Cruise control 2006 escape v6 xlt

[rickfar]

ok guys first post here and here goes buying a ford escape 90,000 miles v6 75% highway miles a company car the guy that had it said from day one cruise never worked so will take delivery tomorrow as they are doing a courtesy pass thru deal for me they are selling it to me for what trade in was on a 2008 escape we bought. 7000.00 i hope im getting a good deal so what would not make cruise work from day 1? im hoping it is something simple like a fuse but im lost......
any help would be great im fairly good at wrenching and do a lot of my own work I would thing changing the plugs would be a good thing to do first off any other advise on what to do while im in there? also i had tranny flushed at his last oil change as i knew i was buying it and I figured i would change antifreeze and a fuel filter just for gp thanks.....

[tcesni]

First, make sure the cruise control throttle cable is attached to the throttle body. I may have become detached and no one ever checked it. Then I would check the fuse. If the cruise still didn't work I would suspect the switch is bad. The resume feature on my cruise control button stopped working years ago and I have never gotten around to having it replaced since the other features still work.

[rickfar]

well ok but i think the key here is that it never worked from day 1 so would the cable not being hookedup cause the electronics not to work????

[tcesni]

If the cable wasn't hooked to the throttle body, hitting the "on" or "set" buttons for the cruise would have no effect and it would seem as if the system was dead. I have disconnected the cruise system on my Escape while changing the spark plugs and its not something that would easily be knocked loose so I do consider this to be an unlikely culprit. But I used to own an SHO and everytime I had it serviced at a local Ford dealer the technician would inadvertently knock the cruise control cable off the point where it was connected to the throttle body. Used to piss me off.

[rickfar]

if the cable was off would you still get a indication on dash that cruise was on is there a light that comes on in dash?

[tcesni]

That is a good question that I don't know the answer to. It seems logical that you would get the "cruise" light to come on initially if the problem was cable related. Many Fords don't have a light for the cruise control but the Escape does.

[rickfar]

still trying to get some info on how to diagnose this cruise control any ideas where to start

[YoGeorge]

Originally Posted by rickfar

still trying to get some info on how to diagnose this cruise control any ideas where to start

Hi there:
My wife's old 1998 Duratec Sable had a problem with the cruise control and I was able to diagnose it using an official, if a bit "secret", procedure. I just did a quick Internet search and found a procedure on the Taurus SHO page. No idea if the Escape uses the same process, but it simply involves pressing some buttons in sequence with the ignition on--pretty clever, really. The little pictures of manual pages enlarge and give you really good info--again assuming that they use a similar diagnostic procedure on the Escape.

Here's the page....I'm talking about the "self test diagnostics" which are pretty simple and require no tools. You can also short some of the switches with a paper clip, etc once you figure out what's going on. If this doesn't work, do some more googling on ford escape cruise control diagnostics or something like that....good luck....

http://www.v8sho.com/SHO/IntermittentCruiseControl.htm

[tcesni]

Well, that is some interesting reading to which my response is "oh my". Good luck indeed.

[sfcwoodret]

Ford has had past issues with their cruise controls.

[First Response]

We had a problem with the Cruise Control in our 2004 SportTrac. I don't know how to take you directly to the link but if you search this site for posts on Cruise Control or go over to the SportTrac part of this site you will find our posting and subsequent ones from other owners. A number of owners have had problems with the Cruise and almost everyone came back to the same switch that is located on the Master Brake Cylinder. The switch tells the cruise when the brake has been applied and it turns off the cruise. Makes perfect sense when it is working correctly but when it is not it won't allow you to activate the cruise. I was told at the dealership that the same switch is used in other Ford models and is common enough of a problem that it is one of the first places they look when a customer has a complaint. A simple jumper tool allows the tech to diagnose it right away. Hope this helps.

[rickfar]

well it gives me a starting point and i do need all the help i can get.......thanks

[First Response]

Good Luck, I also noted that if you click on the name of the person who posted one of the options it to see their posts. If you do that to mine the posts on Cruise does come up.

[rickfar]

ok did the self test today and got the thing to blink 3 times this is what it said according to the post in another forum 3 blinkks means
Brake Deactivation Circuitry Brake pressure control
valve defective circuitry where are these parts located ??? I see no switch on master cylinder as was stated on other posts there is one switch on brake fluid but i think thats just a low level indicator

[First Response]

The pressure switch is located at the end of the master cylinder. I believe there was a black wire lomb with a plug on the end leading to it. In my case (2004 SportTrac) the switch was sitting on top standing straight up.