[kenny5555]

Hello
Im newer CRV owner. 2011 CRV SE. I have been reading the forum and making some changes.
This last weekend I just updated the battery. I'm planning on a new radio with backup cam and adding some of the stereo from my last vehicle.
Anyway I have this group 34 AGM battery from the last vehicle sitting in the garage and looking to sit in the CRV. Well looking thru this forum I thought maybe the newer models might be close enough to the 2011 that the odyssey tray described in earlier posts would fit... well not so fast.
I did get it to work and the higher cca's do definitely make a difference, but this update for the Gen 3 is NOT for the faint of heart. when all was done the group 34 (same as the 24 only 3/4" shorter) fits and I can change back to the group 51 quickly, but it is more involved to make it fit.
Here are progress photos of the changes and install.
original:
then with battery out
then the modifications to the Odyssey battery tray and the cover
then me pointing to the notches for the cooling hose and the hold-down hook tab
this is the one area I had to notch the sheet metal and bend it out of the way to fit the larger battery.
I will add another post with the remainder of the photos.

 

[kenny5555]

Hello
Im newer CRV owner. 2011 CRV SE. I have been reading the forum and making some changes.
This last weekend I just updated the battery. I'm planning on a new radio with backup cam and adding some of the stereo from my last vehicle.
Anyway I have this group 34 AGM battery from the last vehicle sitting in the garage and looking to sit in the CRV. Well looking thru this forum I thought maybe the newer models might be close enough to the 2011 that the odyssey tray described in earlier posts would fit... well not so fast.
I did get it to work and the higher cca's do definitely make a difference, but this update for the Gen 3 is NOT for the faint of heart. when all was done the group 34 (same as the 24 only 3/4" shorter) fits and I can change back to the group 51 quickly, but it is more involved to make it fit.

these are the second set of photos of the larger battery in the 2011 CRV.

the first photo is the group 34 battery I'm using. the real reason I bought this particular battery is the combination top/side posts. the top post is the standard connection to the vehicle. I then use the side post to connect to the stereo. therefore I have cut out the holes for the side connections. Also noted is that the pos. and neg. terminals are on the opposite side. If someone was just putting a group 24 battery in get the battery with the posts in the same position as the original battery. Note; I also cut the top cover down about 3/4" for the shorter group 34 battery.

The other thing I did AND THIS IS A BIGGIE! I CUT OFF THE HOLD DOWN FOOT OF THE BATTERY. this foot is used for Fords and GMs which use the foot wedge system for battery. with this foot on the battery. a group 24 battery WILL NOT FIT in the stock 2011 CRV battery tray. It interferes with the ears for the "J" hooks severely!!! to me having a top of the line AGM battery sitting around while I relied on a pitiful battery to crank my everyday vehicle in cold winters here in upstate NY is worse than just making the modification and using the battery. I've seen the inside of battery cases and taking this off wont make it any weaker. Just don't cut into the wall. I actually left about 1/32 of the foot on the wall. Like I said "not for the faint of heart"

the next photo is looking down at the new battery installed, I stuffed some ceramic insulation in the hole I cut into the battery box to clear the cooling hose. there is actually about 1/2" clearance to the battery and the box of the cooling hose. I will check to be sure no chaffing or wear occurs as I drive. But Im comfortable with this clearance.


The last photo is the hood support in the down position, there is about 1/4" clearance to the terminal cover.( NOTE. THIS IS A GROUP 34 BATTERY REVERSE TERMINAL, A GROUP 24 BATTERY IS ABOUT 3/4" TALLER SO IF THE BATTERY HAS THE SAME TERMINALS AS THE FACTORY GROUP 51 THIS SHOULD BE ALSO GOOD, as the terminals will be inboard, BUT IF THE TERMINALS ARE REVERSED IT WILL HIT. JUST CHECK YOUR VEHICLE and your battery. I say this because the time this gets checked is when your finished and ready to close the hood.

The hold down is a piece I bought from Summit racing and was meant for '50's and 60's chevy pickup trucks. (group 24 batteries)

the final photo is the completed installation. notice I removed the 90 degree cover which originally guided the positive cable around the corner. I also have the positive routed over the top of the battery, no biggie for me. It keeps all the factory parts there.

If I needed, I could switch back to the original battery in about 15 min. with no noticeable changes to the vehicle!

Soon I will add the other cables to the side terminals, run them to a breaker and run the cables into the interior for a nice stereo upgrade.

