Some years ago, my mom took her truck into a shop for a recall. At that time, without her permission, they disconnected the cruise control. Since then, she has had neither cruise control nor a horn. Could this be a simple harness disconnect, the clock spring, or something else that I should be looking at?

 

Has the cruise control been reconnected? Also, have you checked the relays/fuses?

 

No, CC was never reconnected. This all started because I was trying to resolve the fact there was no horn. I didn’t know about the cruise control being disconnected. Now I’m just trying to get both working again.

fuses and relays seem to be in good working shape.

 

I would check all the fuses/relays that would affect the horn. If that doesn't solve it, you could test the horn(s) to see if they're working normally. If that STILL doesn't solve it, then it could be an issue with the wiring or the clock spring. I personally have never had to replace the clock spring on my truck (knock on wood), so if you can, I would try to rule out all the other items first.
I hope this helps. Keep us updated!

 

Oh, God...

I ran into this exact same thing about 15 years go on a buddy's '95 F150, so my memory may be a bit vague. However, I do recall that there's a solder joint connection that had corroded/failed in the actual wiring that's not shown in the wiring diagrams, and I had to trace wires and open-up the wire looms to track that SOB down. It's in a taped-up wire loom in the engine compartment, down low, under the brake booster...or maybe it was under the fuse/circuit breaker panel....

I was using a Haynes manual at the time, and if I still had that same exact manual I would be able to show you where this was (is?), as I marked-it up. However, unfortunately this manual got tossed-out about 5 years ago, (And since it was Haynes, maybe this is why it wasn't shown in the wiring, as they're not always 100% accurate.)

If (IF!) you have the same problem, you'll have to retrace my footsteps and start tracing wires. Start in the engine compartment and follow the power, or "hot" wire, as working from the "inside out" (inside the cab, under the dash) will only cause frustration. That I DEFINITELY remember!

I'll try to keep an eye on this thread, but please let me know (or respond here with results) if you run into the same thing, as I'm really curious now!

And good luck!

Edit: I entirely forgot about the clockspring, and 1995F250XL's post makes good sense. Based on that kick in the head, what I would do is check for power going up to the steering wheel (underneath the column). Got power? Clockspring. Got no power? Start tracing wires in the engine compartment.

 

When my cc and horn went, the air bag light flashed code 34 if I recall correctly.
check that your air bag light works, probably clock spring.

 

The airbag light does illuminate on start up, but then goes out as it should.

Greg

 

I was poking around under the hood and I found that the wiring harness to the Cruise Control Module was DXed. That must have been what the Auto Shop pulled so long ago. I would have just reconnected it, but the black and red wires are snipped and the connector pins on the Connector were fried out. Looks like I’m going to need a new wiring harness.

Mystery solved, but I’m disappointed bc this repair will be a LOT more complicated than a clock spring.

Thanks for all the input!