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Cruise control not working

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Old Oct 4, 2005 | 10:06 AM
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Cruise control not working

I found an old thread on this, but I still have some questions. I have a 95 GXE and the cruise control is not working. When I flip the switch on the switch panel the Green light comes on, on the switch...but that's it. When I hit set accel it does not do anything, I have tried holding it down and it does not do anything. In the other thread it said the first step should be checking the fuse...but where is the fuse? I looked in the fuse panel by the left knee of the driver, but I did not see one labled for cruise control...did I miss something. Also it says to check the vacuum lines, but it only looks like there is one line coming in and going out of the black thing mounted on the fire wall...am I missing something here. I have some time after work to check this out today so I would appreciate any help I can get before getting into it. Thanks.

-Carson
Old Oct 4, 2005 | 11:59 AM
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any help before I go and mess with this?
Old Oct 4, 2005 | 12:01 PM
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I had the same problem what worked for me is i Held Down the Cruise Control Switch (that turns the green light on) and pressed the Set Acceleration button at the same time and it worked and you have to be going at least like 40mph.
Old Oct 4, 2005 | 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Infowire
I had the same problem what worked for me is i Held Down the Cruise Control Switch (that turns the green light on) and pressed the Set Acceleration button at the same time and it worked and you have to be going at least like 40mph.
Really? That does not make and sense, I'll try it on the way home.
Old Oct 4, 2005 | 03:16 PM
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I have the exact same problem....I'm curious if anyone has any ideas/suggestions?
Old Oct 4, 2005 | 08:55 PM
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ya i also have this problem. i'm going to try that tomorrow
Old Oct 4, 2005 | 09:25 PM
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I guess I can give it a try
Old Oct 4, 2005 | 11:49 PM
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If your a 5spd, Check the sensor down at the clutch pedal. There is a small push type sensor that the clutch would press against when engaged (pedal out). If the sensor is not being pushed in when the clutch is out then adjust the sensor accordingly.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 12:10 AM
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I don't have anything earth shattering to offer, but my beater has problems with the cruise (they are progressively getting worse). To set the cruise I usually have to press the 'set' button about 10 times, all over the button. I try the top of the button, the bottom, the corners, the middle, etc. I press all over the button and eventually it works.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 05:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Nealoc187
I don't have anything earth shattering to offer, but my beater has problems with the cruise (they are progressively getting worse). To set the cruise I usually have to press the 'set' button about 10 times, all over the button. I try the top of the button, the bottom, the corners, the middle, etc. I press all over the button and eventually it works.
I have already tried a variation of this technique it did not work for me. I forgot to check the cruise on the way home yesterday, but I will try to remember on my lunch break today. I also forgot to check for the cruise control fuse....so where is it? I'll also check the switch on the clutch. Thanks for the ideas.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 06:04 AM
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You can also check under the hood to see if a rubber hose came disconnected. It connects to the black canister located at the back of the engine bay. When I had my 95 Max, it somehow got disconnected from the canister and I drove it like that all the way to Connecticut with no cruise. Found the problem when I got there.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 12:01 PM
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I tried holding the set accel down then turning the switch on for the cruise control, and it still did not work, I tried pushing the button in lots of different spots and it still did not work. But now when I try to set it using this method, the cruise light on the instrument panel lights up and blinks, it does not hold a steady glow like my 98 does...so I am guessing this indicates it knows something is wrong. Does this indicate a certian problem. I will try to look into this further later on.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 12:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Infowire
I had the same problem what worked for me is i Held Down the Cruise Control Switch (that turns the green light on) and pressed the Set Acceleration button at the same time and it worked and you have to be going at least like 40mph.

It's 30MPH. You have to be going at least 30MPH in order for the cruise control to work. It sucks because I live around some speed traps where the speed limit is 25, when it should be about 35 and I have to keep it at like 20 so I accidently don't go over since I don't have cruise at that speed.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 12:53 PM
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Maybe your cars are different, but I just looked at my 97 and I have to press the coast/set button not the accel button to set the cruise control. Its the bottom button for me.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Maxima lover
Maybe your cars are different, but I just looked at my 97 and I have to press the coast/set button not the accel button to set the cruise control. Its the bottom button for me.
I think it may just be labled different. I am also hitting the bottom button on my 95, and it says something like set accel. On my 98 the buttons are smaller, and I forget what they say. But yeah I was defintly going over 30, I was going between 60-80 and it would not set.
Old Oct 5, 2005 | 03:12 PM
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I have the same problem too. I heard something about a vaccum hose? That's the hose connected to the canister right?
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 05:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Garrick
I have the same problem too. I heard something about a vaccum hose? That's the hose connected to the canister right?
to the charcole canister? What canister?
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 06:27 AM
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Originally Posted by cardana24
I tried holding the set accel down then turning the switch on for the cruise control.......... But now when I try to set it using this method, the cruise light on the instrument panel lights up and blinks, it does not hold a steady glow.......
I also tried this 'method' yesterday and much to my surprise the cruise light blinked as described above, however after I turned cruise off and back on I was able to set the cruise just fine!!!!

