[dhayes16]

Hello all. 2017 ex 45k miles. Last couple weeks went to start car and dead battery. My VIN is NOT in the list of cars listed for the TSB for the parasitic battery drain. Before the last time it died (sitting in the driveway now) I smelled a sulfur smell in the car. Like rotten eggs. Others have suggested it might be the catalytic converter. Could something wrong with then emissions / fuel system cause battery drain? Or would a low battery cause the catalytic converter or fuel system can cause the smell?
I have to say I do recall about a month ago accidentally engaging the parking brake. I shut it right off. But others have said this might be the issue with the drain. I never use the brake.

I have the extended Honda care warranty and will likely take to the dealer. But I suspect they will just overcharge me a for anew battery and call it a day. I really believe there is a big issue here. I should get many more miles out of this battery.

I suspect the extended warranty would NOT cover a new battery?
Thanks

 

[crv383]

The battery is NOT maintenance free.....have you checked the water level? If it’s low, add distilled water.

 

[rocky]

When did you buy your 2017?

 

[kloker]

Be careful not to park that car in a garage. A bad battery will definitely emit sulfur fumes, which is also an indication that a battery is in an explosive condition! This could be a bad battery, or an alternator stuck on overcharging, which will heat the battery, not only drying it out but also causing an explosion hazard. Don't mess around or wait, get it checked out now, and be safe! Do not check the battery water while the car or the battery are hot. It could blow up and spray acid in your face!

 

[sirwired]

If you smell sulfur, top off the electrolyte with distilled water (you can pry the caps even off a "maintenance free" battery) and have the battery and charging system checked; any auto parts store should be able to do this for free. (Specifically say you want them to check the charging system; otherwise they may just check the battery.)

 

[dhayes16]

When did you buy your 2017?

Hello. I purchased the car in 9/2017

 

[dhayes16]

Be careful not to park that car in a garage. A bad battery will definitely emit sulfur fumes, which is also an indication that a battery is in an explosive condition! This could be a bad battery, or an alternator stuck on overcharging, which will heat the battery, not only drying it out but also causing an explosion hazard. Don't mess around or wait, get it checked out now, and be safe! Do not check the battery water while the car or the battery are hot. It could blow up and spray acid in your face!

Thanks for the info. I am not going to mess with it and bring it in

 

[dhayes16]

If you smell sulfur, top off the electrolyte with distilled water (you can pry the caps even off a "maintenance free" battery) and have the battery and charging system checked; any auto parts store should be able to do this for free. (Specifically say you want them to check the charging system; otherwise they may just check the battery.)

Thank You. I will do just that.

 

[rocky]

Hello. I purchased the car in 9/2017

Well. You clearly draw the short straw. If it was three years old I'd expect it to be battery replacement time. But clearly there is more going on. Sometimes it takes a different dealer to solve an issue. Not all mechanics know how to think through these issues.

 

[dhayes16]

Well. You clearly draw the short straw. If it was three years old I'd expect it to be battery replacement time. But clearly there is more going on. Sometimes it takes a different dealer to solve an issue. Not all mechanics know how to think through these issues.

Thanks. Yes. I believe there is an issue here with the emissions. I think that is the sulfur issue. But I am going to bring it to the dealer to check it out. I hate to since I have very little trust for them on the service side of things. I have the extended warranty so I suspect the worse thing I need to do is buy a new battery.
I guess I was just posting here to see if this is a known issue with these cars.

 

[crv383]

Does a non-maintenance free battery, with vented to the atmosphere caps, become pressurized, so to speak, from engine compartment heat? I did not know that.

 

[sirwired]

Does a non-maintenance free battery, with vented to the atmosphere caps, become pressurized, so to speak, from engine compartment heat? I did not know that.

The explosion hazard comes from the emission of hydrogen gas, not gas pressure. You ever wonder why jumper cables are supposed to have the dead negative to a distant chassis ground instead of the negative terminal? That's why; so the spark from unhooking the negative cable is nowhere near the battery.

 

[crv383]

I was being facetious. Everybody knows the gas is flammable......removing a plastic cap is not going to cause a spark or release high pressure because it ain’t there, with vented caps (#4). I said nothing about jumper cables. Everybody body knows, or they should, that you never attach both cables to the posts of A battery.

 

[kloker]

Must be that none of y'all have ever seen a battery boil. I have. In a big truck, with a 24v system and 6 big batteries. I was in the shop with this same issue, and the guy pulled the cover and started checking water levels. On the second one, when he touched the cover, it blew off and water/acid shot upwards and out, then ran over like a pot on a stove - luckily he was wearing a shield. But it did burn his hair and arms a bit. Melted the end off the screwdriver, too, and the handle. There was no flame, but there was a wave of heat. I was about five feet away and got a burn on my arm. The new voltage regulator just installed had been defective, and caused a severe overcharge condition. Cracked the battery case. Two batteries then had to be replaced, and another voltage regulator.

