Intermittent Cruise Control October 26, 2017, 05:56:13 pm We've had a worsening problem with intermittent cruise control operation on our late 2003 E450. The cruise control operated as it should for many years, but then we began to experience periods when it wouldn't activate. This got steadily worse until on our last trip it hardly worked at all, despite pushing all the steering wheel controls repeatedly and in various orders and checking other things.A post on this site and a number of posts elsewhere suggest that the most likely culprit in this situation is the cruise control deactivation pressure switch on the bottom of the brake master cylinder. This switch provides redundancy to the mechanical switch on the brake pedal, creating two ways that the cruise control is deactivated when the brakes are activated.Similar switches have been the subject of recalls on various Ford vehicles due to the slight risk of fire should they leak, resulting in brake fluid reaching the electrical contacts and igniting. That can apparently happen even when the vehicle is parked. But our E450 was not part of that recall, having been built in May 2003 after the problem was presumably solved.That doesn't mean that this switch can't fail though, and when it does it fails so as to leave the cruise control deactivated, which makes sense. In our case and many others this seems to happen slowly with the switch working some times and not others.I ordered a new switch here:New Motorcraft SW-6350 Cruise Control Cutout Switch 1L1Z-9F924-AA * P184 * |...That is actually a kit for replacing the switch "in kind" on newer vehicles like ours and also apparently upgrading the switch on older vehicles that used a different one. Thus it includes a short wiring harness to adapt the old electrical connection to the new switch. It's actually useful to have that even if you don't need it, as it allows you to clearly understand how the connector detaches from and attaches to the switch, always an annoying step when working with automotive electrical connectors. Sometimes figuring out how those work is the hardest part of a job like this.To gain access to the switch I worked from the fender on the driver's side of the engine bay. I removed the three bolts that hold the round plastic coolant reservoir and moved it out of the way. No need to detach its plumbing. Leave the cap on and no coolant will spill. Then I moved some other cables out of the way and held them aside temporarily with zip ties.I then placed a towel down under the switch to catch the few drips of brake fluid that will result from this and to catch any dropped tools or parts and keep them from descending into the nether regions of the engine bay.Then I removed the electrical connector from the old switch. Use the wiring harness that came with the new switch to figure out how to do that. Then I removed the switch itself. Both my old and new switches require a 7/8" wrench. Older switches might be different. I just used a small crescent wrench to loosen the switch and then removed it the rest of the way by hand. The shorter the wrench the better as the space is tight.Before you fully remove the switch note that it is tapped into the brake master cylinder at an angle. You will need to install the new switch at the same angle. Failure to notice this could result in a lot of frustration when trying to thread the new switch into its receptacle. You'll get a few drops of brake fluid coming out with the old switch. But provided you leave the cap on the master cylinder reservoir you won't get any ongoing dripping from the hole into which the switch is threaded.I hand tightened the new switch and then snugged it up tight with the crescent wrench. Don't over tighten. I then reconnected the wiring and went for a drive and the cruise control worked flawlessly. I'll be keeping an eye on the new switch for awhile to be sure it isn't leaking brake fluid.It's very gratifying to fix something like this, that has been an ongoing and puzzling annoyance, for the grand sum of $18 and about 15 minutes of time. As opposed to going to a mechanic who might or might not know about this problem and who could spend hours going through all the steps for diagnosing cruise control problems and/or replacing several much more expensive parts before finding the culprit and fixing it. A process that would be made more difficult if the cruise control happened to be working while it was in for diagnosis.If your cruise control is intermittent or not working I suggest giving this a try as a first step. 7 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #1 – October 26, 2017, 06:28:36 pm Hey TerryTerrific write-up, just the kind of info folks need for this particular problem!It happened to my '04 a while back but my procedure was somewhat different than yours. I took the rig into my service facility, told them what I suspected and where the switch was located. They did the work, I paid them and we both went down the road with smiles on our faces. 1 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #2 – October 26, 2017, 06:40:00 pm Nice write up.Quite a few fold have had similar problems with the early 2000 E450 cruise controls.Do update the link to the brake switch, it presently leads to an Ebay log-in screen.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #3 – October 26, 2017, 10:31:28 pm Thanks Larry, I've updated the link.
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #4 – October 26, 2017, 10:37:19 pm I've had a different problem with my 2000 30 IB. At one point I could not get the cruise to turn on, then by chance I held the 'on' button for about 15 seconds while driving about 55 mph and it turned on. Then for the next few years I needed that same procedure to get it to turn on. These days it just turns on (knock on wood), I have no idea what is up with that, just happy that it still works...... 3 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #5 – October 27, 2017, 03:13:43 am Quote from: Terry Burnes - October 26, 2017, 10:31:28 pmThanks Larry, I've updated the link.Thanks Terry, that's good to know.Looking at the Amazon link, I noticed that they would have installed it for $14.95.It can't take too long to install, that's less than 8 minutes of shop time.Larry
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #6 – October 27, 2017, 10:22:25 am Larry,I don't think that $14.95 is for someone coming to you and installing the part. It seems to buy 10 minutes of phone time from someone who supposedly knows what to do and can help you do it. Interesting. I hadn't seen that before. Kind of like stopping by the repair shop and asking a question. I doubt I'd get any better advice from that than I got from judicious internet research.
