Larger battery the answer for 2013 CR-V?

[Stewart Fan]

Our CR-V has the original 51R sized battery. Its going on 45 months of service. No real complaints with the battery,but the charging system seems to be marginal. There are a lot of complaints about low/dead batteries on late model CR-Vs. The battery in ours generally runs about 12.25v

A popular upgrade is to replace the 51R with a group size 24. I'm considering this option when the time comes to replace the battery. At Costco the additional cost for a 24 is $10, this is very reasonable for considerably more battery.

My question is this, if the charging system struggles to keep the small stock battery sufficiently charged, how will it fare any better trying to charge a larger battery?

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

On my moms 2015 Crv I cant believe how small the battery is. I'm kinda suprsied Honda went that small.

 

[mclasser]

Almost 4 yrs is pretty good for that battery. A lot of folks on the Accord forums had them [censored] out in less than 2 yrs. They upgraded to size 24 without issue. I believe you'll need a larger battery tray, hold down hooks and neg. cable.

 

[EdwardC]

I put a 24F from Costco in my Element in December of 2013. It's still working great, as expected.

I've had no issue with charging. My logic is that on average, the starter will use the same amount of energy to start, and the alternator will have to put back the same amount of energy for every start. There's no real difference there.

The benefit is that with each start, the depth of discharge is less (percentage-wise), so the battery is happier. Plus you have more headroom for accidental deep discharges and for lots of frequent starts where it may not fully recharge in between.

 

[Sayjac]

Yep, 51R pretty small for the 2.4L in both CRV and Accord. Seems group 24F common upgrade, used on the V6. When you say 12.25V assume you mean just sitting, sounds a tad on the low-ish side though. When started should get up in the ~14.2-5V range, if not you may have an alternator issue(s).

Larger battery greater reserve capacity and CCA, should work better, last longer.

Parts that should be upgraded with battery listed in link. This seems a common issue. It seems Honda saving weight at expense of powerful enough battery, 'imo'. That said, almost four years, not terrible.

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/86-9th-generation/377026-battery-replacement-upgrade.html

 

[Wolf359]

I don't know if Honda is playing games with the battery. BMW changed their algorithm to charge the battery as little as possible so their CAFE numbers were good, but that lead to lots of dead batteries that they would just change out without telling the owner when it was brought in for service. A low charge will kill a battery quicker. You could put a small 2 amp charger on it to keep it fully charged and it might last longer. Fully charged is 12.5-12.7 for a new battery depending on temperature, as it ages, max voltage will decrease.

 

[sleddriver]

I don't own a CRV, however I've been through a similar too-small-battery-issue before. It's been too long ago to remember the size of the OEM battery. When it expired, my indy replaced it with an Interstate that was shorter than the battery tray. When questioned, he replied that's what we use and what's on Interstates site for the car. OK.

Time went on, but not for long with the Intrst replacements...lasted about 2-3 years, also had some alt. problems. Began to wonder if the two were related.

Then Volvohead posted an article about batteries and the light was lit. He made sense. Next go around, I applied the remaining battery credit towards a larger battery, with a longer warranty, that takes up the whole battery tray.

Weak/Failing Battery
Result? No more battery problems since. Period.

 

[Rand]

Its performing as designed. Apparently the charging system isnt struggling to charge your small battery its charging to its programmed parameters.. probably for tiny fuel savings.

A larger battery wont hurt anything. And might help after it starts getting weak(age) or at 0f possibly.

For 10$ if it fits.. I'd definitely step up.

I would expect similar voltage in the new battery as that is how the car is setup.

FWIW: the 2010 accent will only charge to about 12.3v-12.4v max. its a fuel savings thing.

My subaru will charge to "full voltage"+ as much as any alternator will charge.

I like to put it on the charger about once every 1-2 months to top it up.. probably doesnt help anything but doesnt hurt either.

A larger battery Will help with depth of discharge if you like to sit with radio on and car off etc.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

It is never a bad idea to use a larger battery if it will fit. OEMs size the smallest one they can get to work because they are hurting for space under the hood, they are cheap [censored] and that $5 (wholesale) adds up to $millions when you make a lot of vehicles over a long period, and because lead is heavy while AGM is expensive, and everything is about reducing weight in modern cars. Some might say how can you win by shaving two pounds but that is how the process works ... you shave it all wherever you can and it adds up to something.

There are of course other reasons why the charging system might be taxed or inadequate. What seems to work fine at near freezing temperatures will show it's inadequacy when the temperature falls 30 more degrees F. Clean contacts, upgraded critical wire sizes (battery to starter, alternator to engine ground, engine ground to chassis ground) often helps because copper wire falls into the same category as the battery as far as issues for the OEM goes. It's not widely known, but Automotive Wire Gauges are smaller than American Wire Gauge ... A 4 GA SAE is not equal to a 4 GA AWG.

 

[Nick1994]

Since you live in a mild climate, any battery will last a lot longer than one out here.

I put in a group 24 battery from Walmart in my Camry. Working great. It's the $48 one.

 

[BrocLuno]

Don't know how old you vehicle is, but having worked in WA (NOAA, Lake Union) I can see it developing crevice corrosion. There is enough constant humidity and condensation, not to mention rain, that the wiring will build up an oxidized layer wherever it can.

This usually affects the ground side more than the Pos side. So I'd look at all the ground points. Take the main grounds off and clean, lightly lube and reinstall. I'd add a fairly good sized ground lead with soldered terminals from the engine block to a handy body bolt. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much better things work.

4 years on a battery is not bad. Likely it's not gone yet. As long as you are servicing the electricals, might as well have your battery load tested. If it's OK, it's OK ...

 

[Carbuff]

I've gotten better-than-average life out of Honda batteries. My only secret is to top up the electrolyte (distilled water) every fall. (Summertime heat will 'cook' it out, and if the plates are exposed, YOU LOSE.)

If you think the 51R fitted to CR-Vs and Accords is small, don't look at the 151R that they put into the Fit!

PS: Many replacement batteries have terminals too small for Honda clamps. Even when tightened fully, they can be moved. Shims are necessary.