gsrvong

I'm in the market for another vehicle and the CRV is one of the cars on the top of my list. Im wondering what to look for in the 97-01? CRV's. I saw an auto and manual trim in town and looking to get one or the other. Is there anything I should know about them, look out for in these model crv's?

fast2camciv

burnt exhaust valves. these engines need the valves adjusted every 30k and if you dont, they get tight and burn up the exhaust valves. a compression test will help you look for problems. i am pretty new to CR-V's but so far that seems to be the biggest problem with them. (i bought my cr-v with both valves in cyl 3 burnt up....but the price reflected the issue)

www.megameet.org

also ask if the timing belt has been changed, and if they kept up on the rear diff fluid. If you test drive, and make a u-turn and hear noise, the fluid needs to be redone, no big deal. Also give the drive shaft a shake and make sure it's solid/doesnt move.

fc3srx729

make sure it has a clean title and not salvaged...

spoolin94ls

they have a problem of leakin water on passanger side when it rains or goin through a car wash. Mine has that problem right now

Boosted Power

- Rust usually occurs at the bottom of doors, and rear quarter panels (typical Honda spots). Assuming you're going to look at a CRV from up North.
- Clock. If the clock is dead. It will need a new assembly. $5-$20 from junkyards if you can find a working one. $100+ if you order one.
- Front mudflaps. It's always a plus. Trust me.
- Timing belt and waterpump. Valve adjust. Can be a $600+ job if you have someone else do it.
- Rear diff fluid service and all other maintenance fluids. Trans, coolant, etc.
- Oil pan gasket. Usually leaks on most used CRVs of this era.
- Oil pressure switch leaks. Pretty much like the oil pan.
- Inspect radiator for leaks. A good place to start is the coolant overflow reservoir. If it's empty, or not, inspect the radiator for leaks. Inspect for coolant residue that may have dried up on the engine, intake piping/covers, etc.
- Inspect front and rear wiper condition and functions. Make sure they operate accordingly. Front wiper arms should not bang against eachother or the side of the windshield mouldings. Make sure the rear wiper arm works accordingly. It should be easy to pull the rear arm away from the tailgate glass and when you let go of it, it should want to slam back onto the glass. If not, it's going to need a new arm. If the whole arm is loose and just slops around. It probably just needs the arm nut tightened down.
- Inspect brakes. Rears would be harder to check, being drums, but the fronts are discs. Just take a quick look. It's usually the inner pads the wear out first, but an outter with 8mm pad thickness usually means the pads are still "newer". Test drive and make sure there isn't any abnormal pulsation from the front. If there is, it may just need a good front rotor resurface, but it could also mean you may need new front brake rotors also.
- Tires and abnormal wear. Can pretty much speak for itself. Alignment. Look for tires with low tire pressure, low amount of air. (Punctures, nails, bead seal, etc.)
- Test drive vehicle for pulls, drifts. (alignment and or tire issues)
- Seat belts. If a seat belt buckle doesn't buckle, or seat belt isn't retracting, etc. you can always talk the vehicle price down and bring it to your local Honda and get it replaced by Honda with OEM Honda parts for free.
- Test drive the vehicle. Most CRVs have some slight shake all the time. But if you feel something abnormal coming from the front/center/rear of the vehicle. It may be due to the driveshaft (AWD) or the front axles. The way the engine sits on the V, the front axles sit at a high angle. Causing the axles to wear out and start vibrating after a long time. Very common thing that most customers do not notice, or care for. Very costly.
- Listen and or feel for abnormal noises, vibrations, etc.. Wheel bearings, rear diff, axles, control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends, stabilizer bar end links/bushings, brakes, exhausts, excessive wind noises, doors (checker/detent rod, misalignment, door lock actuators, hinges, etc.), windows (regulators, run channels, hard/slow moving windows), etc. etc.
- Good heat, AC, rear defrost and make sure all lights, accessories, gauges, etc. work.
- I can go on, but this is what I remember as of the moment. I safety used cars quite a bit at work and this would be what I would look for.

EL Vap133

Wow, very good list there! Good thing I didn't have to worry about rust being in CA.

BWilson484

I purchased a 2000 crv awd and later found out that it has a acura integra B18B1 engine in it instead of the B20. Is this engine any less reliable?

StylishDOHC

No..its exactly the same motor, just has 3mm smaller pistons and different cams.

Jaker

And less power.

Another thing to look for is a busted/worn out rear motor mount. They tend to fail on the CRV, and I think it has to do with the added traction from the RT4WD putting more load on the motor mounts (more traction means more motor torquing/rocking). It's a bit of a pin to change, but if you don't the motor rocks enough that the upper rad hose puts a strain on the top radiator tank as it pulls back and forth and mine ended up splitting the top tank.

toy-tinker

get a 1999 CRV which comes with the 155hp B20BZ engine.

I have one and the difference in power between a earlier year is night and day...

HondaPartsHero

The B20z came in the 99-01 models and it was 147 HP Vs the 127 HP B20B of the the 97-98 models.

Red EM1

I second the rust check. Also check the brake lines that run right under the middle of the car. They are behind a plastic like guard but you can see through them pretty easily. Mine rusted away and was leaking brake fluid.

Red EM1

As mentioned the 99-01 had the slightly more powerful engine, but the difference feels huge. The earlier ones feel anemic in comparison. The 99 and up ones aren't exactly beast either.