody have an experience like this?

Mark

tabcourt · December 2007

Think a gas station attendant didn't tighten the gas tank and caused the light to go on. Got the error code read and it said Emissions System. Okay, so this probably confirms the loose gas cap. But it's been about 300 miles since the light went on and it's still on. how long should it take to turn off?

tinkerbell07 · December 2007

Terryp1,

Thank you for your very detailed and helpful explanation of why my recently purchased 2008 CR-V insisted on driving itself off the road if I didn't firmly clutch the wheel to prevent it. At 60 mph, it crossed over 2 highway lanes within 5 seconds, just hours after I drove it out of the dealer's showroom. I took it back to the dealer who feigned ignorance of the problem, saying it was "normal drift". Over the next 2 days the dealership worked on the car, trying to adjust the problem away, but to no avail. There was no fix for the problem and now I understand why. Once I began to make noises to them about class action lawsuits and punitive damages, they took the car back and gave me a full refund after 2 days of cooling my heels in the dealer's showroom. I was not about to let Honda off the hook and go away quietly, forced to drive a vehicle that posed a danger to my safety!

tinkerbell07 · December 2007

Read your post on PTTR and re-design in the 2007 CR-V. Unfortunately, the problem seems to have re-emerged in the 08's. I bought one in late Nov. and within 2 hours was back at the showroom (I posted my experience so won't repeat all, here). Bottom line was I bought the car on Thursday and returned it for refund on Sat. In between, dealer made "adjustments" all useless. The PTTR was barely noticeable on city streets, but VERY noticeable on highway. I didn't test drive on highway before buying - my oversight. I was about to have a meltdown at the dealership and called them to say I was minutes from the showroom and that I hoped there were plenty of customers there, because once I arrived, all H _ L L was gonna break loose. (I'm a slender 5'6" woman; LOL). I think that may have contributed to their decision to quietly take the car back and refund my money. Glad you prevailed in arbitration. Think of all the unfortunates who are driving those defective vehicles. I am still pretty irritated and stressed with the whole experience.

markocp · December 2007

My Honda is due for it's 45000 mile service. I've read the service schedule in which it appears only the oil and oil filter is changed. What about the automatic transmission fluid, plugs, leads and radiator coolant? When are these items replaced?

user777 · December 2007

For what it's worth, here was the TSB for the '03s that was issued:
http://www.crvownersclub.com/TSBs/2005/03-004.pdf

tinkerbell07 · December 2007

That's very interesting...a long standing problem. Thank you for providing the information. I have no mechanical expertise, so is this a suspension problem, or a frame problem (sorry; I can't tell from the attachment)? Appreciate your sending the info, however. I guess the Honda service department was unable to follow directions, because their adjustments to the vehicle did not correct the pull whatsoever. Now I'm still looking for a new car and awfully stressed from the Honda experience. At least they took it back (almost unheard of, I'm sure).

user777 · December 2007

i'm not an expert, just another driver. for the '03, it would have probably been classified as a "suspension" issue, not a "frame" issue. the strut / strut-towers and the angle of that setup are considered a suspension configuration issue.

for the '07 or '08, i have no idea if you are facing a similar issue or something completely different.

i provided the information so you could print it and have a dialog with the dealership about what they are actually trying to do to correct your issue.

now, does the vehicle demonstrate dramatic PTTR without you changing the speed of the vehicle?

coasting or/or maintaining speed vs. accelerating would be viewed differently, the latter i think is torque-steer and a function of the engine/transmission and shaft configuration to the drive wheels.

w.r.t. the former, if my understanding is correct, if there is a slow 5-6 sec drift to the side of the highway, that could be considered fairly normal and the effect of "road crown" - a gentile sloping of the road surface being highest in the middle of the highway, to help promote the removal of melting snow and standing water during rains to the side of the highwa. i believe most if not all vehicles will drift over some period of time with a highway that has some crown.

but if your vehicle is very rapidly changing lanes, you have a completely different situation on your hands. good luck.

blueiedgod · December 2007

I have a 2001 CRV which I have had maintaince done to the schedule in the owners manual. I now have 104,000 miles on it and 2 days ago it started running rough. Only to be told I burnt one of the intake valves. I am 2 hours from the nearest dealership and after talking with them they are telling me I should have had a valve adjustment every 30K miles-the owners manual says 105K. Does anyone know anything about this?

You have a really good case for Honda to pay for the head replacement. They put in the manual 105,000 mile interva for valve adjustments on the CR-V, but the same engine in the Integra gets 30,000 mile adjustments, and the same engine in Europe, I believe, requires 15,000 mile adjustment.

This is what happens when Marketing People, with out any engineering background, are allowed to work for a technology company.