You can safely check the battery water, but always protect yourself with eye shielding and, preferably long sleeves. Best done when car is cool, too. Do not open while the smell is present or battery is hot or warm to touch, let it dissipate for a couple of hours or more first, if possible, and always turn your head while popping the covers. And keep up on your maintenance so as not to ever find yourself stuck trying to do this on the side of the road. By the way, vented caps are nice, but they can easily get clogged with dust/dirt or any number of other things over time. I always clean the top of the battery when I am doing maintenance on it, and blow the covers off with air after rinsing them. Also, you can easily cause a spark using a screwdriver to pry up the covers. Don't. And never try to jump when the acrid smell is strongly present - it's just asking for trouble.

 

[crv383]

When checking battery water level, I've never seen a spark caused by a screwdriver when opening a plastic vented cap. Guess I'm lucky and need to buy a lotto ticket. Learn something new every day. I prefer to do routine under the hood maintenance/checks when the motor is cold. I don't have any one in a million scenarios. Oh, I just checked the oil level on the cold motor, the level is sitting between the min/max marks.....just like Honda says.

 

[williamsji]

Must be that none of y'all have ever seen a battery boil. I have. In a big truck, with a 24v system and 6 big batteries. I was in the shop with this same issue, and the guy pulled the cover and started checking water levels. On the second one, when he touched the cover, it blew off and water/acid shot upwards and out, then ran over like a pot on a stove - luckily he was wearing a shield. But it did burn his hair and arms a bit. Melted the end off the screwdriver, too, and the handle. There was no flame, but there was a wave of heat. I was about five feet away and got a burn on my arm. The new voltage regulator just installed had been defective, and caused a severe overcharge condition. Cracked the battery case. Two batteries then had to be replaced, and another voltage regulator.

Meh... apples and oranges in the context of a single battery install in a consumer motor vehicle. And it is easy to check and see if the charging system is over voltage (which is extremely rare in Hondas, as they more often are under charging the battery.. by design).

You can safely check the battery water, but always protect yourself with eye shielding and, preferably long sleeves. Best done when car is cool, too. Do not open while the smell is present or battery is hot or warm to touch, let it dissipate for a couple of hours or more first, if possible, and always turn your head while popping the covers. And keep up on your maintenance so as not to ever find yourself stuck trying to do this on the side of the road. By the way, vented caps are nice, but they can easily get clogged with dust/dirt or any number of other things over time. I always clean the top of the battery when I am doing maintenance on it, and blow the covers off with air after rinsing them. Also, you can easily cause a spark using a screwdriver to pry up the covers. Don't. And never try to jump when the acrid smell is strongly present - it's just asking for trouble.

Sage advise.

 

[kloker]

When checking battery water level, I've never seen a spark caused by a screwdriver when opening a plastic vented cap. Guess I'm lucky and need to buy a lotto ticket. Learn something new every day. I prefer to do routine under the hood maintenance/checks when the motor is cold. I don't have any one in a million scenarios. Oh, I just checked the oil level on the cold motor, the level is sitting between the min/max marks.....just like Honda says.

I'm glad to hear about your excellent luck so far. The thing about screwdrivers is that they are long, and have a metal shaft, which can easily touch a battery post when being used to pry off battery water covers. This is how Mr. Sparky can make an appearance. At least you don't run your oil a full quart low, but I wouldn't buy your used vehicle knowing that is your practice. I'd bet when you do put it up for sale you make sure it's exactly on the full mark. Where it is and always has been supposed to be kept. It's the first thing any intelligent car shopper checks for. Used car buyers want a car that has had top-notch care, not mediocre. Just like common sense says.

 

[kloker]

Meh... apples and oranges in the context of a single battery install in a consumer motor vehicle. And it is easy to check and see if the charging system is over voltage (which is extremely rare in Hondas, as they more often are under charging the battery.. by design).

In any vehicle that uses an alternator/voltage regulator charging system, a voltage regulator can stick or otherwise malfunction, and a diode can also go bad in more ways than one, any combination of which can cause this kind of issue. The smaller the system, the more fragile. Any battery can be overheated or caused to explode under the right conditions. The CR-V is not different, or better, in this regard, than any other modern vehicle, that I know of. I know I've been through it with my F250, and my CR-V is far more delicate, with it's tiny charging system and fragile computer-controlled and complex systems. Of course, the two are on opposite ends of the scale, and a 24v big truck system is even further out, but it's not apples and oranges. It's all basically the same at the charging system component level.

 

[dhayes16]

So. I took it to the dealer last night. It sat in the lot until around 11am this morning before they looked at it. Surprise surprise.. They call at 3 and It is the battery. So they are going to replace it and they say that will fix the issue. So I see myself like others on several of the other forums heading back to the dealer 3 or 4 times with a dead battery. There is definitely something wrong with this car and they claim it is the battery. So I sucked it up and bought it from them to get the 8 year coverage. They claim it is not covered under my extended warranty and I will certainly raise hell like the last thing that was supposedly not covered. I wish I did not have to play these games with the dealers.

 

[williamsji]

They claim it is not covered under my extended warranty and I will certainly raise hell like the last thing that was supposedly not covered.

Tip: read the terms, conditions, and exclusions on your warranty contract.

It's a good extended warranty, if it is HondaCare, but it is NOT bumper to bumper as there are some exclusions, in writing, in the contract.