Alas, after turning the car off and trying it again sometime later it would not engage as normal. I tried the accel + switch method again, but it would simply blink this time. No matter how many times I tried to set it like normal or using the accel+switch method.

Soooooo, I don't know that I'm any better off than before, but I do know that my cruise control works/worked if only for a brief time. Anyone with ideas on how to help please lmk.
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 06:29 AM
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so you wanna cruise huhhhhh
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 06:37 AM
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Originally Posted by laylow1988
so you wanna cruise huhhhhh
you have more than 15 posts...you don't have to post things like that
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 07:52 AM
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Not to be redundant, but you said you don't have two lines under your hood? There should be two wires that run parallel to each other. One being the throttle cable that goes to the throttle body and then the cable wire right next to it that attaches to the throttle body as well. there should be a black hockey puck thing that the parallel wire plugs into. That is the vacuum canister. My cruise didn't work because I forgot to plug that back in after doing some work under the hood. Make sure you have verified that there are two lines and nothing is hanging loose.
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 11:34 AM
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I don't know how long the car "remembers" how fast to cruise at, so after awhile I assume it clears the cruise memory.The problem is that if it clears the memory, and you press cruise, the car has no speed, thus , an error.Why would you use it in everyday traffic?

Cruise should only used on long highway trips anyways.

Will consult owner's manual for further info
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by ArcticW
I don't know how long the car "remembers" how fast to cruise at, so after awhile I assume it clears the cruise memory.The problem is that if it clears the memory, and you press cruise, the car has no speed, thus , an error.Why would you use it in everyday traffic?

Cruise should only used on long highway trips anyways.

Will consult owner's manual for further info
It clears the "memory" after you turn the cruise off or turn the car off.

I use cruise control a lot of times when other then long highway trips. I use it to avoid getting tickets in the speed trap areas around my house.
Old Nov 23, 2005 | 09:39 AM
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Originally Posted by I30tMikeD
If your a 5spd, Check the sensor down at the clutch pedal. There is a small push type sensor that the clutch would press against when engaged (pedal out). If the sensor is not being pushed in when the clutch is out then adjust the sensor accordingly.
Ok, I finally check this last night when I was riping some rigged up alarm out of the car lastnight. Everything was fine, the clutch pedal was pusing up against that button. I checked on my 98 (cruise works) and the set up looked the same. So whats next if the vacuum hoses are hooked up to the black thing on the fire wall?
Old Dec 15, 2005 | 04:53 PM
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pressing the buttons around worked for me and it works fine now... i dont know if thats what fixed my problem but i guess cruise controll just gets old and stops working prop.
Old Dec 15, 2005 | 06:57 PM
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someone's gotta have a logical answer. Is it fixed cardana?
Old Dec 16, 2005 | 05:57 AM
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no mine is not fixed. I am hoping someone can suggest, something other than vacuum lines and the button on the clutch pedel
Old Dec 16, 2005 | 07:00 AM
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you know I've done a search a while back. I was determined to figure it out what was the problem... But i think nissan did a bad job on the wires for our cruise control. that the problem we are all having is broken wiring that is malfunctioning, becasue all hard wear workd fine....

Can someone do a wiring hardness testing, on their bad cruise control cars. to see any problems...?
Old Dec 16, 2005 | 07:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Guinader
you know I've done a search a while back. I was determined to figure it out what was the problem... But i think nissan did a bad job on the wires for our cruise control. that the problem we are all having is broken wiring that is malfunctioning, becasue all hard wear workd fine....

Can someone do a wiring hardness testing, on their bad cruise control cars. to see any problems...?
do you know where the wires are? I can at least check to see if anything is obvious.
Old Dec 16, 2005 | 09:46 PM
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bumpit up again
Old Dec 17, 2005 | 07:58 AM
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i fixed mine

My cruise was broke when i got my Max. Same symptoms you describe, switch light would work, but couldn't set the cruise. Actually i had 2 issues with my 96SE when i got it. The Speed senor was throwing the CEL and no cruise, i thought it was related. So i replaced the sensor, reset computer and CEL went out, but still no cruise. I checked the manual to see the wiring and how it works. Once I confirmed that all the wiring had continuity, I talked to a nissan tech and he told me the following

1. Confirm the switches at the brake and clutch pedals were operational and funtioning correctly. (I even disconnected them and jumped them with a paper clip.

