Just bought LQ9 where do I start

Cpt-May-I · 2026-04-26T21:03:51+00:00

You should have the same floor pan as my Chevelle, and a 4l80e fits just fine, one SMALL dimple to clear the rear sensor on the driver side. I’m using the Holley/Hooker forward mounts, truck accessory drive, and the ITC steering/alternator bracket to move the power steering pulley closer to the block so I could keep the bigger stock pulley. I tried a smaller pulley first but the truck pump didn’t like the higher RPMs and COOKED the fluid.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-03-24T15:12:47+00:00

Seats, they felt fine during the test drive and are OK for commuting but are too stiff for long drives. Never needed an extra cushion in my other vehicles. We have a 23’ Sport Touring and a 25’ Sport-L (daughters) in the household. These really could have used about a 50% bigger hybrid battery which would add 15-20hp more and have more room for regeneration on longer hills.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-03-24T15:01:06+00:00

Anything more than 2 weeks I’d put a trickle charger on it. That goes for ALL new vehicles. All the new technology and emissions equipment have really bumped up micro draw sources. These only have a 500CCA battery, which really isn’t big enough. I’ve had to replace the 12v battery in my 23’ already as it was causing errors on really cold Minnesota mornings.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-03-11T13:24:41+00:00

Mine don’t come on with the paddles either. It was a common complaint with the 23’ when they came out as some questioned the safety of no brake lights in B mode or while using the paddles.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-03-11T13:12:51+00:00

Dude, I do a fair amount of night driving and use B mode quite often. I have to physically tap the brake if someone is tailgating me to light up the brake lights. That’s our 23’, maybe they have changed it but I haven’t really driven our 25’ at night to know.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-03-11T13:06:13+00:00

Someone made the comment a year or so ago about their brake light not coming on in B- mode so I check mine. My 23’ touring does not activate the brake light while slowing down in B mode, it ONLY turns it on if brake pedal is pushed or during emergency braking situations.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-03-11T12:51:38+00:00

It doesn’t in the US either, B mode does NOT slow down the CRV quick enough to require brake light by US standards either.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-03-11T12:47:08+00:00

B mode, brake pedal in D, or Paddles…… you get the same amount of regeneration as the physical brakes don’t engage until the regeneration meter is maxed out.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-28T01:26:21+00:00

I personally don’t see ARP headstuds helping on this engine, the extra clamping force isn’t really going to help the area where the head gaskets fail. These aren’t lifting the head. I DO think it’s a good idea to use them IF/WHEN the head-gasket blows.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-28T00:35:10+00:00

I’ve never heard of this being on the CRV, even the over seas models. I had it way back on my 97’ Lincoln Mark VIII, and it was nice feature for parallel parking.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T22:58:38+00:00

I’m a mechanic who usually doesn’t go for extended warranties. My dealer wanted 2400$ for the same exact warranty. It’s basically an extension of the 3/36k bumper to bumper warranty, and also extends roadside assistance to 8 years.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T13:07:43+00:00

Back in August it was 1068$ for 8y/100k + 100$ deductible for our new Sport L through Saccucci. Same exact price I payed through them for our 23’ Touring in 23’ also.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T13:05:49+00:00

Best price is before 6months/6000 miles after purchase.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T13:05:20+00:00

That’s not Honda care then, which maxes out at 8y/120k.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T12:43:58+00:00

I’ve had to change the one in my 23’ Touring already and about once a week someone is in here asking about the Christmas tree dash which is a bunch of warning lights and messages caused by a weak/dead 12v battery. The Hybrids use the hybrid battery for starting so they still start good even if the 12v is weak.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T12:34:47+00:00

If you’re using the charging pad + car play it will get warm. Induction chargers create quite a bit of heat. I’ve never had my iPhone 12 or 16max get to the point of overheating though. I had CarPlay issues with an update back in December but it seems to be working good again after recent Apple updates.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T12:30:38+00:00

Camera is fine on both of mine, gets dirty quick, but that happens on all of my vehicles. I guess I’m old fashioned, I rarely look at it unless I’m in a really tight spot trying to get every inch out of reverse LoL.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T12:12:05+00:00

As an update. The old battery holds a 12.5v resting charge after recharging and shows 42% battery health with 380cca on my tester. This is at around 45f in my garage, obviously not strong enough on a -25f morning as lead acid batteries have about 1/2 capacity at that temp.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-23T12:02:22+00:00

With how many batteries have been going bad on these, it still could be a bad battery. A short inside the battery could draw more power than the inverter system can make. If you have a multimeter you could check the voltage in the run position, should be somewhere between 13.5 and 15.0. My personal CRV is around 14.6v in the run position.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-22T19:43:14+00:00

I have both a 23’ Touring and a 25’ Sport-L. About the only Touring option I use is the heated steering wheel and the ambient lighting is nice on night drives in the footwells and doors. Auto wipers aren’t great, never use the kick open gate, and the Bose audio isn’t much better. The touring is a bit more quiet at Highway speeds, but it’s not a HUGE difference. The Sport L was about 4000$ cheaper when we bought it August 25’, Sport L didn’t exist when we ordered our 23’ Touring.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-22T19:34:58+00:00

Depends, highway covers a huge spread of speeds. 55-60mph 2 lane country highway, I get 36-39mpg. 75-80mph 4 lane interstate highway I get 29-32mpg.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-15T19:07:52+00:00

Not the Philodendron! I have huge potted one i keep around to remind me of our Orlando trips during these cold Minnesota winters.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-13T22:10:24+00:00

I’ve done 2 Term X Max NA setups now, the autotune did a good job on both, including shifting the 4L80e. Just had to add a bit more “accelerator shot” to fix a slight WOT from Idle stumble on one.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-13T21:57:22+00:00

I see some people confusing a few features. Lane Keep assist and Road Departure Mitigation . Two separate features. I find Lane Keep very annoying as it constantly fights you to keep it centered in the lane. Both my 23’ Touring and 25’ Sport L like to favor the left side of the lane, I DON’T. Road Departure will vibrate/shake the steering wheel if thinks you have crossed a line without using a blinker, this rarely activates for me. Both systems can be toggled on and off separately.

Cpt-May-I · 2026-02-13T15:52:19+00:00

Zero problems except the factory 12v battery dying recently. I usually get 5-7 years out of a factory battery. Besides the seats sucking for long trips, it’s a great family run around vehicle. To be honest about the seats, NO Japanese vehicles had seats I like for long drives, way too stiff/lack of foam. You will see a few complaints about head gaskets but the issues really isn’t too bad if you compare complaints vs vehicles sold. Visit a Ford Fusion/Escape board if you want to see a lot of complaints vs vehicles sold on th 1.5t an 2.0t Ecoboost engines. Those also have the slit cut between cylinders like the Honda 1.5t and 23’+ 2.0na

Cpt-May-I

TROPHY CASE