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #7 – October 28, 2017, 12:10:58 pm Ed, from the LDO group, is who first brought this problem and solution to our attention when he posted about it. A few years ago we bought the part and made the repair. I think I spent 20 minutes trying to get the part screwed in at the proper angle and finally gave up. Gayle tried and finally got it installed. The cruise has continued to work ever since.Jim 1 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #8 – October 28, 2017, 03:56:29 pm Quote from: Jim & Gayle - October 28, 2017, 12:10:58 pmI think I spent 20 minutes trying to get the part screwed in at the proper angle and finally gave up. Gayle tried and finally got it installed. The cruise has continued to work ever since.She's a keeper, Jim! 2 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #9 – October 28, 2017, 05:56:49 pm Could Terry’s writeup be put into the LD Companion? I checked and didn’t find anything similar there. - - Jon 1 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #10 – October 28, 2017, 08:04:23 pm Our 2004 MB has had intermittant problems with the cruise control also. Cruise control seems to turn off when the engine is under a load such as when climbing a hill. Resetting the cruise control when back on flat land seems to work, usually. I had been told by a Ford mechanic that there was a cruise control sensor in the bowels of the transmission that was the likely source of the problem, and would be very expnsive to fix. So, the cruise control still operates intermittently....Maybe changing out the switch might be a cheaper first step? 1 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #11 – October 28, 2017, 08:18:47 pm Quote from: Cindy Beck - October 28, 2017, 08:04:23 pmOur 2004 MB has had intermittant problems with the cruise control also. Cruise control seems to turn off when the engine is under a load such as when climbing a hill. Resetting the cruise control when back on flat land seems to work, usually. I had been told by a Ford mechanic that there was a cruise control sensor in the bowels of the transmission that was the likely source of the problem, and would be very expnsive to fix. So, the cruise control still operates intermittently....Maybe changing out the switch might be a cheaper first step?I have tried to find Ed Daniels original post from several years ago that addressed the same issue and found the same solution that Terry has written about here. If I recall Ed paid a few hundred dollars in diagnostic fees and/or repairs which didn't fix the problem. Perhaps he will chime in here.Jim
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #12 – October 28, 2017, 09:03:17 pm Quote from: Jim & Gayle - October 28, 2017, 08:18:47 pmI have tried to find Ed Daniels original post from several years ago that addressed the same issue and found the same solution that Terry has written about here. If I recall Ed paid a few hundred dollars in diagnostic fees and/or repairs which didn't fix the problem. Perhaps he will chime in here.JimJim is right. The fix Jim did and then Terry did is the same fix I spent a few hundred dollars of diagnostic time and installation getting gone on my 2000. I suspect the mechanic knew just what the problem was but had a payment due on his $50,000 computerized diagnostic machine and a hayseed , me, just walked through the door. 😩
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #13 – October 28, 2017, 10:46:47 pm "Cruise control seems to turn off when the engine is under a load such as when climbing a hill"CindyThat behavior is NOT a malfunction, it's a design feature! I experience that whenever I'm pulling a grade with the cruise engaged. I'm no engineer but I'll bet my boots it's explained in your Ford owner's manual.
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #14 – October 29, 2017, 09:49:26 am I think it is part of the intended design of the cruise control. My ‘88 MB and ‘91 E250 SOB. Both disengage the cruise control at 10mph below your set speed. And most cruise controls don’t work below 25 mph. Once the transmission down shifts on a hill it’s time to drive at the engine’s maximum torque point(2000 to 2800rpm), avoid lugging the engine, and stay in the highest gear possible. This minimizes transmission over heating and excessive engine speed and fuel wastage. While the newer engine computer do this, the cruise control isn’t as smart.
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #15 – October 29, 2017, 02:58:08 pm Quote from: Jim & Gayle - October 28, 2017, 08:18:47 pmI have tried to find Ed Daniels original post from several years ago that addressed the same issue and found the same solution that Terry has written about here. If I recall Ed paid a few hundred dollars in diagnostic fees and/or repairs which didn't fix the problem. Perhaps he will chime in here.I often look for older postings and find that using the old Yahoo site to search for them is much more effective than using the LDOF search engine.Larry
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #16 – October 30, 2017, 11:38:07 am Hi Terry. I seem to remember that the brake light bulbs are involved with the cruise control. People who in the 'early days' of LED brake lights would have problems with the cruise control going on or staying on. If you still have incandescent bulbs, you might try making sure they all still work and have clean contacts. I would make sure a little dab of dielectric grease on the side bayonet pins and solder blobs at the base was applied to keep water intrusion minimized. Hope this might be of some help. RonB
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #17 – November 02, 2017, 11:37:39 am My kit arrived. The contents and part number match those on the link. However, the description on the package says Brake Repair Kit. I am not going to worry about that.Terry's article will go in The Companion. It will be Chris' first effort. I will try to remember to take a picture when I install my kit.We had three others who volunteered to be keepers of The Companion, but they seem to have back peddled since they did not respond to my emails. 1 Likes
Re: Intermittent cruise control Reply #18 – November 12, 2017, 10:39:55 pm Quote from: Jon & Loni - October 28, 2017, 05:56:49 pmCould Terry’s writeup be put into the LD Companion? I checked and didn’t find anything similar there. - - JonI just added it to the LDC.Chris 1 Likes
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