Hello all,
On the way to dinner last night I got up to 60 and set the cruse controll and nothing happend tried it a few times and nothing. Any body know a common problem with it going out. Any help is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Nick

 

Theres a recall for it

 

I think the recall was for Truck catching on fire not for cruise not working

 

I don't know if it applies to the Ex or not, but the older pickups have a pressure switch on the brake master cylinder that is prone to leakage. When fluid contaminates the switch, it shorts out and prevents cruise from working. I had this problem on my 95 and fixed it with a replacement switch from Ford. Maybe someone else can chime in on whether that applies to the newer SD and Ex.

 

I think MagKarl has the right idea. I just purchased a 2000 Ex and the cruise control doesn't work and notice that when trying to set the speed, pressing the button causes the green cruise light to flash for a split second and of course nothing happens. My take is the computer is sensing a problem and will not allow it to be used. I suppose a computer analysis may have to be done to find the problem. Anyone having had this done could certainly shed some light on this subject. But then again, maybe I'm all wet!!! Hoping someone has something to add. Many thanks for any help...

 

Yep, MagKarl has part of the right idea. I had the very same thing end up happening on the 02. I was burning fuses that link to the safety switch in the column to prevent shift into gear. Feddle with it for a few days before giving up and taking it in to ford.

They traced the problem to the wiring on the master brake cylinder. There was a recall for that wiring harness, but it had already been replaced on my truck, and vwalla, same problem. They then had to replace the cruise control module (NOT a cheap part). As it turns out, I still have no cruise. There are different modules for the 5.4l and the 6.8l and diesel, and they say that they ordered and put in wrong one (they SAY there is no way to tell them apart and no correspondence to tell the difference between the two.) They have the module on order, so still waiting. The funny thing is they said on the computer while hooked up, everything tested fine, the road test failed, and even I could tell them that much.

You might want to check the harness on the end of the master brake cylinder first. When you unplug check the end for oil residue. If so it will need to be replaced. If harness is clean, I would order the cruise module and replace on your own. It is mounted on passenger fender, under hood, with a simple plug in harness for the wiring. Or at minimum have a dealer diagnose with that in mind and do the replacing on your own, as you could probably order the parts cheaper from one of the sponsors on the site. Good luck.
sorry for the long post.

 

Do you know if the cruse control module for the 6.0 and 7.3 are the same. If so then I can see if thats the problem before I order anything?

 

Thanks Wallz...... Love long posts, always hope as one reads! It is an interesting post. Because of the fact the little green light blinks when you try to set the cruise control give me the impression that something is telling the computer to belay that order. The computer, as you point out, is registering a sensor error. You mentioned the brake and the steering column sensors/switch which after I get the energy to clear off 4 inches of overnight snow from the beast, will get right on it and report back. Best regards and hows the weather there in Power River or are you in Prince Rupert?

 

Sorry, I don't know if they are different, but a call to any of the parts guys, and they should be able to tell you.

{Thanks Wallz...... Love long posts, always hope as one reads! It is an interesting post. Because of the fact the little green light blinks when you try to set the cruise control give me the impression that something is telling the computer to belay that order. The computer, as you point out, is registering a sensor error. You mentioned the brake and the steering column sensors/switch which after I get the energy to clear off 4 inches of overnight snow from the beast, will get right on it and report back. Best regards and hows the weather there in Power River or are you in Prince Rupert?}

Weather in rupert is slush.
On mine I got no signal to the cruise, even when they have installed the wrong module.

Now with you still getting a light, I might be prone to think it could be the wiring harness on the brake cylinder, brake sensor switch or the speed sensor on the back axle, (but then if it was speed sensor switch your speedo would be out.)

When dealer looked at mine the harness on the master brake cylinder came up first. Talk about good engineering,(NOT) even the techy had to look that up to find that it was linked to the cruise control.

 

Pressing "Set" and seeing the green cruise light flash for a second makes me think that it has a closed loop set up where the switch on the brake cylinder, neutral and park switch and other such switches have to be closed before the cruise control can be actuated. Hence actuating the cruise control the light glows for a second which then it sences it doesn't have a closed loop and aborts the action. I'm off to the library to find a list of the sensors that act on this system and carefully check them. Will report back with findings.........

 

Now that my cruise is working again, I am going to add more confusion to the bowl. When activating the cruise I can hear a sound from what I would say was a control box under and behind the stereo system somewhere in the dash. I do remember that sound before the system went out, so I know it is normal, and more can chime in on this. Good luck on your quest.

 

That's interesting, you mentioned the cruise module is under the hood so wondering were the noise is originating from! What kind of noise is it, a click or a like a buzz. I had the dash cover off over weekend and changed out all the illumination bulbs (194's) and removed the stereo and heater controls to look for that infamous security module with that magic keyless entry code and can report that there isn't much in that area. Many have reported they have been unable to locate this module and have even check behind the fuse panel with no luck. If I find it I will take and post the photos of the location to encourage others to continue looking.

 

It is more of a clicking sound, and maybe now that I'm thinking about it more, it could very well be loud enough to hear inside the cab. Yes the radio and all other noise makers have to be turned off in order to hear it.
I did have a link for repair manual to follow a procedure to determine what it could be, but since the new year they are no longer working.(sorry not much help there) It walked thru an electrical to check for shorts and what not.
On the security code, I ended up crawling under the dash with a light and finding it in behind the radio. This was after removing the radio and hook and not finding it that way. Do a search on it, and I know there were pictures of where to look.

 

Ok I am having cruise control issues as well but mine are a little different mine is setting upon hitting the set cruise button but when I hit the brakes mine almost drove through a luxury sedan needless to say it didn't stop when I hit the brake it should have shut it off but it kept on going like a freight train. Did this happen to any one else before it quit working all together?

 

It sounds like your switch mounted to the brake pedal could be the culprit.