My 2000 ford pickup with a 4.6L seems to constantly shift down when I have the cruise control on and it is going up a hill going 60 mph. From what I have heard, that is normal, but is it normal for it to be constantly shifting from the top gear down one gear and then shifting down another gear when I am going down the interstate on a windy day (80MPH)? Then when it gets its speed back up, it will shift back into high gear and then it will start slowing down again and shift down to the same gears as before. When it shifts down 2 gears from the top, the rpm's are way up there. This process goes on constantly untill I turn off the cruise.
Are some of these pickups 5 speed transmissions because I try to count the number of times that it shifts and sometimes I can count 5 times.
Is there a way to make the cruise control less sensitive?
Thanks for all you comments

 

I'm guessing you have a pretty tall rear axle ratio, probably 3.08 or 3.27. Check your axle code on your door jamb sticker.

It's a 4-speed transmission, that last "upshift" is the TCC lockup which should drop your RPMs by around 300 RPMs.

Your cruise isn't too sensitive, it's just trying to maintain groundspeed under circumstances that are less than ideal for the mechanics of your truck.

Steve

 

My Scab 4.6 has 3.31 Axel & 255/70/16 tires. I rarely use my cruise, because I don't like the TCC locking & unlocking while going up hills. Are your tires & Axel taller than mine?

 

I couldn't find out what my rear end gear was by looking at the tag on the rear end and the tag on the inside of my door. I am probably doing something wrong, but I have 285-75-R17 tires on it. That would drop the rpm's a lot at cruising speed causing it to shift down more on hills.

 

Your tires are approx 33.8 Inches tall. Mine are approx 30.1 tall. I like the looks of the bigger wheels & tires, but will probally replace mine with more 30 inchers to avoid a loss of power & performance. I have a heavy truck, with a small engine and a tall rear axel ratio.