The cruise control on my '95 Powerstroke has quit working.for awhile I could press the buttons several times and eventually it would engage.My independent mechanic (trained by Ford) says it's the servo and the parts department at the dealership tells me it doesn't have a servo,that it's computer controlled.

Does anyone know the facts or what else I should look into?

Thanks,
Lanny

 

Your in the wrong forum for an answer to that. I'm sure it will get moved though.

 

Sometimes the control buttons on the horn pad go bad or fail to make proper contact through the slide rings / brushes mounted on the underside of the wheel & the column. Cleaning or replacing them may solve your problem, since it seems to be an intermittent condition.

Starting with the 93 models Ford started using an electronic servo rather than the old vacuum modulated style.

dn.

 

lol, all cruise controls use servos.....just depends on whether they are vacuum driven or electrical stepper motor.

 

The cruise quit working on my 93 F150. I used the Helm's shop manual to troubleshoot it. It is very straight forward to troubleshoot the cruise using the manual. I don't know of the Chilton manuals have the same information but it might be worth a try. I've looked at the Chilton manuals before and IMHO they are no where as good as a Helm's manual.

 

Clockspring under the wheel. Does your airbag light come on at weird times too???

 

My truck is an F-350 and didn't come with an airbag.

Lanny

 

Ok. No airbag and the cruise (On-Off) is intermittent.

Sounds like the clock spring is going bad. Is the horn acting up too?? If so it's the clockspring. You have to take the wheel off to replace it.

Dealer item. Anywhere from $80-120 depending on dealer.

 

The cruise is no longer intermittent,it doesn't work at all.I believe the horn works fine,can't remember the last time I used it.

$80-120 for a spring?!?!?!?!?!JEEZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!

Lanny

 

Your 95 F-350 does not use the clock spring setup that was (and continues to be used) on the airbag equipped models. Instead, it relies on the old technology of the spring loaded contact brushes that mate to copper rings embedded into the bottom side of the steering wheel hub.

Assuming this is your problem, you should be able to find a donor column - either for parts or complete replacement - from any number of non airbag 92+ F- & E- Series vehicles, and probably from some non airbag passenger cars as well.

That said, I would not rule out the possibility that the cruise buttons in your horn pad may be faulty. Changing out the horn pad for a known good unit is quite easy: the entire assembly just snaps off by pulling the top rearward, toward you as you sit in the driver seat. (Be careful to not tear the wires loose.) Disconnect the connectors, reconnect the ones on your new horn pad, and snap it back into place.

If that does not remedy the problem you might also consider changing out the servo assembly under the hood. Remember to also check the simple things, like fuses and proper engagement of wires in their connectors.

Once again, the Helm published service manuals are your best friend in the shop; perhaps your most important tool. They give detailed procedures for testing & servicing all vehicle systems.

As regards the previously mentioned "clock spring" setup, this was introduced with the advent of the airbag because the old style setup could not be relied upon for something as sensitive as a collapsed canvas bag under a plastic cover, waiting to blow up in your face without warning: You do not want this to happen unless the alternative is worse. The sophisticated circuitry for the airbag requires a more certain maintenance of continuity than the contact ring / brush system affords. The clock spring technology is what also allows such things as steering wheel mounted sound system, climate, & other controls and illumination of same.

dn.

 

Put and electric puller fan on it. That will get rid of the fan clutch and free up a little horsepower.

I'm not real familar with the sensor on a 4.9L 6 but it could be the coolant temp sensor. I know my explorer has one and it went bad cause the engine to run rich and gas mileage went to pot!

Delos

 

I once worked in a shop and we had a '94 Explorer come in with the same problem. Intermittent/no cruise control problem. While I scratched my head an older mechanic took a can of penetrating spray lube and shot it into the buttons. Worked them a bit. Cleaned up the excess with a rag. Road tested it. Problem solved. The contacts had gotten dirty. I've done this on numerous switches since then. Works great. Worth a try.

 

Just spray it in beside the button without removing the horn button cover?

Thanks,
Lanny

 

Yep. Just spray it in the crack around the buttons and work them a bit. Then repeat a couple times. I think he used WD40 or something similar. A lot of dirt came out. I've cleaned other switches like this and it seems to work most of the time if the switch is the culprit.

 

$1 at any junkyard. The F-series spring is the same spring on the trucks, van's, taurus's, lincolns and full size (Crown vics/marquis) of similar years.