Not sure if I'll get any help with this on an IT forum, but what the hell, maybe someone has had this issue before.
The cruise control on my 2002 ford ranger is working intermittently. It seems to be totally random and decides if it's going to work the instant the car is started. If it works when I first get it, it will work for the entire trip, if it doesn't work, nothing I do will get it to work.
If I have to make a short stop somewhere, it sometimes changes from working to not working or vice versa, but if I try sticking in the clutch and killing the engine for a few moments and then turning it back on, that never fixes the issue.
I've tested the cruise control buttons located on the steering wheel extensively, working or not, they always have power and make the correct connections when the buttons are pressed, so the problem is elsewhere in the system.
Any ideas?
This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.
Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.
If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.
Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.
Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.
Access the answers to your technology questions today.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.
Try it out and discover for yourself.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.
The cruise control system uses vacuum from the engine. There may be a leak. Sometimes there is an extra vacuum reservoir to keep the servo unit from losing vacuum over extended time on hills.
Troubleshooting one-by-one can be expensive.
First, check:
Burned out or flaky brake lights. Replace them.
Horn honks? Check the fuses and horn relay. Cruise switches need voltage from there.
Check fuse for cigarette lighter (driver's side or the "always-on" one).
Those are the cheap and easy things to check.
Try here for a few more steps:
http://www.thorssell.net/h
C'mon experts...don't give up and run to the mechanic without giving it a cursory try.
>9 times out of 10 he can't solve it on his own
Didn't you had a historical perspective on the OP.
>Why let him spend money
Checking fuses, hoses, and light bulbs costs zero dollars. Most drivers wouldn't consider getting their hands dirty, or even try to read the fuse box diagram. That's just lazy.
It doesn't take an expert to say "go see a mechanic". For that matter, why not tell everyone else here to go pay money to a computer tech, or hire a low-voltage contractor?
I think Experts-Exchange is the best example of DIY. Not just from a budget perspective. The sense of accomplishment is often a better trade, even it might take more time troubleshooting and learning.
"working intermittently" is the hardest to to diagnose & almost always elecrical.
Any conditions that cause it not to work or work on a reagular basis?
Weather / altitude / air-conditioning on vs off will help trace the cause / location to diagnose whether it be a fuse a short-circuit or a faulty IC chip.
Good luck.
Thanks guys, I recently replaced some tail lights, nothing looked odd or corroded. The problem existed before the lights failed or at least before I noticed that the lights failed. I'll double check them, maybe I missed one that was out and I wasnt able to check the backup lights at that time. I have an OBDII Scanner, no error codes are ever stored when I hook it up.
I didn't think about checking the fuses since it's an intermittent problem, but I'll take a look when I have a chance.
Hey Michael, I agree, intermittent problems are the absolute worst things in the world to track down. I don't think weather, altitude, or AC has anything to do with it. Frequently if I stop for gas it will flip from working to not working or vice versa. It doesn't seem to matter if I stop at a gas station that is close to home where the vehicle hasn't had time to reach FOT or after I've been driving for awhile. I haven't been able to notice any kind of pattern and believe me, I've been trying :). The only thing I can say for sure is it has gotten worse over time. It used to happen about every other start, drive, stop cycle, now it's more common for it not to work than work. If I'm lucky it will work a couple times per week.
I'll check the hoses again also, last time I just made sure they were hooked up and well seated, when I have time I'll really dig in and test the lines themselves and test the vacuum canisters also.
Ill keep this open at least until I have a chance to do a more complete inspection, hopefully this weekend.
aleghart, none the less he has a OBDII scanner (which i didn't know from the topic start), a lot of ppl wouldn't buy one just to check something that they don't know for sure they can fix. And besides that, their are other Ford exclusive garage tools/meters which he cannot buy.
Fixing a problem on your computer with tools you can buy is something totally different than trying to fix something with material only a official garage reseller can own / buy.
And even though if there's a rare case he can buy those tools, i don't think he would be pay 10x as much just for the tools than the costs of letting it check by a garage.
How about the recall?
http://www.internetautogui
Recall ID 67627
This mentions that the cruise control may not work properly, could actually torch the vehicle...
http://www.usautoinjurylaw
Maybe your switch is bad?
KMDComp,
If you have an OBDII scanner you could check for the historic faults in the system, and check if one of the faults for the Cruise Control are there, if anyone is set, it's most probable that you have a problem with a sensor not well connected or a short circuit in one of the devices.
When faults are intermittent in the system, they're normally cleared by the ECU (send to historic) when it does a successful recovery of the fault, you're not going to see them as active faults.
Getting a list for fault codes on your car model may be difficult unless you have one as you have your OBDII scanner.
Regards
Took it to a dealer and another garage, they don't have a clue what the problem is. I gave both places 2 cracks at fixing the problem and it's clear that both places are just shotgunning hoping they eventually guess right. I've spent enough money and time on this that I've just given up on the thing working again.
Business Accounts
Answer for Membership
by: NicoJuicyPosted on 2009-10-05 at 10:09:13ID: 25497153
Hoy.
Every electronic device of a car needs an official "computer".
These can only by found at a official dealer!
Just go into the garage and ask them to check your settings of your cruise control, you'll see they'll plug a device into your car and check the settings.
Hope this helps!