Still No Cruise Control

[tx_fireman1525]

I still havnt been able to get my CC working. I replaced both buttons on the wheel, and the canister with the cable coming out of it ( Sorry, dont know the technical word ) What else do i need to check? Is there a relay somewhere under the hood?

 

[Wiredawg]

Mine just quit working all of a sudden. I've been working on worse problems such as water leraking into the cab. Do you have a factory service manual. There is a pretty in-depth trouble shooting procedure in there.



If you don't, hit me back and I'll see if I can condense it it a post.



Wiredawg

 

[Philip]

There is a vacuum switch in the cruise circuit. It is mounted behind the driver side hood hinge. Check and see if the vacumm hose is off or bad. If the hose is good. Check the switch for operation. Check the amount of vacumm you have at the switch also.



If you ABS controller is unhooked you wouldn't know if you have a low vacumm problem. The ABS controller would turn on the brake warning light for a low vacumm reading.



My vacuum switch was bad on my truck when I bought it.

 

[ptmoore]

did u check the switches for power in and out? my truck had a bad clockspring in the steering column. new clockspring fixed the inop cc . Oo.

 

[tx_fireman1525]

No i didnt know about the clock spring, where exactly is it and how do i check it?



And wiredawg, no i dont have a service manual. Man one of them things sure would come in handy

 

[bmoeller]

If Dodge set them up the same way as my Ford is, you have to pull the steering wheel off, to get at the clockspring.



If you have a tilting steering wheel, there could be a broken wire where it pivots.



If you want a "real" service manual, I got mine through www.techauthority.com Will probably have to call them. Last I heard, they were still availabe, just not on the site.

 

[tx_fireman1525]

Come to thing of it i think i remember hearing something pop in the column th day it quit on me, i bet that may be it.

 

[ptmoore]

the clockspring is under the steering wheel, its just a coil of wires loosly wound so when u turn the steering wheel the wires wont break. the ends of the wires that are connected to the clockspring housing will break from the years of turning the steering wheel in normal driving. there is a limited # of turns that the clockspring wires will wind or unwind so be sure the steering wheel is centered and the front wheels are straight ahead if u install a new clockspring. (just as clear as running thru muddy water right?)

 

[tx_fireman1525]

Is this another dealer only item also?

 

[Philip]

As far as I know the clock spring is dealer only.

 

[CumminsKid]

clock-spring

My cruise has not worked since I bought the truck 2 years ago. Last week I decided to investigate. I thought I might have had some broken wires because I have a tilt wheel. Sure enough I pulled off the steering wheel and the "pretty" cover around the collum and I saw a little white wire that had been sheered. I thought I was going to get by just soldering the wire back together. But I knew my horn did not work either so I looked deeper. I put my continuity tester on the leads going into and out of the clock-spring (black donut thingy behind steering wheel) I could not get continuity ( a continuous wire) through any of the leads ( wire connections) to the other side. I opened up the clock-spring with a screwdriver and the ribbon of wire that goes around in a circle about 30 times was in about 20 pieces. The clock-springs are not rebuildable and mine was junk so I forked out $150 to the dealer because none of the aftermarket parts stores in my area can get them ( I was too lazy to find a good one that might be almost out of life at the junkyard). Cruise and my horn work now and I like it!
Do yourself a favor, before you fork all that cash out. Find someone who owns a multi-meter with a continuity setting ( measured in ohms sometimes called an ohm-meter) or continuity tester, all electricians should own a multi-meter with a continuity setting. If you hold the leads of the meter together you should get 0 ohms or the meter should beep. Test yours or one at the bone yard first.

 

[MMeier]

So this clockspring thingie... is it just the cruise wires in it or the one for the horn also ?? My horn works , but cruise does not .

 

[DVolk]

Did you clean the connections with cleaner ?

 

[RWherley]

The clock spring is for the cruise only, the horn still uses the copper ring and contact wheel that is completely independent of the clock spring, But the clock springs are prone to braking inside I have been able to fix 2 of my by taking them apart and soldering the wires back on to the contact points.