Hope this sheds some light on the GEN 3 battery

 

[FLCRV]

Good job kenny5555, as you said you had already had the group 34 battery on hand and wished to use the side terminals for additional connections. But for those that may not have need for the side terminals there is a group 34R battery, which has the terminals positioned just like the 51R. May take some looking to find one.

 

[mugglesport]

It's great that people are doing this and I fully encourage people to identify ways to improve their cars...and I can see the need for this if you have a big sound system.

But that said, I have to say that I've been just fine with my OEM-style Duralast Gold battery for about 3 years now. My CRV lives in Wisconsin winters, where we often go a week or longer with constant sub-zero temperatures. We don't have an engine block heater and our CRV often sits for 3-4 days without being started. In other words, the engine, oil, etc. are about as cold as they can possibly get in the continental US. Yet it always starts. Admittedly, sometimes it takes 4-5 seconds instead of the usual ~2 seconds to start up.

 

[Dans15]

I realize this thread has been dormant for a bit but it seemed a logical place to ask a question.

When replacing the battery on a 2012-2016 CRV what information is lost when the battery is disconnected?

Just radio presets or do phones have to be re-paired, address books replaced, preferences reset? Is there an anti-theft radio code that must be input?

Thanks. Planning to do the 24F upgrade and just want to be prepared.

 

[atxjax]

So for 3rd Gen a group 24F battery will fit if you use the stock tray ?

 

[downunder47]

In a '10 the larger battery sits on a radiator hose.

So for 3rd Gen a group 24F battery will fit if you use the stock tray ?

Bought one and test fit it. The edge of the bigger battery hits a large radiator hose which lifts the battery about an inch from the tray. So, either let it squish the hose or shim it up. BTW, my '10 was built in May of '10 in Ohio and the original battery is still going strong, 7 1/2 years! Northern Maryland so temperatures are moderate, rarely down to 10F. It has a sticker saying, Manufactured for American Honda Motor Company by Johnson Controls, Milwaukee, WI

 

[atxjax]

Bought one and test fit it. The edge of the bigger battery hits a large radiator hose which lifts the battery about an inch from the tray. So, either let it squish the hose or shim it up. BTW, my '10 was built in May of '10 in Ohio and the original battery is still going strong, 7 1/2 years! Northern Maryland so temperatures are moderate, rarely down to 10F. It has a sticker saying, Manufactured for American Honda Motor Company by Johnson Controls, Milwaukee, WI

Thanks for the info. Ill have to take a look and see myself. So shimming it upwards enought to clear the hose will be sufficient enough and not hit the hood once it's down?

 

[Dans15]

Thanks for the info. Ill have to take a look and see myself. So shimming it upwards enought to clear the hose will be sufficient enough and not hit the hood once it's down?

Or use a Group 35 battery instead. It's slightly smaller than a 24F, still has lots of capacity and has the same terminal arrangement as the OEM battery. You'll find Group 35s in current Acuras as well.

I was able to wedge a 24F into my 2015, but it was tight and I'll use a 35 next time.

 

[downunder47]

Not sure about height after shimming.

Thanks for the info. Ill have to take a look and see myself. So shimming it upwards enough to clear the hose will be sufficient enough and not hit the hood once it's down?

Not sure about height after shimming but probably, and it might require less than an inch. I bought an Exide Super Duper battery at Home depot for about $100 because they let me return it for full refund the next day. Longest full replacement warranty I have seen.

 

[atxjax]

Not sure about height after shimming but probably, and it might require less than an inch. I bought an Exide Super Duper battery at Home depot for about $100 because they let me return it for full refund the next day. Longest full replacement warranty I have seen.

Gotcha. At least they let you return it. I have a pretty good customer relationship with the manager at my local advance auto. I'm going to ask him if I can borrow a turn in return core 24F battery just so i can check for clearances / fab something up. Just to make 100% sure its going to work before I spend the money on a batt.

 

[atxjax]

So just a reference for the 3rd Gen guys. Here is a 24F on my 2007. If you remove the stock plastic battery tray the 24F damn near fits perfect. No lift needed to clear the radiator hose. There is a spot on the metal tray that needs trimmed down so the battery won't teeter but thats about it.

There is about 1 inch clearance between the radiator hose and the battery. So no issues there. The one thing you will have to do is find a way to strap it down as the stock holder rods wont work. A bungee would work but Im going to make up a strap type cinch down.

