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my cruise control isn't working anymore, it was working before. I tried to SET speed by holding on it and no lights and no speed was set. what are the things I'll need to look for to get this issue fixed. Fellow TL'er HELP! As i'm planning to drive across country and without cruise control, i am screwed! LOL
You know, I was driving from Michigan to San Diego and tried to get mine fixed (the button light would come on and *I think* the light on the dash would come on, but the speed would not stick). I spent $350 at 2 places getting it *diagnosed*. No one fixed it - they said they had to order a part. Drove to San Diego.
2 years later drove from San Diego to Washington DC - did it in 3 days, no cruise control. When I finally took her in to replace the AC compressor and compressor side fan, the cruise control was working again when I picked up the car. I don't know if it was a fuse, a pinched wire or what - but definitely check the easy stuff first.
Check the plastic bracket on your throttle body. That can break and does quite often rendering the cruise useless. I read of a fix on here if that's the case. Just do a search. The broken part is not offered by anyone and to get it new you've got to get a new throttle body. Just search here for the fix.
I agree
remove the top plastic engine cover- 4 small bolts
inspect throttle assembly--there should be a container ring/wall so the cruise cable cant jump out of the thing-sideways
if thats broken -there is your problem
many pics of that area to compare if needed
other possibles- ck fuse
ck cable operation from throttle to cruise box
follow the cable across front to pass side
What happens when you move the throttle assembly by hand- what does the cruise cable do?
LOOK under dash at brake pedal -there are 2 switches, 1 for brake lights,
the other to diconnect cruise
If that switch is loose, out of position, of just plain failed- no cruise
replacement is easy and cheap
I agree
remove the top plastic engine cover- 4 small bolts
inspect throttle assembly--there should be a container ring/wall so the cruise cable cant jump out of the thing-sideways
if thats broken -there is your problem
many pics of that area to compare if needed
other possibles- ck fuse
ck cable operation from throttle to cruise box
Would you have pics of what a normal cruise control cam looks like? I've looked far and wide and am unable to find what the cam looks like before breaking.
Well, I'm down to the last thing to repair on the $600 TL, cruise control. I'm trying to find pictures of what the engine looks like without the engine cover to compare my throttle body to others. When I push the button on the dash, the green cruise light turns on but the "set" button on the steering wheel does nothing.
Ah! Some deeper searching came up with these pictures. This plastic part on mine is in perfect condition, so, must be something else for me but I figured I would add them here to help anyone in the future.
Mine broke a few years ago and here's the fix I came up with.The cotter pin just holds the cable end down to engage the cam so there really isn't much force exerted on it. The only thing you have to make sure of is that the bent tabs of the cotter pin are totally flush with the side of the cam otherwise there could be binding issues between it and the TB casting as the cam rotates. Just took this pic a few minutes ago so it looks like it's holding up ok.
Kris, Are you saying your cam does not look like the pics you posted? IIRC there should just be a small slit for the cable to go through and the cable end is almost fully surrounded by the plastic cam to hold it in place.
Have someone stand behind your car and tell you if the brake lights work when you press the brakes. The reason I say this is because I had a 2004 VW Touareg once and the cruise control would not set because the brake light switch (under the break pedal) was not working properly and you can easily tell of the switch is broken by checking if the lights work.
Kris, Are you saying your cam does not look like the pics you posted? IIRC there should just be a small slit for the cable to go through and the cable end is almost fully surrounded by the plastic cam to hold it in place.
Correct, mine looks like new and is all attached as it should be. Just figured I'd post those comparison pictures for others in the future.
Originally Posted by RDX10
Have someone stand behind your car and tell you if the brake lights work when you press the brakes. The reason I say this is because I had a 2004 VW Touareg once and the cruise control would not set because the brake light switch (under the break pedal) was not working properly and you can easily tell of the switch is broken by checking if the lights work.
Funny you say, every couple of days, my right blinker will hyper blink but by the time I can pull over and see which bulb is out, they are working fine again. I know they're unrelated but I thought it was a coincidence. I'll have to check that pedal piece next, thanks.
No unfortunately, only the green light on the actual button comes on, the dash light never engages. The plastic wheel on the throttle body is in perfect shape so that's not it. I also checked the cruise control box that the line runs to but the wires are plugged in and everything looks fine. I'll have to review the factory manual when I get a chance to work on it this weekend.
Well I had a chance to go out and test everything today. I checked the switch at the brake pedal and it seems to be secure and clicks in and out while moving the brake pedal. I also bench tested my cruise control servo box from under the hood and it makes a whining noise and does nothing. Just for fun, I went to the pick'n'pull and bought a spare CC unit and bench tested it to compare. The new one actually clicks and seems to engage but CC still wouldn't work after everything was put back together. I'm not sure what else to try?? Only thing left is to just replace the pedal switch and/or that box under the dash so I guess I'll do that. I hardly ever use CC but now I've done so much research on it, I'm determined.
Last edited by Kris9884; May 14, 2017 at 05:10 PM.
If you press the cruise SET button on the steering wheel and the gauge cluster shows the green light for Cruise Control, then you can eliminate a lot of things. You should go straight to the cruise throttle cable actuator, unplug it, and test the wiring input.
If you press the cruise SET button on the steering wheel and the gauge cluster shows the green light for Cruise Control, then you can eliminate a lot of things. You should go straight to the cruise throttle cable actuator, unplug it, and test the wiring input.
Thanks bud but as I've said a few times already, the dash light DOES NOT come on, I bench tested the cable actuator and replaced it already. The plastic wheel connected to the throttle body is in perfect condition so those 2 things are already checked off. Only things left are the pedal switch and then the actual steering wheel button itself.
FYI, I have followed the steps in the FSM and it just says take to a professional now so the manual can suck it. Most of those service guys are clowns anyway.
Last edited by Kris9884; May 16, 2017 at 08:55 AM.
Mine broke a few years ago and here's the fix I came up with.The cotter pin just holds the cable end down to engage the cam so there really isn't much force exerted on it. The only thing you have to make sure of is that the bent tabs of the cotter pin are totally flush with the side of the cam otherwise there could be binding issues between it and the TB casting as the cam rotates. Just took this pic a few minutes ago so it looks like it's holding up ok.
Hey Iggy, any idea what size cotter pin you used?
Thanks
Been a while but if I had to guess it was a 3/32" cotter pin. If after doing this fix and the cruise control seems to be a bit abrupt when first engaging then use the cable adjusting screw on top of the throttle body to take the slack out between the adjuster and the the cam.
