I'm with Norm here, we have an '07 Honda CR-V and we've towed it almost 30,000 miles with an additional 30,000 miles of driving. I had a disconnect switch installed on the dash that disconnects the Radio and Navigations system.
We killed our battery after towing/driving it after 3,000 miles. No problems now with the new cut-off switch. I still start the Honda and run through the gears at every stop which is every 200-300 miles. The manual says I can go longer but I don't want to take any chances with the transmission.
The place that installed my switch put it to the left of the radio/nav system where there was a blank cover. He put a rocker type switch in that blends in with the dashboard and saves me from pulling the fuse that was the most difficult thing to do.
Also, I leave the VSA switch on too.
Safe travels,
MM.
Mr.Mark
2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42ft., 4 slides, 425 hp clean-air Cummins diesel
2007 Honda CR-V EXL, AWD, w/Nav and the M&G braking system
If you add a 12v hot wire from your RV battery through the tail/stop/brake lights wiring harness to your toad battery (fused at both ends of course), you won't have to worry about running down your battery because the RV alternator will keep it charged up.
Since the connection is in the wiring harness it is no extra effort of any kind to make it work.
CAUTION...first the fuse is a pain too remove...second...if the battery goes dead and you put the gear selector in PARK for any reason such as to try too START...your done..you can't get the gear selector back OUT OF PARK until the battery is charged or jumped...BEEN THERE...recommend a 12 volt fused supply from the m/h to the toad battery...
Another towing a Honda CR-V note--at least with our 2005-- The remote key fob locking will not work with the key in the ignition. This is done to not allow you to lock the keys in the car.
I too just purchased a 2009 CR-V and will be setting it up next week for towing. I tried to pull the fuse today, but no matter how I contorted by body, I could not reach the darn thing.
I intend to install a battery cut-off switch, knowing it will cut all power to the car, and I will have to reprogram the radio security code which does not seem difficult.
My main question is regarding the brake buddy. Do I need one ? (My MH is a 2006 Itasca Sunova with an F-53 V-10 chassis/engine). If I do, is it powered electrically, and if so, is the power fed from the MH or from the car ? If fed from the car, how could I connect power with the battery cut-off engaged (without hooking directly to the battery)?
PS - I intend to use a Blue Ox towing system so the baseplate does not show on the Honda; any issues with that ??
We also tow a Honda CRV. I have a portable battery charger that I leave in the car. I have only had to use it a couple of times when we let the battery go too long before recharging.
I got this charger at Wallmart and it has it's own battery. You just plug it in to a 12V or 110 volt outlet, and when the battery in the charger is fully charged, It will boost the car battery enough to start the engine. Pretty neat little charger.
When installing a extra bulb in the tail lights where did you drill the hole in the tail light assembly and where did you run the wiring, inside the car or underneath? If you ran them inside how and where did you get the wires inside.
Thank You for any and all comments
Sonny
want-a-be
want-a-be wrote: When installing a extra bulb in the tail lights where did you drill the hole in the tail light assembly and where did you run the wiring, inside the car or underneath? If you ran them inside how and where did you get the wires inside.
Thank You for any and all comments
Sonny
want-a-be
Sonny, I don't think you have to go to all that trouble. When I had the Blue-Ox baseplate and wiring installed, etc., they used the existing bulbs in the tail light assembly.
When I turn the headlights on in the coach, the tail lights on the Honda work normally. The two red lights above the yellow turn signal bulb come on at their normal wattage (the upper light remains a steady glow whereas the lower light is the brake light). The brake light works normally when I apply the service brakes (and engine brake). The only difference is that the turning signal (yellow) does not work. The coach uses the Honda brake lights as the turning signal (like most american cars).
I'm certainly not an electrically minded person so I wouldn't want to drill or modify the rear tail lights on the Honda if I didn't have to.
We went with the US Gear brake system in the toad, as I liked the in RV read of braking force (some gizmo that reads how hard we are stopping by and in internal processor, and proportions the braking force in the toad to match. It also has the knob adjustment to tweak the braking force in the toad, as well as a nifty little lever to manually apply the toad brake. Usually set the braking force a bit higher for mountain areas, to add a bit more supplemental braking assistance to the RV. (Brake fade is not fun!) The toad part stays in the toad, so this eases hook/unhook processes of the toad from the RV. The last feature that I liked for the CRV, was the power feed from the RV to the toad, so no need to pull the fuse, or install and over ride cutout.
I bought this system for the proportional braking capability, more then the other features - they were a bonus.
It is not the most expensive system, but one of the higher priced units.
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