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'Nuther nonfunctioning cruise issue from a newby

cherokeesue

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Goldendale, WA
I was zooming down the freeway with cruise on, slowed down to take my off ramp, got to a point where I noticed the cruise light was off. I assumed that at some point I had hit off, but since I suffer from CRS, couldn't really remember for certain. Got my speed up, hit the on and suprise, no cruisel ight on the dash and no cruise kicked in.
I read all the town hall stuff and things on here, and some have said to check the brake light switch but no one I've found has said if it is the brake light switch, there'll be no brake lights also. Mine has brake lights, just no cruise light on dash and no cruise. Good vacuum at the little cannister by the battery. sigh
 
Does your horn work? Airbag light on? I recently had my clockspring go out and caused all of those to happen.
 
Year make model.

The older cruise was from Perfect Circle - it uses a separate switch on the brake, IIRC, and in my experience fails after 5-10 years. Newer cruises are much less mechanical, you will really need a FSM to dig into how they work.

A cruise needs a speed signal to verify if it's keeping to set speed, vacuum to operate the throttle cable, and a "yellow" box to operate, along with the wiring harness. I've had every piece fail on the ones I installed over the years - but it's not too much to science out following the trouble shooting diagrams.

And, no, mine's not working right now, bought it that way, and just haven't gotten round tuit.
 
Oops! I told you I was new. My Cherokee is a 2000 limited.
We took the battery box out and checked the vacuum line below it and it still had vacuum in it when we disconnected it. Checked the fuses at the fuse panel and their all good. I have brake lights and I don't know what to check next. It is a 4 liter straight 6, automatic, 4x4. I only have idiot lights and when the dash lights are on what all should be lit? Thanks for the input. It seems the airbag light is not on and the horn works.
 
you only have idiot lights in a limited? Thats a new one.
 
Lack of vacuum, and a faulty brake pedal switch won't cause the cruise to turn it self off. The brake pedal switch will make it cancel cruise, but it won't turn the system off. Something else is forcing it off. I'll have to take a look at a manual if i get a chance.
 
Thanks to all of you with much more knowledge than me. I was told it was a limited but there's nothing on the body that I've seen which would indicate. It is a retired Fish and Wildlife fleet vehicle and pretty plain Jane. It doesn't have a tach, oil pressure or amp gauge. Just indicators that show up when the key is on.
 
Thanks to all of you with much more knowledge than me. I was told it was a limited but there's nothing on the body that I've seen which would indicate. It is a retired Fish and Wildlife fleet vehicle and pretty plain Jane. It doesn't have a tach, oil pressure or amp gauge. Just indicators that show up when the key is on.

Trim levels 2000, SE, Sport, Classic, Limited, Freedom

Probably SE, which isn't short for Spartan Edition, but it sounds cool!
 
If the Cruise Control indicator light does not come on you have an electrical problem. You will need to find an FSM, or at least a wiring diagram for that circuit. IIRC, the CC wiring is spread over about 8 pages in the 2000 FSM.

If the CC light comes on, but it woin't set, you could still have a vacuum problem. Always check the vacuum at the inlet to the CC servo on the firewall. If you have vacuum at the reservoir, that is no guarantee you have vacuum where you need it. Those little plastic lines get pinched and worn through. The battery acid is also very hard on them. They can be effectivly spliced with 3 mm ruber hose, the same size you use for the windshild washer lines.
 
If the CC light comes o, but it woin't set, you could still have a vacuum problem. Always check the vacuum at the inlet to the CC servo on the firewall. If you have vacuum at the reservoir, that is no guarantee you have vacuum where you need it. Those little plastic lines get pinched and worn through. The battery acid is also very hard on them. They can be effectivly spliced with 3 mm ruber hose, the same size you use for the windshild washer lines.

Not to drag up an old thread, but this is exactly the problem I'm having in my 97 AW4 4.0 4x4. Light comes on, cruise won't engage, and half the air from the HVAC blows on to the window no matter where the selector.

I figured at first it was the vacuum reservoir, so I got a replacement. Being as there are several T's in the line, I started with the one closest to the front (near what I consider the cruise servo because it has a cable that runs to the throttle) and tried the new reservoir. I then moved back to the T where the vacuum line goes through the firewall around the AC equipment. Each time I tested it with the same results as with the original lines & reservoir. Each time when I would unhook the lines, I would get a rush of air. This indicates to me that the reservoir is holding vacuum.

Before anyone asks, the brakes and the 4wd seem to work perfectly.
 
I will post this for the 10th time. Look for the vacumn line that runs behind the battery. That is where they usually get a leak, from the battery corrosion.
 
I will post this for the 10th time. Look for the vacumn line that runs behind the battery. That is where they usually get a leak, from the battery corrosion.

As I already stated. I connected the new vacuum reservoir up to the line on the firewall by the AC equipment (bypassing the line under the battery tray).
It's not the line under the battery tray.
 
My 2001 XJ cruise light randomly truns it self off at times or it never turns the lights on. I just restart the jeep and things are goods again for weeks and weeks. I'm thinking the switch on the steering wheel is bad. However it does not happen often, so I'm not planing to fix it

But the same thing happens on my friends 1998 XJ And he just hits the top of the dash and the light will work. His thinking it is a wire connectoring problem in the dash. However he did pull his dash out and put it back in, But the problem continuous.

PS.. If it is a vacuum leak than whoud'ent the check engine light up ?

www.BlueXJ.com
 
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In my XJ the CEL is on because the PO replaced the cat with a straight pipe and did away with the rear 02 sensor.

Is it possible that the active CEL is keeping the cruise from working? I swear it worked the night I brought it home.
 
I'll dredge this one up, since I searched and couldn't find something useful.

My jeep is a 2000 Limited. The cruise would light up and work sometimes- sometimes not.

I replaced the switch in the steering wheel. Same thing. Sometimes, the light will come on and the cruise will work. Sometimes it won't.

One weird thing- it SEEMS that the cruise tends to work when first starting out. Once things get warmed up and I've been running for a while, that's when it tends not to work.

It has never switched off during driving with the cruise engaged. It either will or won't light when I hit the switch. Once it's engaged, it has stayed on.

My horn and vents all work properly. No airbag light or other issues.

This jeep has an ARB BullBar, so the vac canister would have been moved, but this sounds more like an electrical issue, right? Besides, if it were a vacuum issue, I'm thinking the cruise wouldn't work properly at times as well as the vents.

Electrical is my big weakness, so I was hoping for a more clear solution, but it is a jeep. Any ideas certainly welcome!
 
The horn and air bag have nothing to do with the cruise or the vac supply. First, try throwing the vac reservoir back in. Easy and cheap... Ont problem that I have had is the vac servo. Cruise comes on just fine, but it had the need to keep accelerating without me wanting it to. I.e. The servo would keep pulling even though the system told it not to. Similar but opposite. I use a volt meter to take a look at what the PCM was telling the servo to do... and the servo wasn't behaving correctly.
 
The horn and air bag have nothing to do with the cruise or the vac supply. First, try throwing the vac reservoir back in. Easy and cheap...
Does the vac reservoir have anything to do with whether the light comes on or not? I've heard it said both ways. On mine, the light will not come on when it's not working, but it does come on at other times. Is this electrical only or can the vac reservoir effect this?

I don't have any surging, accelerating or other issues. Jeep idles fine and the vents work fine...?

Thanks!
Dirk
 
Does the vac reservoir have anything to do with whether the light comes on or not?
No. There is no sensor in the cruise control that detects a vac leak or lack of the reservoir. Your problem is electrical if it won't even come on.
 
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