Would be a good idea to get a rubber sheet and use it as a insulator between bottom of metal battery tray and the battery.

 

[FLCRV]

Or use a Group 35 battery instead. It's slightly smaller than a 24F, still has lots of capacity and has the same terminal arrangement as the OEM battery. You'll find Group 35s in current Acuras as well.

I was able to wedge a 24F into my 2015, but it was tight and I'll use a 35 next time.

The Group 24F and 35 have the same terminal placement as the original Group 51R.

 

[milkman55]

First post after buying a 2014 Honda CR-V EXL w/Nav this past weekend. Got a nice Certified Used with 33k miles. The OEM battery was over 3 yrs and I could tell it was weak. Sure enough it was dead this morning.

Looked up replacements and found this post. Ordered the Odyssey box and cover from HondaPartsNow for $26 and getting an Interstate Battery Group 24 that they are running on sale this month for $98.

 

[halfempty]

... getting an Interstate Battery Group 24 that they are running on sale this month for $98.

Mine is still too new to need a battery, but that's exactly what I plan to do when the time comes. Make sure you get the 24F, not the regular 24. The terminals are reversed and the cables might not reach on the regular 24.

ETA: Oh yeah, welcome to the forum! I'm new here myself and forgot my manners. ☺

 

[milkman55]

Thanks for clarifying the 24F vs 24. Most of the thread just says 24, but I see some others clarifying that it’s a 24F.

I got this CR-V to pull behind my RV, so I am sure the larger battery will come in handy towing. Probably still setup a charge line since I already have a 12V connection on my 7 pin plug.

 

[halfempty]

Glad I could help.

 

[BigD]

Thanks for clarifying the 24F vs 24. Most of the thread just says 24, but I see some others clarifying that it’s a 24F.

I got this CR-V to pull behind my RV, so I am sure the larger battery will come in handy towing. Probably still setup a charge line since I already have a 12V connection on my 7 pin plug.

Milkman55, welcome to the forum! What motorhome do you have?

We bought the Certified 2014 CR-V a few months ago with only 9600 miles on her! I have it wired w/charge line and the BlueOx base plate installed. All I need to do now is recover from a knee replacement and we are heading out for our first adventure with her. We have a Fleetwood Discovery.

 

[DanDanTCM]

Upgraded to 24F in 2008 EXL

After reading all of this thread I went out and measured the space in my daughters 2008 EXL and determined I had enough room for the group 24F if I made a few modifications to the metal battery tray. The problem was the metal tab on the back of the battery tray that is bent up to form the attachment point for the rear battery clamp bolt. The rear of the 24F battery would rest on that tab. After some measuring of the tray and then measuring the actual 24F battery size, I determined that I could make it fit if I bent the majority of the tab down. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures but what I did was use a Dremel to cut a couple of slots in the tab so I could bend down the sides flat while allowing the attachment tab to still be bent up slightly. I made a cut to the left side of the tab and then a couple of cuts on the right side because that side has a bend in it (you will know what I'm talking about when you see it). The two cuts on the right side let me bend it down flat. I used a large metal center punch and a hammer and bent down the tabs on the right and left. I also bent the tab with the hole for the battery bolt almost flat but then used some channel locks to bend it about mid way up so the hole was vertical again for the bolt. That allowed the batter to sit flush. I had purchased the battery box recommended in this thread but had to cut it to make it work. The box had a flare in it about 2 inches up the side, and that made it to wide to fit in the space. I used the Dremel to cut that top flare off the battery box so it would fit in the space. I then cut a notch out of the back to allow the tab to be accessible for the rear mounting bolt. I also cut off the two nipples on the bottom of the tray because they did not line up with the holes in the metal tray. I had to purchase a longer 10" bolt for the rear and also cut it to size with the Dremel. I purchased a generic battery stay that fit a group 24 battery and bolted it all in. It looks like it came from the factory like this.

All in all it took me about an hour to get it all done which included shooting the cuts I made with some paint to keep it from rusting. The car start WAY better now and I'm not worried about her running the battery down so quickly listening to the radio, etc. I wanted to post this for those with the older Gen 3 models that are on the fence about trying this based on some of the posts in this thread.

 

[chuck75000]

For those who have put the 24r in their Honda's, are they still holding up? I have a 2012 that has a 4 or 5 month old 51 in it, and with the recent temp drop, it is trying really hard to die on me again. When the battery was new, it was great, but it has just gotten worse and worse.