My wife and I recently pulled our travel trailer from GA to WA, then down to ID where we are now. We left late last month and have been on the road for quite a while. The truck has been performing great with no issues until this morning.

While my wife was getting ready, I went out and top off the oil by adding about half a quart to the bring the level up to just below the top of the operating range on the dipstick. I then filled the washer fluid because it seemed to be empty or filled with soapy foam. Other than that, I did nothing to change the state of the truck.

So, we let the truck warm up for about 10 minutes while walking the dog and finishing getting ready for the day. We took off and got about 5 miles down the road and I set the cruise control at 65 MPH. We continued on for about a mile on cruise and then the cruise control shut off on its own and the truck started to slow down. I attempted to reset the cruise control by pushing the off button, then on button but the cruise would not reset and hold speed. The cruise light would not come on either.

As I slowed down to turn the truck off, I could hear the chime noise from the truck over the wind coming through the open windows. No warning lights on the dashboard were on and the truck was running fine other than the chime noise and the failed cruise control.

I got to a stop within about 30 seconds and shut the truck off. I opened and closed the doors thinking that was the problem and then restarted the truck. No chime, no warning lights so I started to continue on. As I got to about 5 MPH, the chime started again. As I stopped again, the chime would stop. I figured we would make the 4 mile drive into town to our relatives house and I would look around a bit since the truck was driving fine.

As I got about 2 miles down the road, the chime noise stopped and the cruise control was capable of being set again. I do have a code reader and no codes are showing up, no warning lights, no chime and things seem to be fine.

Should I chalk this up to a gremlin that sometimes plague us, or does anyone have experience with this minor issue? I sure would like to have my cruise control when headed home for the second 3K mile trip.

 

Using my friend Google, I am leaning toward a faulty parking brake sensor/switch. Although, like I said there were no lights on the dash to include the parking brake light. Still researching...

EDIT: Since my wife is now involved in a deep and meaningful conversation with her sister, I have had the chance to run out to the truck a few times with the laptop in my hand so I can look into this minor issue better. The parking brake light on my dash hasn't worked since I bought the truck about 1.5 years ago. When I had taken the dash out in the past I noticed that there were two ports that seemed to indicate they could be for the parking brake light, but I could not get either of them to work so I moved on to the next thing that needed to be fixed before putting the truck into service. Here we are over a year later and I think that the switch might be making/breaking contact intermittently based on how it feels. I also noticed that the parking brake pedal does not retract all the way in order for the rubber stopper to push the switch plunger up.

I think that I will just deal with this minor issue and fix it when I get home from our trip. I plan to replace the parking brake switch/plunger, shorten/replace pedal return cable and then the appropriate light bulb on the cluster.

Other thoughts are welcome, this is a great place to bounce ideas off of others.

 

First, with what you have stated, intermittently, I foresee no issue with you making your trip successful.

Secondly, Often the Brake Switch, Parking Brake Switch (negative Ground Switch) become corroded with dirt, dust and the like. And, if you heard "chiming" while moving the vehicle, it was "most probably" the parking brake ground switch the manual would suggest troubleshooting first.

OT: I have to say, leaving GA to go to those places is questionable judgment at best Has to be family (misguided) You're missing the cold front, it will only be 99*F here next week.

 

Since I am fairly impatient I set out to find the problem. I was able to replicated the problem and verified it is in fact the parking brake switch.

While driving around town the truck began to chime while moving. I reached down and pushed in the switch by hand which stopped the chime. That was proof enough that the switch has decided to work after 1.5 years of not working.

Since the first section of the brake cable is stretched out the pedal will not completely retract I pulled it back up by hand.

So, for the remaining portion of our trip I will manually bring the brake pedal up by hand and press on down the road.

As far as my sanity, that has always been in question. We normally make a big trip like this every 3 to 4 years. One time we did 10K miles in 30 days in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We have seen many parts of this great nation that we may not have if we did not road trip like we do.

