The cruise control on my 1996 F-150 5.0 Automatic Regular Cab Long Bed 4x4 stopped working. When any button is pressed nothing occurs. It worked Monday and today it stopped working. The temperature has dropped from around 70 to 25 and I wonder if this affected it. I have checked the horn, taillights, and all possible fuses or relays. I have also looked in the module and the gears turn freely. I really don't know where to go. I saw this on an old thread, but I have done everything it had mentioned. What should I check or do now?

 

One thing that the CC failing is a sign of is the bad switch in the master cylinder shorting out and not terribly long after causing a fire - have you had the recall done on this truck yet?

 

I have had the recall work done quite a few months ago.

 

Then check to see if it popped the fuse on the recall harness.

 

How do I check that? Do I just cut the zip ties and flip open the plastic things?

 

I checked continuity on both pins in the harness and no fuses seem to be blown. Could it just be the on/off switch or the set switch and if so, how would I check?

 

I'm sure someone has the wiring diagram, but you can check the switches by unplugging the connector on the steering column and checking it with a multimeter.

 

Thank you for the help, I will look into the column wiring and see what I can find.

 

Mine did that a couple of weeks ago & it was the 20 amp fuse in the box under the hood.

 

I checked the one under the hood as well. I was reading another forum and someone had posted that if any of the 3 taillights were out it would wouldn't work. At that point I slapped myself in the face and went to check the third brake light on the cab that had slipped my mind the first time I checked the brake lights. Low and behold it was burnt crisp. I am going to wally world later and will replace it and hope that fixes it. My deactivation switch is leaking fluid on the wires, but I'm not going to worry with it until it blows one of the recall fuses.

 

You need to get that fixed right away, not just because of the fire issue - that's a brake master cylinder leak!

 

It's one switch, it looks like two the way it's mounted.

F2TZ-9C888-E .. Speed Control Switch-Use without airbag / 1992/96 F150/350 & Bronco / Obsolete ~ 18 available NOS

F4TZ-9C888-B .. Speed Control Switch-Use with airbag / 1994/96 F150/350 & Bronco / Obsolete ~ 4 available NOS

 

Well, I replaced the third brake light, but that didn't fix it, and I noticed on the way to the store for the bulb the horn wasn't working. It was working just after the cruise quit, but now it doesn't so I guess that would lean toward the clock spring, is that correct? The airbag light isn't on, but the horn and cruise is out. Would it just be going bad slowly and the airbag light will come on later. The horn did wait a little while to quit.

 

After this I don't think I even deserve a vehicle. I went through all this test of fuses and relays and wiring tracing and discovered I never reconnected the plug into the cruise module after checking the mechanical part of it. Re-plugging this in fixed the horn issue, so I guess it is most likely the deactivator switch on the master cylinder. When I replace that do I have to bleed the brake system in any way? Also, do any of you know if I could pick this up as Oreilly's or if I have to go to the dealer?