Cruise Control

[Heather Kudela]

O.K., a while back I has seen a post that designated the yellow cap on the cruise contorl as "good" and the red cap as "bad". Well, I was changing my oil yesterday and happened to notice that I do indeed have a red cap on my cruise control.....a couple questions:



1. Can I just take my Trac back to the dealer and tell them that this was recalled an to replace it?



2. Will they pay for it?



3. If I don't use the cruise ever will it still be a fire hazard?



Any advice is welcome!! Thank you all much!!!



-Heather:unsure:

 

[Dreman]

I think the good one is black, not yellow. I don't think Ford has gotten around to everybody yet. If you haven't received a recall notice, the dealer probably won't fix it for free. You'll probably have to buy a new one and change it yourself, or use a shop that you trust. Remember to bleed the brakes!



Or the cheap way out is simply disconnect it until Ford finally recalls it, but that means no more cruise control.

 

[Fred]

1. I don't think there has been an official recall on it. I doubt they'll replace it.



2. Probably not.



3. Yes, it will. It's always energized, even with the key off.



Some has replaced them on their own. I need to do it too as mine has the red one.

 

[Todd Z]

The part is cheep and easy to replace....

I would just buy it and change it, The time leaving the truck at the dealer and listening to their 100 reasons as to it not being covered is just not worth it to me..

Todd Z

 

[Heather Kudela]

Does anyone know the part number for the cruise sontrol that I will need?



Also, how do I go about disconnecting it? - Heather

 

[Dreman]

To disconnect it, just unplug the electrical connector from it. I haven't looked closely at it, but Ford usually puts some kind of clip on the connector to help hold it in place, so you will have to lift that little clip out slightly, then pull the connector off. After that, some people will wrap the connector in electrical tape to keep dust and dirt out of it until they can get a new one.

 

[Heather Kudela]

Thank you for all the help guys, quick responses too.....whatever would I do with out this site:wub:

 

[Eric Pennal]

Heather,



Fred, and the other guys, are correct. There is not a recall for the Sport Trac, yet. Ford will replace it if you ask them to, but you'll have to pay for it. There is a fire risk (possibly slight, but why take the chance?) even with the truck turned off. This is the same switch that has been catching fire on the F-150's. Disconnecting the c.c. deactivation switch will eliminate the hazard, but you won't have cruise control until you replace it.



I replaced mine, and it was easier than I thought it would be. I expected brake fluid to spill out around the opening when I removed the old switch, but not a drop was lost. On the old switch, there's a hex shaped area on the shaft between the threads that screw into the master cylinder and the round silver part. You have to fit a 9/16" open-end wrench on that hex part to loosen the switch. All you have to do is break it loose, then it turns the rest of the way by hand. I tried to loosen it with a pair of pliers on the round part before I realized the hex nut was under there. It's a tight space, but do-able.



The new wiring harness just plugs into the old harness. I secured the extra play in the wiring harness by zip-tying to one of the metal lines right next to the switch. Piece of cake. I'm not even sure if it's necessary to disconnect the battery beforehand, but I did it as a precaution (per the manual). The whole job took about 15 minutes. No break bleeding is required.



This is a link to a post that includes a page out of the service manual showing the removal procedure:

 

[Eric Pennal]

Also, in case you missed this one, this thread discusses the issue in more detail (especially toward the end).

 

[Heather Kudela]

Thanks Eric!