DeweyClawson
Enon Valley, PA
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Joined: 09/22/2007
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I am setting up my '06 CRV to toad. I drilled out the bottom spot in the taillight lense for a bulb for the turn signal/brake lights. 2 filament bulb.
What do you do abut running lights?
There are two bulbs each side that come on with the running lights and I was going to use a diode on one of those to power it off the coach. Then I would have to connect the MH and CRV grounds together.
Any suggestions for a simpler way?
I would really like to keep the two electrical systems TOTALLY seperate. BUT that is not going to happen entirely as I am running a #10 wire from the MH to the CRV battery to keep it charged.
The fool learns from his own mistakes.
It is the wise man who learns from the mistakes of others.
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fourfurz
Memphis
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Joined: 03/23/2008
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From our experience (we have a 2006 CRV) there is no need to charge the battery while driving down the road. The specs call for the engine to be started and the "procedure" for towing performed every 8 elapsed hours, so during that run time, the battery is going to be exercised.
If you leave your radio and other accessories off, there is virtually no drain on the battery while towing, so unless you have a bad battery, you won't have a drain issue.
As for running lights, we just do the tail lights and that seems to be fine. We use our coach with the toad 100%.
2007 Mountain Aire 4528
2006 CRV SE
Based in Memphis area
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DeweyClawson
Enon Valley, PA
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Fourfurz;
"As for running lights, we just do the tail lights and that seems to be fine."
Did you use diodes to wire the taillights?
Did you put a bulb in the bottom space?
I hate it when I reinvent the wheel and it won't roll.
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havin fun
don't know yet we are not their yet .
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their is a light kit you can buy or make .you don't tap any wires in your car. CW has them or any rv store. if you are handy you can make it for a lot less . NAPA has the parts to do the job. this way nothing is hooked to any wiring in the car .it is all seperate.
retired
havin fun with 1999 georgie boy 3515
and the wife too .
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cjalphonso
Columbia, SC
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I had a similar delima in my honda civic. I did not have enough room to put the extra tail lights on mine so here is my work around. I too wanted completely separate systems and that is what I have now, it works great.
Also on a 4wire system, your running lights will run on one filament and your brake/turn signals run on the other filament.
see my diagram.
Wiring tail lights.
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fourfurz
Memphis
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Joined: 03/23/2008
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Our system is wired into the CRV's existing lights using the diode kit from Blue Ox. It works great, doesn't change anything in the car and causes no issues with the car when running normally.
The wiring harness is easy to tap into, the wires themselves are accessible without disassembling anything. Since you've already cut into the light assembly, I guess you're committed to doing it that way. The problem I see there is running the wires without disassembling the interior of the car. I wouldn't want to do that.
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FIREMAN77
BUCKEYE, AZ.
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Joined: 11/07/2006
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That is what the two filaments are for the brake-turn signal are the same filament, the dimmer one is the tail lights or running lights, works great on my 2004 CRV.
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The Beave
Georgetown TX USA
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Joined: 08/07/2002
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There is no need to run power to the C-RV to keep the battery charged. With our '05 C-RV I installed an inline fuse and switch to the fuse socket that the manual instructs you to remove for towing. I cut apart a fuse and soldered the terminals to the inline fuse/switch wires. You will probably find a "knock out" cover where an option switch would have been located. I mounted the new switch in such a "Knock out" panel.
I ran the wires under the car using zip ties for attachment, back to the trunk area and through a new whole in the floor corner. The plastic panels come out and in easily. Just a few screws and clips.
You can then run the RV plug wires directly to the new sockets.
* This post was
edited 10/06/08 11:18am by The Beave *
The Beave
30' 1997 Beaver Monterey
(The shortest DP we could find)
2005 Honda CR-V
Remco surge brake
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DeweyClawson
Enon Valley, PA
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Thanks to all. I learned a lot from you guys.
"That is what the two filaments are for the brake-turn signal are the same filament" I did not realize this. Made the wireing come clear.
"The problem I see there is running the wires without disassembling the interior of the car. I wouldn't want to do that." I didn't want to do that either but another poster mentioned using the plastic channels on the roof - they hide the roof rack mounts. Worked great. No holes. Leads directly fom the taillights to the eng. comp.
"From our experience (we have a 2006 CRV) there is no need to charge the battery while driving down the road.....If you leave your radio and other accessories off, there is virtually no drain on the battery while towing..."Too big an IF for me. We normally leave the fan and radio on all the time and it would be just a matter of time till I forgot them and ran the batt. down. Besides, I have 1000 ft spool of #10 stranded wire and an empty spot in the toad/rv/trailer plug. $3 for a fuse at the toad batt and an empty place for a fuse/wire in the rv 12v distribution panel. All done. Works great.
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fourfurz
Memphis
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Joined: 03/23/2008
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Don't forget that you have to start the CRV and go through the "procedure" every 8 elapsed hours, very important to do this.
Good luck with your travels! The CRV is a great toad, virtually no rolling resistance and a nice car to tool around your destination with.
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