Call Honda Corporate and open a case, stating exactly what happened, and how the manual is misleading.

starhusker · December 2007

Hi everyone, I have a CR-V 2007 LX. I bought it in May and now it's over 5000 miles. The oil life is still at 60%. Is it normal? Should I wait it drop to 15% for the first maintenance? Thanks.

fnamowicz · December 2007

Yes it means change oil soon it's up to you when you want to do this.

tinkerbell07 · December 2007

Definitely torque steer. Notable during highway driving. No snow here in Florida and car runs from the middle lane to extreme right within seconds when accelerating. I've seen another explanation suggesting engine placement and shaft configuration are the culprits for this. I convinced the dealer to take back the vehicle in the first 2 days after purchase. He did not want an hysterical woman in his showroom and I was very close to that point. (LOL)

ticmxman · December 2007

Glad to hear the dealer worked with you. You might want to check out the new Nissan Rogue due to the design it has no PTR issues. I really like mine. IMO its quieter and has more power than a CRV and was a better choice for me than the CRV.

dewaltdakota · January 2008

My 2007 CR-V didn't hit 15% until almost 12k miles. It was driving me nuts, to wait for the indicator light to come on. They make a big deal about waiting until 15%, especially before the first oil change, due to the factory oil having special additives in it for the break-in period. The maintenance minder takes into account mileage, driving habits, and driving conditions. Wait until you hit 15%. Hang in there!

msilverscrv · January 2008

My daughter has a similar brake experience with her 2003 CRV bought new Jan 2003:

11,200 mi-Jan 05-Rear pads replaced (I attributed this to 2 upstate NY winters and not much driving while she was at college). Noticed lots of rust on rotors, even had them ground clean once by dealer no charge.
30,000 mi-Dec 06-Front rotors and pads replaced
35,000 mi-Dec 07-Rear rotors and pads replaced

I acknowledge my daughter doesn't drive the car much, but she's been in NJ & SE PA since June 06, not snow belt areas.

This doesn't sound like a brake part lubrication issue. It sounds like a manufacturing defect to me:

1. I read a couple of other messages on this board mentioning rotor rust "that accumulates when the car sits" and "makes a weird sliding/scraping noise, until the pads clear off the rust". I'm 56 and never heard of this with other cars.
2. Clearing off the rust seems to accelerate pad wear and leads to rotor replacement.
3. I have a 2001 Nissan Altima sitting in front of my house most of the time (my son's car), 36,000 mi on it but no rusty rotors, no rotor/pad replacements.
4. My wife has a 2004 CRV, 38,000 mi on it, but it's been garaged the whole 4 years--no brake work needed yet!

Sounds like routine outside weather rusts the rotors and wears out the brakes. Sounds like my daughter's in for rotor/pad replacements every 3 years or so even with her low mileage--ridiculous! It's going to be enough to buy a different car next time even though we like almost everything else about the CRV.

Any other suggestions/helpful comments for my daughter and other brake-suffering CRV owners are welcome!

bill159 · January 2008

Have them check the differential for contaminated (metal Shavings) quite common to the all wheel drive cr-v.

sef4356 · January 2008

I have a 2004 CRV with 40,000 miles on it. Its needed brake pads every 6000 to 10,000 miles since I've had it. Doesn't matter whether it sits (gets rust) or runs (I use it mostly in the winter). Clear design flaw.

I'm 60 years old - have probably had 30 cars and never had anything like this. If you know a class action lawyer you can probably make money on this.

SEF

corvo3 · January 2008

Our 2006 CR-V starting making the same "muffled" clunking you describe after about 18 months and 16,000 miles. Went to dealership and they concluded that it is normal and, they claim, is a sound from the pneumatic motor/transmission mounts.

They said they reproduced the noise in new vehicles. I have never heard of a motor mount like this before! Can anyone verify that this exists?

Corvo3 (Ken, Arlington, MA)

corvo3 · January 2008

Our 2006 CR-V starting making the same "muffled" clunking sound described by another forum member after about 18 months and 16,000 miles. When you first start rolling, within about 100 feet a soft clunk is heard from the front of the car. Seems to go away when the car is fully warmed up.

Went to dealership and they concluded that it is normal and, they claim, is a sound from the pneumatic motor/transmission mount.

They said they reproduced the noise in new vehicles. I have never heard of a motor mount like this before! Can anyone verify this?

Corvo3 (Ken, Arlington, MA)

jpcanavera · January 2008

There is no doubt that rust does accumulate on a non driven vehicle. I've heard the sound both on my '97 Accord and on my '04 CRV. Normally it occurs when we hit rainy/wintery periods and the cars have sat for 3 or more days. The first couple of brake applications normally clears that rust and the brakes are quiet.

I'm really not sure about the rust causing abnormal wear though. My Accord has 150,000 miles and is currently on its second set of brakes. I drive about 50 miles daily on the highway and by anticipating my stops, I get a lot of life out of a set of pads.

