2011 CRV batt dead after towing

[Effy]

We have a 2011 CRV that we tow and have never had an issue before. On the return leg of our last trip, we stopped more than usual for dinner etc so it was an unusually long day. When we got home the battery was dead. All the research I did prior to setting it up to tow told me that I didn't need to hookup a battery disconnect or pull a fuse because our model does not have Nav. I checked prior to towing and nothing was left on (fan, radio, interior lights, etc). So is this a common problem with long days of towing? Should I install a disconnect or pull a fuse from now on? How does that affect the radio and computer etc? I'd rather not get into running a charging cable from the MH, I usually look for less invasive methods. The tow lights are not run through the CRV, they are extra and run directly from the MH so no issue there.

[TragedyTrousers]

Stutch wrote:
I have a 2011 CRV that I tow. Spent $90 extra for a cut off switch when getting it prepared for towing. I use a Brake Buddy.

That said, the $90 was a waste of money. The radio fuse that the switch controls also cuts off the accessory jack. I had to rewire. I know you don't use a powered braking system but I went months without using the switch. I turned off the radio, made sure the fan was off and I would go 10+ hours with no issues.

My 2011 had very few miles on it when we bought it so I will assume the batt is "less used" than yours. Point is, go get a good battery and forget about everything else. Don't waste your time with a switch!

I have a 2011 CRV also. It cuts off all the accessory jacks? Cr*p I should have read this thread all the way through before ordering fuse cutoff. Also have a brake buddy which I need to power. If I don't have accessory power Im thinking of just putting a dedicated deep cycle battery in the back of the CRV to power the brake buddy. At least I wouldn't have to worry about the little CRV battery running down on me.

[Mr_Mark1]

TropicalRV wrote:

WILDEBILL308 wrote:
Effy, if you are going to have a long day towing I would start the car when you stop for lunch. I use to do this but now my long day is about 6 hours.
Bill

Starting the car and running it for a few minutes will suck more power out of it than the alternator will add. Even if you run it for an hour is not enough. If you have a newer battery and use an auxiliary brake, you may last a couple of days towing,
.My 2002 CRV has the least amount of phantom loads, but I carry a battery charger and charge the battery when overnighting in a campground.

We just traveled for 7 days across the country covering 1,800 miles. We never disconnected the Honda and just starting it every evening once we stopped at the RV park.

I had a new battery put in about 4 months ago and never a problem with long days of towing. Starting every evening for about 15 min. was fine. That's about how long it takes for me to put the slides out, level and connect the electric.

MM.

[Sam_Spade]

TropicalRV wrote:
Even if you run it for an hour is not enough.

You have no way of knowing that.
Typically about 10 minutes at fast idle is plenty.

[TropicalRV]

WILDEBILL308 wrote:
Effy, if you are going to have a long day towing I would start the car when you stop for lunch. I use to do this but now my long day is about 6 hours.
Bill

Starting the car and running it for a few minutes will suck more power out of it than the alternator will add. Even if you run it for an hour is not enough. If you have a newer battery and use an auxiliary brake, you may last a couple of days towing,
.My 2002 CRV has the least amount of phantom loads, but I carry a battery charger and charge the battery when overnighting in a campground.

[John_Joey]

Same happen to me when I towed a Saturn. Took a while to realize that the fan was running when the key was in accessory. It was so quiet I did not hear it.

[mikestock]

Wouldn't it also be helpful to place a diode in the charge wire to prevent any possible drain vehicle + side back to the RV?

I am saying this because I ran a wire from my main distribution panel, located near the rear of the MH, to the positive side of the CRV battery and had a dead battery when I got to my destination. Thinking this would keep the battery topped off I did not pull the radio fuse, as usual. The wire had +13.4 volts, measured at the destination point before attaching it to the battery. This wire was only 16 gauge, as I didn't expect it to provide more than a trickle and depended on the mechanical tow assembly carrying the ground side.

I still don't know why this failed.

[mikestock]

Deleted

[Effy]

GrampaR123 wrote:
Sam Spade, I keep telling them about the simplicity of the charge line and how easy it has made things for the towing of our CRV but for some reason everyone thinks it involves "breaking into your electrical system". Nothing could be further than the truth. A simple fused line run through your harness and connected to your car battery is all it takes. Simple!! It's good to know there's at least one other person out there that understands.

Explored that option but not all MH's have a 7 pin connector. Mine has 4. Also, wiring a disconnect is about the same level of complication as running and connecting a charge wire. I have a fuse disconnect that by the looks of it should take me about 5 mins to hook up, then it's a simple matter of hitting a switch. Not really that complicated. Thanks all for the suggestions. I guess I was just a bit surprised that even without the nav, a long day can still drain the battery.

[DaveG39]

ditto on the charge line. You most likely have an unused wire in your umbilical cord and a charged pin on the MH connector. Just pick that up in the car connector and run a #10 or 12 wire from connector to battery positive post and put an in line fuse.

[GrampaR123]

Sam Spade, I keep telling them about the simplicity of the charge line and how easy it has made things for the towing of our CRV but for some reason everyone thinks it involves "breaking into your electrical system". Nothing could be further than the truth. A simple fused line run through your harness and connected to your car battery is all it takes. Simple!! It's good to know there's at least one other person out there that understands.

[Sam_Spade]

Wrong Lane wrote:

I guess I will have to add more panels for more charging capacity!

Why are you stuck on solar as the solution to your problem ?
Why not add a charging line to the towing vehicle ??

[Wrong_Lane]

OK, more comments on my solar panel set up.

The solar idea works just fine in the Florida sun but spend a long day driving through New England rain and not so much. In a day with no sun the battery was not fully dead but the Ford Sync screen said it was in the process of shutting down some systems to prevent battery discharge after 6 hours of towing. The car started but another hour and I would have been digging out the charger.

I guess I will have to add more panels for more charging capacity!

[AAFD]

I drive a wrecker and run on a battery replacement truck. Battery do go bad, I have replaced a few battery under 1 year old. It happens. Yes battery's last 3 to 5 years. There are only 4 company that make regular car batteries and only one of those is in the US. Yes car lead acid batteries don't like to be fully discharged. If so they should be tested and slowly recharged (not by the car alternator but a slow charger.

With all that I bought a charger with my RVi brake.

KC

[mikestock]

Two things.

I've always found that after a non-deep cycle battery is allowed to run down once it can never be trusted again. I found this to be true with my 2012 CR-V.

It is recommended that you pull the radio fuse for any trip over a couple of hours. Most people end up putting an inline switch with this fuse to make it easy.