 

Well from what you had said about the cruise control and chime the first I thought of was the GEM unit and a leaking windshield getting it wet. I say that because once on a road trip I was driving along after 8hrs on the road and all kinds of weird stuff was going on. So if you have never had your windshield replaced pull the drivers side upper post trim next time it is raining and see if any water drips down the post. My windshield would not leak with the hose test but at 65mph and wipers on it drips pretty good. I still haven't gotten around to getting it fixed so I leave the trim off and a rag stuffed in the opening. Haven't had a issue since I used the rag.

So you might have a parking brake issue but I don't see how that would effect the cruise control you might have 2 different issues going on.

Good luck on your trip and I hope you stay safe.
Sounds like alot of fun!

 

My truck also leaks and cruise control acts up, it'll accelerate on its own sometimes or shut the cruise control off. And sometimes it makes my torque converter slip in 1st, all kinds of weird things

 

I thought of the GEM as well, but I am pretty sure the windshield is the original and there has been no rain worth mentioning for at least a week.

The parking brake switch is intermittent and when it triggers the truck thinks that the parking brake is on. This is partially because of a bad plunger switch and partially because the first part of the cable is stretched and will not retract the pedal 100% of the way leaving the switch plunger out and the rubber stopper about 2 inches away.

So, if you think about it for a second, when you have the parking brake on and start moving the truck it will chime. Also, if you have the parking brake on the cruise control will not set.

As mentioned earlier, I have verified this is the problem and will fix it when I get back home.... just under 3K miles away now from where I am sitting.

Thanks for the advice though and hopefully this thread will help someone in the future.

 

Well I learned something new I didn't think the parking brake was tied into the cruise control. But I stand corrected.

Good luck on the rest of your trip !

 

I'm really late to this party, but as soon as I read the problem - I was going to say parking brake switch. I was rolling down the road one time and had the CC cut out and the door chime kick in - but all of my dash lamps were replaced 3 years ago, so there was no mystery.

 

Showing up late to the party is alright with me because someone else later will have this problem and might find this thread and fix the problem quickly because of it.

I have rigged the switch with duct tape for now and will get everything back to 100% after I return home. Headed down to Boise with the trailer on Saturday, then back toward GA on the 30th.

 

for the hell of it sous, pull the switch out and lube it with very light oil.... also check the rubber nub that pushes the plunger, they do develop a low spot after 15 years...

i suggest light oil because my parking brake switch would not turn the light on the dash, it was gummed up with dirt n such, i tried some light weight oil i had in a pen oiler and worked the switch a few times... that was 4 years ago and works like a champ, i figured i had nothing to loose, if the oil worked great if not well i had to replace it anyways.

on 2nd thought, heck shim it so the switch works, your not complaining of a dragging parking brake... id possibly shim it and call it a day.

 

If you find the parking brake isn't what is causing trouble with your cruise, trying pulling the brake pedal back with your foot when it's acting up. The Ford Five Hundred is notorious for the exact same thing. The switch was around $80 last I checked...the toe check is free and has a habit of lasting for a long time. I guess it is either too sensitive, or just too long to reset properly. Glad you were able to figure it out, demons suck when you're away from home!

 

A brand new parking brake switch is less than $10 if
I recall. Mine was rusty and cleaning it didn't help but a new one did the trick.

 

I have verified the problem being the switch several times now while driving around town since it showed up. I plan to remove the rear tires (they need to be put on the front now anyway after 6K miles) and rotors. Clean and lube the parking brake springs and other pieces, then replace the switch, tighten/replace the front cable and intermidiate cable if needed in order to pull the pedal all the way back up to the switch. Currently it stops about 2 inches short of the switch.

Thanks for all of the advice.

 

Here's a cheap, easy, and quick "tip" (literally) to fix why the red indicator light doesn't illuminate on the dash when the emergency brake is applied. Also known as parking brake.