2. Ensure continuity from speed sensor to computer, and from computer to speedometer.

3. If all above check out, replace speedo head.

Thats exactly what i did. My brother-in-law happen to total his max the week before and I snagged his speedo and low and behold, the cruise worked. Mind you, my speedo worked perfect even before i changed out the speedo, when the cruise didnt work. The tech told me that the actual signal from the speedo head wasnt making back to the computer. My dad's 96 I30 just went through the same thing about a month ago. He got a used speedo cluster and cruise now works. At least thats what worked for us.
Old Dec 17, 2005 | 10:58 AM
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I swapped out my my whole cluster b/c the old one's odo wasnt working. Cruise stopped working right after the cluster swap, makes sense. Can i swap the speedo head from the old cluster? What exactly is the speedo head?
Old Dec 17, 2005 | 02:40 PM
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speedo head

You can remove the speedometer portion from the right side of the cluster. You can purchase a new one from a dealer, although they are quite expensive. I dont think a junk yard would remove it from a cluster.

When i found out that my bro-in-law worked, i actually removed it from his cluster and put it in mine. I have a SE with white gauges and didnt want to swap to his GXE style cluster. Its a little tricky and i ended up ruining the original speedo head from my car, as the spedometer would no longer tell you how fast you were going. Didnt matter to him as his car was toast.

Check out the FAQ or how to's about changing the gauge faces and you'll have an idea on how to remove the speedo head from the cluster. The tricky part is the needle. Other than that, its relatively easy.
Old Dec 17, 2005 | 03:46 PM
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Interesting. My cruise is having the same ordeal. I guess a cluster swap is now added to my list of things to do.
Old Dec 18, 2005 | 09:55 AM
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Originally Posted by cciardi
You can remove the speedometer portion from the right side of the cluster. You can purchase a new one from a dealer, although they are quite expensive. I dont think a junk yard would remove it from a cluster.

When i found out that my bro-in-law worked, i actually removed it from his cluster and put it in mine. I have a SE with white gauges and didnt want to swap to his GXE style cluster. Its a little tricky and i ended up ruining the original speedo head from my car, as the spedometer would no longer tell you how fast you were going. Didnt matter to him as his car was toast.

Check out the FAQ or how to's about changing the gauge faces and you'll have an idea on how to remove the speedo head from the cluster. The tricky part is the needle. Other than that, its relatively easy.
do you know which wire/s are for the cruise on the back of the cluster? The reason I ask is because when I bought this car the previous owner did a cluster swap and it is all hacked up. I am wonding if he did not hook all of the wires back up.
Old Dec 18, 2005 | 03:15 PM
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As an alternative to this complicated wiring thing... When I first got my Max, I thought the cruise didn't work. When I pushed the "set" button, sometimes it worked and sometimes not. After awhile, I realized my problem. After I shifted into fifth gear, I would continue to rest my foot on the clutch pedal. This pushed the clutch sensor, and disabled the button. Now I rest my foot on the dead pedal, not the clutch, and the cruise always works. Just a thought.
Old Jul 17, 2006 | 10:01 AM
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I still have not gotten my cruise to work, and I saw someone posted a thread today, so I figured I would dig this thread back out. Its seems like all of my signs are pointing to a new speedo head/new cluster.

I replaced the clock spring on my car because my horn was not work, so I figured that may have been tied to my cruise problem. After I replaced the clock spring I got my horn back but cruise still does not work. When I push the cruise button below the instrument cluster the light comes on green, and when I push set cruise it does nothing, no blinking lights or anything. When I hold the set cruise and the activate the cruise button below the gauge cluster the green "Cruise" button will start blinking on the gauge cluster. To me this tells me that my switches are working. I don't know what else it could be other than the speedo head. I have already checked the switches on the back on my brake and clutch pedels.
Old Jul 17, 2006 | 12:30 PM
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I guess I'll join this post (didn't realize there was a post already started on this subject). I can't get a gauge "green signal" no matter what I do... no blinking, no nothing except switch shows green "on". I haven't done anything under hood or to gauge cluster to disturb any wires or hoses and it worked perfectly last time I used it approx 1-1/2 wks ago...WTF. Is there, or isn't there, a fuse or fusible link that could have blown?? Everything else electrical works perfectly, ie. horn, lights. I guess I'm not the only one with this problem and my 96 doesn't have nearly the mileage (106K) that speedo heads should be a "must replace" issue. I think someone has the real answer out there and every other car I've ever owned (that had cruise) had some type of (safety?)relay/fuse circuit since the throttle is set electrically and disengaged electrically with brake pedal. I hope someone helps all of us!!!!
Old Jul 17, 2006 | 12:36 PM
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Won't the speedo head show incorrect mileage when you change it? Or are you guys only changing a small component? I'd like to know because I do have a speedometer laying around from my parts car and I would defintly give this a wack if it would fix my cruise problem. Problem is...I have 180kmi on my speedo...the other car has 70kmi...so it's kind of obvious and I could get in trouble for odometer fraud?
Old Jul 17, 2006 | 07:30 PM
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crap i have the same problem.... the green light on the cruise control turns on but the crusie control light just blinks on and off when i try to use it... i have changed that stupid ASCD relay and nothing got fixed... WTF



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