When i hit set, the cruise light goes on, the car stops accelerating, loses about 5-8 mph, then climbs back to the speed i had initially set it to

 

YEA mine does that all the time too. I dont think its a problem though.

 

its annoying, no other car i have ever had has done that, in any other car the second i press set, the cruise keeps the accelorator pedal where its at so there is no speed loss

 

When I hit the button it stays right at that speed. but when I hit the decell button and let go it usually drops a couple mph then goes back up to where I let it go. it also does the same when I hit the accell button it goes a couple mph over then goes back down to where I let go of the button

 

That's normal, it's because you let off the gas for the computer to take over. I've had it happen on other cars, but i've found that it recovers to around the speed i set it to, not exact of course. But it works

 

sometimes, but not 5-8 mph FIX: just keep your foot on the gas (cruise) until you feel that cruise control has taken over. This will prevent your car from decelerating during that gap of time between when you press your cruise control on, and when it actually sets.

 

That's what I do, shoulda posted that part

 

You have a vacume leak in that mechanism. Mine does not decelorate as you described. Though, I had this problem with my integra. It was a leaking vacume hose that went to the cruise control unit. After replacing the bad hose, it worked like it should. This problem is not normal and should be examined.

 

I've found that if you maintain the speed meticulously for a few seconds before clicking and then continue to maintain it for 5 secs, it will engage at the desired speed.

 

leaky vaccum hose, is there an easy/cheap way to test that theory?

 

Or just tighten the cruise control cable, duh

 

A vacume tester guage. You attatch it to the line and check for the expected pressure. Each hose will have a specific expected pressure.

Good luck.

You can also hold a lit cigarette near the lines and look to see if the smoke is drawn to a particular area. This is a shade tree trick and should be used with common sense. Ie: don't hold the cigarette near you fuel lines or too close to the hoses.

 

a little ingenuity goes a long way, but a little gasoline blows you a long way too ;-)