The problem isn't just that the little light doesn't come on... the real problem is that other modules that depend on that switch to be enabled won't work until it is fixed. The Auxiliary Powertrain Control Module is one example. It won't work unless it KNOWS that the emergency brake is set, and the only way it knows is via this little switch that is mounted above the emergency brake foot pedal, and is pictured below:




It's a plunger switch... but WD-40 won't fix it. While spraying WD-40 on the spring and shaft may temporarily lubricate the plunger action, that action isn't the problem. The problem is with the bridge disc (see top horizontal washer like disc) having too much play in the reduced diameter of the top of the plunger shaft (see exposed shaft neck down right below the disc) which results in the bridge disc not "bridging" the contacts.

The problem is worsened with generous applications of WD-40, because as the less viscous solutions in the formula evaporate, a sticky guey film is left on the bridge disc and top edges of the contact plates that insulates the two from making electrical contact, like a DIE-electric grease.

Why is it failing to make contact if it hasn't been sprayed? From playing with this switch quite a bit, I believe the contact failure is mechanical in nature, due to the amount of play between the inside diameter of the bridge disc and the outside diameter of the top portion of the plunger shaft, that is turned down to accommodate the disc, and then swedged at the tip to retain the disc.

In action, the disc can get cockeyed at an angle, and hang between a contact on one side, and an angular contact between the ID of the disc hole to the OD of the turned down shaft. This angular hang stops the plunger from travel, and allows the disc to float just above the contact plate on one side, while engaged with the contact plate on the other.

So what is the cheap, easy, and quick tip to fix it?

(Old picture of facsimile rubber tip removed, see actual tip used in photos below.)

Yes, a rubber tip!

The above is a facsimile of a rubber bumper I installed over the top of the plunger shaft. The actual bumper I used had a less rounded profile, which works better for stabilizing the bridge disc, but this photo is intended to show why this tip works so easily and well.

The key is that the tip top of the plunger shaft, at the swedged end, fits snugly inside the hole at bottom of the bumper that the photo above depicts. The bumper base seats just as snugly against the top of the bridge disc, and hence reduces the axial play along the turned down annular groove at the top of the shaft.

With the rubber tip installed, the gap is eliminated, which disallows the bridge disc from getting hung up at an angle, or catching its ID with the OD of the let-in portion of the shaft. The elimination of this play results in a decidedly more consistent contact bridge when the emergency brake is applied. Here is what it looks like with the tip in place:



The important thing to look at in this photo is the plunger shaft diameter right underneath the bridge disc. Notice how much thicker it is here, in this photo of the fixed switch, versus how much thinner it is in the very first photo of this write up? The annular groove is observable in the first photo, but it is no longer visible in this photo. This is because the top of the shaft has been shoved into the bottom hole of the rubber bumper, such that the base of that bumper is shoved down on top of the bridge disc, stabilizing it.

The actual "tip" top of the rubber bumper does not "bump" against anything, and can be cut off entirely if not desired. Only the bottom flange of this bumper is used, and only due to the great disparity between its ID and OD, where other available rubber washers and grommets wouldn't work because their ID is too large to fit snugly around the top of the shaft.

Here is what this cheap, easy, and quick tip looks like after being installed back under the dash:



As seen above, the bumper's conical insertion/retention tip doesn't contact anything. It's just sitting up there in black space. Only the base, or the broader "meat" of the bumper, is used to stabilize the bridge disc on the shaft, which results in more consistent contact engagement.

My Emergency Brake Light works now! Which means my APCM no longer has to endure a half dozen button pushes before I remembered that the E brake switch is hung up, again. Time after time, that gets old. Well, this little "tip" fixed the problem, for good! Try it to resolve your issues... because unless the new replacement switch is of a different mechanical design, it more than likely may develop the same hanging issue with the bridge disc on top. I made no adjustments to the parking brake cable length, and have never experienced a problem with the switch engagement since putting the tip on top to stabilize the bridge disc.