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Lost Cruise Control

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Old Jan 4, 2009 | 05:07 PM
  #1  
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Lost Cruise Control

Went on a road trip the other day and was using my cruise. I noticed it was acting up because when I hit the brake, usuall it shut off. Not this time. Id slow down, let my foot off, and without hitting the RES button, she jumps back up to set cruise speed. A little while later, it wouldnt work. Anyone have any theories on what went wrong? All fuses looked fine....

Vehicle Specs:
1994 Ranger ext cab
4x2
127,000 miles
4.0L V6
 
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Old Jan 4, 2009 | 09:23 PM
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i had something similar happen once with a taurus, turned out to be a electrical problem, i had no brakes lights when it happened also. my ranger will every so often have a cruise issue, it just wont work for a while and then it will work again for no reason.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 06:03 AM
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Originally Posted by racsan
i had something similar happen once with a taurus, turned out to be a electrical problem, i had no brakes lights when it happened also. my ranger will every so often have a cruise issue, it just wont work for a while and then it will work again for no reason.
The break lights went out too. I had to replace the brake sensor under the steering column to fix this issue.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 06:32 AM
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Replace the wiring harness for the hitch it's likely corroded and shorting. Who would ever think of such a thing eh!?! A few years back I had the same thing happen to mine (basically the same truck as yours) and found that to be the fix. Tractor Supply, Rural King, Farm and Fleet or someone along those lines should sell the harness. Was around $20 back then hard to say what it is now.

Good luck!
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by BRay09
The break lights went out too. I had to replace the brake sensor under the steering column to fix this issue.
I like all the ideas so far.

Did fixing the brake light switch also fix the cruise control problem???? The cruise control deactivation needs the rear brake lights working to function, so a burned out rear brake light or faulty brake switch can cause problems, as will a faulty tow light harness.

Have you had the brake master cylinder cruise contol de-activation switch recall 05S28 done????

If the speed-o is also acting up & or your getting a ABS trouble light or the ABS brakes are acting out, or the auto tranny shifting is acting up, suspect the rear ABS speed sensor, in the top front center of the rear differential, as the cruise control also uses it's input to operate & it's a commom problem part.

A bunch more thoughts for pondering.
Let us know what you find.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by pawpaw
Did fixing the brake light switch also fix the cruise control problem???? The cruise control deactivation needs the rear brake lights working to function, so a burned out rear brake light or faulty brake switch can cause problems, as will a faulty tow light harness.
Fixing the brake switch just fixed our brake light problem, but it didnt help the cruise.... Actually come to think of it, around the time we replaced this sensor is when the cruise went out.... The towing harness was just installed about 8 weeks ago... Just plugged it into the wiring harness for the tail lights, no splicing into any wires.

Originally Posted by pawpaw
Have you had the brake master cylinder cruise contol de-activation switch recall 05S28 done????
Don't really know what you mean by that...

Originally Posted by pawpaw
If the speed-o is also acting up & or your getting a ABS trouble light or the ABS brakes are acting out, or the auto tranny shifting is acting up, suspect the rear ABS speed sensor, in the top front center of the rear differential, as the cruise control also uses it's input to operate & it's a commom problem part.
The ABS light is on, but its been coming on and off for about 2 moths or so. I's finally staying on constantly. To fix this, should i replace the ABS speed sensor like you had proposed?
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 03:38 PM
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I don't know if you have enough clues to fully suspect the rear ABS speed sensor yet.

Look in the "Tech Info" thread atop this foum for a link on how to pull the ABS codes & post the code numbers you find.

Did replacing the brake light switch fix the cruise control problem????

Do you have any auto tranny shifting problems, or an erratic speed-o, if so then maybe the speed sensor belongs on your suspect list????
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 04:24 PM
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Originally Posted by pawpaw
I don't know if you have enough clues to fully suspect the rear ABS speed sensor yet.

Look in the "Tech Info" thread atop this foum for a link on how to pull the ABS codes & post the code numbers you find.

Did replacing the brake light switch fix the cruise control problem????

Do you have any auto tranny shifting problems, or an erratic speed-o, if so then maybe the speed sensor belongs on your suspect list????
Replacing the switch did not fix the cruise problem. And there are no shifthing problems at all. The speed-o isnt acting up at all either.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 05:06 PM
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Ok, no speed-o, or tranny shift problems, but replacing the brake light switch didn't fix the cruise control problem.

Are all of the brake light lamps lit when you step on the brakes????

Have you had the cruise control switch recall done, or had the switch replaced????

If the brake lamp filiments are all ok & you know the brake master cylinder cruise control deactivaton switch is ok & pull your ABS codes & it suggests a problem that points to the speed sensor, then maybe consider replacing it.

It's not expensive & takes maybe 15-30 min to get everything together, lift the vehicle crawl under there & replace the speed sensor, which is sealed by an "O" ring that'll need lubing & held in place by one 10mm bolt, torqued to 25-29 ft/lbs.

Right now I'd pull the ABS codes & see what the system is unhappy about.
It may point to the speed sensor & you have two clues that suggest it may be the problem, (the ABS light being on & the cruise control acting up), BUT they may not be connected, you may have more than one problem!!!! So pull & post the ABS trouble codes you find.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by pawpaw
Ok, no speed-o, or tranny shift problems, but replacing the brake light switch didn't fix the cruise control problem.

Are all of the brake light lamps lit when you step on the brakes????

Have you had the cruise control switch recall done, or had the switch replaced????

If the brake lamp filiments are all ok & you know the brake master cylinder cruise control deactivaton switch is ok & pull your ABS codes & it suggests a problem that points to the speed sensor, then maybe consider replacing it.

It's not expensive & takes maybe 15-30 min to get everything together, lift the vehicle crawl under there & replace the speed sensor, which is sealed by an "O" ring that'll need lubing & held in place by one 10mm bolt, torqued to 25-29 ft/lbs.

Right now I'd pull the ABS codes & see what the system is unhappy about.
It may point to the speed sensor & you have two clues that suggest it may be the problem, (the ABS light being on & the cruise control acting up), BUT they may not be connected, you may have more than one problem!!!! So pull & post the ABS trouble codes you find.
All lights are illuminated now that the switch was replaced.

When you say "cruise control switch recall" what exactly do you mean? Are you asking if it's be replace dwith a new one?

I can't find any threads about where the ALDL is located on a 1994 ranger. Does anyone know the location of this plug?
 
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Old Dec 10, 2010 | 08:07 AM
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I see this was never a fix. My Ranger has developed a problem with the cruise where it will work sometimes and not others. I've had it stop working while working. I'm going to go through the list and hopefully be able to solve this issue.
 
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Old Dec 10, 2010 | 08:33 AM
  #12  
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yeah sorry i cant help you out... I got rid of the ranger shortly after tinkering with it.
 
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Old Dec 10, 2010 | 09:47 AM
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An intermitent issue like you describe I would suspect a connection being corroded or loose. Do you have a service manual for the 94 Ranger?
 
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Old Dec 10, 2010 | 09:55 AM
  #14  
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this thread was opened 1-4-09. just here for a reference now i guess.
 
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Old Dec 10, 2010 | 10:01 AM
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That's what I suspect as well. Yes I have a manual.
 
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