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Questions On Cruise Control on a 1996

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:19 am
by Julief8
I recently bought a late model 1996 B190 that has the 1997 Airstream unit. The Ford van is a 96, the Airstream portion is a 97 with the new bathroom configuration. Driving it home I could not get the cruise control to engage. I read the 1996 Ford Econoline manual that came with the van and it refers to it as Speed Control. I have the buttons on the steering wheel but there are no indicator lights in the dash showing that its on and engaged. I even shined a flashlight into the dash to see if the indicators are there and they are not. Plus it doesn't seem to engage and hold speed so maybe my next stop is the Ford Dealer. Do others have a van with cruise control but no indicator lights in the dash? The manual talks about the speed control but has no reference to indicator lights. Also I read on the Internet that Ford had issues with the brake sensor for cruise control. It either would tell the unit that the brake is on when it is not so cruise won't engage and worse, it wouldn't disengage cruise when the brake was applied which actually lead to some deaths. Anyone have any information that they could share on Ford cruise control? Thanks...

Re: Questions On Cruise Control on a 1996

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 6:40 am
by skater
They didn’t start requiring cruise control indicator lights until after 1999 - my 1999 car doesn’t have one, but the 2000 and beyond versions of my car do. So it doesn’t surprise me that even a later model B190 wouldn’t have them either.

There could be several things wrong, some of which you already noted. It’s one of those things that’s hard to diagnose because you have to be moving to test it. If you have a copy of the service manual from Ford for that year, it likely has all of the tests you would need to do on the system to confirm the problem, but short of that, you’ll probably need to head to a shop. But I don’t think it specifically needs to be a Ford dealer, any decent shop should have access to the diagnostic info.

Re: Questions On Cruise Control on a 1996

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 11:26 pm
by usachris
My cruise control very recently failed. I was about to drive cross country and the thought of not having any cruise control on the trip was bumming me out. I did a google search for “1999 ford e350 cruise control not working” and watched this video:

https://youtu.be/mICxnDTTIJI

I bought a new pressure switch and had my mechanic install it - I didn’t want to take a chance on getting air into the master cylinder right before my big trip. $20 for the switch and $30 to install it and BOOM! The cruise control is once again ALIVE! :D

My 1999 does not have a light to indicate when the speed control is on or off but a quick spin on the freeway confirmed it was back in business. Hope this tip helps.

Oh, Ford did issue a recall to fix the speed control issue you mentioned. You can check if your van is on the list by going here:

https://owner.ford.com/tools/account/ma ... calls.html

They install a jumper wire harness to correct the problem. Your van may already have one. I checked mine but 1999 was not on the recall list. Ford installed the jumper wire harness before it left the factory.

Re: Questions On Cruise Control on a 1996

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 8:22 am
by skater
usachris wrote: Oh, Ford did issue a recall to fix the speed control issue you mentioned. You can check if your van is on the list by going here:

https://owner.ford.com/tools/account/ma ... calls.html

They install a jumper wire harness to correct the problem. Your van may already have one. I checked mine but 1999 was not on the recall list. Ford installed the jumper wire harness before it left the factory.
This raises a very good point - when buying a van, everyone should check for any outstanding recalls on them. Who knows what has been done! I should put this comment somewhere more visible. Maybe we should have a "Just bought a B190...now what?" thread.

Re: Questions On Cruise Control on a 1996

Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 8:47 pm
by Sarterfish
Hi again Julie. One more question... on the cruise control. It is still not working so I assume you didn't get it fixed. Didi you try the fix(es) that usachris suggested in this thread, or anything else? I'd REALLY like to have it for road trips! :-/
-Sarterfish