My CRV was bought used with 68,000 miles on it and it is now hitting 93,000 miles. We still are on the same brakes at this point. That car is used for mixed highway and city driving.

So quick answer is yes I get the noise also but I'm not seeing any abnormal wear. The most either car sits though is about 1 week max. Both are kept outside.

I'm also assuming that you are using brake pads installed by a Honda dealer.

Jack

dcosley · January 2008

I also have the same problems and have run into owners of the same model with the same issue. I am wondering how much this will cost and wheather the problem is an issue with this model and should be a recall.
dcosley

gmoney2 · January 2008

When I first bought my 2006 CRV SE, I noticed this as well. My clunk sounds like it's coming more from the back of the car, though. I did a little looking into the subject, and was told by several people that it was the anti-lock break system doing a "self check". I believe it occurs once you hit 5-10 mph when you first turn on the engine. I went to the dealership and test drove one of their new CRV's, and I heard it, so I was satisfied with the answer. Whether it's the anti-lock break system or something else, I'm not too concerned about it, as it does seem to be a "normal" noise in CRV's.

blueiedgod · January 2008

I have a 2004 CRV with 40,000 miles on it. Its needed brake pads every 6000 to 10,000 miles since I've had it. Doesn't matter whether it sits (gets rust) or runs (I use it mostly in the winter). Clear design flaw.

I'm 60 years old - have probably had 30 cars and never had anything like this. If you know a class action lawyer you can probably make money on this.

SEF

I know that AutoZone pads are designed to last only 10,000 miles. Most people get at least 30,000 miles out of OEM pads, with majority getting over 60,000 miles out of the original pads on the vehicle.

Are you sure the mechanic is really honest? Or is he just telling you that you need pads everytime you go in for an oil change?

amandarae1980 · January 2008

Hi there. We have a 2005 CR-V with 80000+. We just did the tranny change ourself. It cost us about $18.00USD for the honda fluid. Honda Store was going to charge $230.00 plus whatever else they could sock us with. Please note that it HAS to be the Honda Fluid for some reason that I don't remember. You can get it from your dealer or online. The service took us 12 minutes. There is a great video on You Tube to help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6kbS5mo4mc

Good Luck!

5th Honda and counting

mcdermott · January 2008

AmandaRae1980:
Thank you for that information and the link to the video. I'm surprised and pleased that the transmission fluid change is so simple. Are you sure there is no filter or screen to clean/replace on the Honda CR-V vehicles, like there was on older vehicles? Based on your experience, I'll certainly plan a DIY for this job.
Regards,
Jack

clivelopez1 · January 2008

For your info: there is really no need to use HONDA fluid, as long as it meets their SPECS. I had my tranny rebuilt on my used 98 CRV and found out the shop used another brand with great success for several years on Honda cars. I called the HONDA Service advisor and he said there was no need to panic if you used another brand but advised to switch to "Honda oil" at the next oil change after 40,000kms. Stating that Honda Canada itself uses Petro Canada A.T. Fluid for all their cars. Ford and Toyota also share the another oil for certain of their models. However, using another Tranny oil might void the warranty! May as well use the Honda oil as it does not cost that much as my dealer quoted me $78 CDN plus tax and disposal fee inclusive of labour, total would come to about $95.00. There is no filter change as it is inside the transmission.
Clive

phisher · January 2008

My 06 CRV has been having one problem and I'm not sure what's wrong. When I have been driving my daughter to day-care each day (about 10 miles) when I get her out of the rear passenger side I notice a smell of burning rubber. This has been the only time I notice the smell. It is only on that side not on the drivers side. It seems to be coming from the rear wheel area. Just guessing but maybe a siezed rear brake? I do live in Minnesota so salt is definitely an issue and I do have 26,000 miles on the car. Any ideas? :confuse:

bill159 · January 2008

It may be related to a similar problem on our '05 CR-V.
My wife had complained of an order coming from the passanger side rear.
What I think it may have been was the differentiial fluid which will become contaminated with metal shavings, they have to flush the old fluid out. Just draining and refilling won't work. It is about a three hour process.
I just asked my wife and she has not noticed the smell since the service on diffwerential, which by the way is a long time problem on Honda all wheel drives.
I'm hoping someone will start a class action suit because tis can cause serious problems later on that Honda knows about.

phisher · January 2008

It may be the rear diff. issue but I just had that flushed less than 4,00 miles ago. As far as class action, as long as honda fixes any problems that arise from a defective part I really dont think that would be necessary

krista1 · January 2008

We just bought a 2004 C-RV and have had it less than a month. When I drive it for any longer than 15 miles it starts to smell of burning rubber towards the back tires. We have no idea what is causing this smell, does anyone have an idea? This is my first Honda, needless to say, pretty disappointing.

Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

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