Cruise Control not working

I have read that the clock spring can be the cause of a cruise control failure. However my horn etc works and this would not be the case if it were the clock spring, right?

Wanna XJ said:

I have read that the clock spring can be the cause of a cruise control failure. However my horn etc works and this would not be the case if it were the clock spring, right?

Click to expand...

My 97 cruise control went out, due to a broken trace on the clock spring, while the horn continue working for several months before it stopped working.
I wouldn't assume the clockspring is bad until tested, it's expensive and a pain to change. Other problems can be in the steering wheel switches, the servo and the wiring.
The brake switch has three separate switches, two are used by the cruise control. remove the brake switch and test each of the three switches.

You have lot of diagnoses to do before spending any money.
A FSM, for your year XI is crucial to troubleshooting this problem.The wiring diagrams explain much.

Cruise control stopped working — HOW?

Does the cruise light still activate when you hit the button to turn it on?

Need more details on what it’s doing

There are more common failures for a non operational cruise control. It looks for a signal that the brake is not depressed. I have seen bad brake switches on the pedal arm. It also looks for a signal that the transmission is in gear. On an auto, this would be the NSS.

I would verify both before tearing into the column.

It's also vacuum dependent. If you have a busted Vacuum line going to the actuator it will cause it not to work. Broken or missing vacuum canister, stuff like that. It's easy to check by just popping the hood and is best of all free.

Some people had luck unplugging the cruise control servo and plugging it back in. Probably knocks a little corrosion off the plug unhooking it and hooking it back up.

Wanna XJ said:

I have read that the clock spring can be the cause of a cruise control failure. However my horn etc works and this would not be the case if it were the clock spring, right?

Click to expand...

What year Cherokee are we talking about? Older non-HO models had a separate controller and as mentioned, they have a separate switch on the brake pedal that also releases the vacuum to the servo when pressed. Poor contacts or a broken vac line will prevent the cruise from working.

Mine stoped working on my 93. turned out to be a broken vacum hose. Id start there first.

On my 96 the cause was a broken pin that hooks the servo to the cable.