My cruise control stopped working and I dont know why. I can still turn it on and the green light comes on but it doesnt allow me to set the cruise... I am wondering if the switch panel is bad... or perhaps it's something else.

If anyone else has had this problem let me know plz.

 

With you owning a 95 Max, this question would be better posed in the 4th Gen Forum. With 46 K miles on my 04 SE, the only problem I've had with my cruise control is the fact that when going down a relatively long & steep hill, the system has a slight tendency to "burp" and not keep a constant speed.

 

I have no idea why the '95 Maxima cruise control stopped working.

I have never had satisfactory performance with cruise control in rolling or hilly terrain, and this goes back to the 1960s when I first had a vehicle with cc. Unfortunately, most of my interstate driving is done where the terrain is rolling or hilly.

The primary problem is the cruise control will not allow the car to use gravity to pick up momentum on a downgrade in order to require less gas climbing the upgrade which immediately follows. It tries very hard to maintain an exact speed, even to the point of using engine compression to hold the car back on downgrades. This is not fuel-efficient.

That is not a mechanical fault of the cruise control. It is something that could only be addressed by installing a system in the car which can 'see' the next hill, recognize such a situation, and compensate for it. Not practical.

Of course, the driver would have to have the ability to turn that function off if already travelling at the speed limit, as an increase in downhill momentum in that situation could mean a ticket.

 

I don't agree with "light" that a cruise control should "see" the next up-hill and compensate. It should keep the vehicle running smoothly in a narrow range of speed around the "set speed." The cruise in my 04 Max can not decide what to do when going down hill, so it does not keep a smooth speed, but jerks between getting some gas and getting no gas. It does fine on up-hills.

My 98 Olds Intrigue had a lousy transmission and the engine was not very sophistocated, but the cruise control would handle driving on up and down (rolling) hills -- such as I 26 between Columbia, SC and the NC line. It kept a smooth even speed in all conditions -- this is all you can ask of a cruise control -- not to see what is coming and compensate.

 

Silver Max - My post was meant as 'theory', as the cruise control 'seeing' the next hill is not practical. And this would cause other problems.

I was simply meaning to explain why cruise control does not work on freeways like I-85 from Atlanta to South Carolina, or I-75 from Atlanta to Tennessee, or I-40 in western NC. Or on many other rolling or hilly freeways in this area. It doesn't work because the freeways in this area (and in most areas anywhere near the Appalachian mountains) are both rolling and hilly, and rather full of cars and semis, few of which are using cruise control.

As a result, almost all the traffic gains speed up to around 70 to 75 mph (semis up to 80) on the downgrades, and gradually drops to 60 to 65 (semis down to 50) on the upgrades. Anyone using cruise control will be constantly passed on the downgrades and will end up trying to repass those same vehicles on the upgrades.

Believe me, I have fought this problem for forty years, and now don't even bother to try cruise control unless the road is somewhat level and the traffic somewhat light.

 

I too have a similar problem wherever the traffic is too heavy to even use cruise. On I 26 on a July Saturday driving from NC into Columbia, SC, the traffic is too heavy. But in SC, the speed is controlled such that even the big rigs don't try to pick up speed on the down-hills. So traffic there keeps pretty well to about 8 MPH over the limit, except on the steeper up-grades where the speed falls off, somewhat.

I find that my Max will cruise up hills better than other cars on the highway because of the somewhat lower gearing and the better torque of the VQ vs other car engines. Unless the other cars downshift (which a cruise control wall cause to happen in an auto-trannie), these cars can't maintain speed going up hill.

So, I guess I'm generally agreeing with your more complete explanation. Thanks.

 

SilverMax_04 - The ridiculous traffic in this area is the major reason I am so jealous of folks living in the Rockies and the Great Plains. I lived in Arizona for years long ago, and driving was such fun.

In the Atlanta area, driving is a nightmare. Driving north on I-85 toward SC, the interstate gradually drops from 8 lanes each way to 2 lanes each way, and the semis are strung out as far as the eye can see. They use both the (pitifully inadequate) two lanes. Driving becomes simply following the endless semis at speeds varying from 50 mph to 80 mph with every rise and fall of the terrain. And the horrible diesel fumes . . .

I saw a survey a week or so ago where folks were asked if they enjoyed driving. In 1990, 43% said yes. This year, in the same survey, 28% said yes.

I would guess that, by 2025, that number will be around 15%. And that 15% will probably live either on the Great Plains or in the Rockies.

I need to move.

 

Light--I sympathize with you, but don't know where you would escape to! Traffic seems to get worse each and every year. There are just too many cars on the road. Unfortunately, we live in a country that is too large to have effective public transportation, so everyone drives (I'd be interested to see some stats on the percentage of single occupant cars). And with budget cuts every year, road maintenance degrades as well. Hell, we can't even build new roads well (as demonstrated by the disaster known as "the big dig" here in Boston, where shoddy construction has led to the death of a woman and the subsequent closing of a multi billion dollar project).

Just a by product of our independence.

 

I have had no luck with electronics in this car, I wouldnt be suprised if cruise control broke too. Don't expect all the motorized or electronic features in this car to work for more than 1 year, its a crapshoot.

 

"light" (based on his earlier note) knows where the traffic is not so bad -- the Rocky Mountains (outside of big cities like Denver) and the Plains. When I drive due east out of Colorado Springs on CO 94, the traffic disappears about 25 miles out of town and I can continue driving on US 40 into Kansas all the way to the junction with I 70 (another 200 miles) before I see more than a few cars (or trucks) per mile -- and for stretches there are none.

I can drive west into the mountains on US 24 and once past Divide (the turn-off to the gambling at Cripple Creek = about 25 miles) the road goes from 2 lanes in each direction to a single lane and traffic falls off substantially. So long as you are not driving this road on a Friday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon in the summer (where you see weekend campers and vacationers) the traffic will be very light wherever you go.

If you go north or south, you will normally be driving on I-25, where the traffic is not that good. IMHO, there should be a minimum of 3 lanes in each direction between Pueblo (in the south) and Ft Collins (in the north), but there are long stretches where there are only 2. Going south, once past Peublo, the traffic is light (for an interstate) all the way to near Albuquerque. Going north, once past Cheyenne, WY, the same is true.
What you are describing is a result of political corruption and kick-backs and not necessarily the road-building abilities of contractors in this country. With enough money and proper engineering supervision, it is possible to build great roads anywhere in the USA.

I would suggest to "light" that he move to Colorado, but then that would defeat my purpose of moving here in 1998 -- to get out of the crowded Chicago area. Back in the early 60s, the population of Colorado Springs was about 100 K people. Now the population of the county we live in is just above 1/2 million people. Don't know of any city where the traffic is good -- but its nice to only have to drive about 25 miles to get away from that traffic.

 

SilverMax--you are spot on regarding the kickbacks and corruption regarding the Big Dig. What an embarrassment for Massachusetts! And of course other politicians (i.e. Romney) are trying to use this tragedy for political gain.
It makes me sick!

But I'm getting off topic.

Re/cruise control; I'm only comfortable using it in the rare instances that there is little traffic. It does seem to "surge".

 

I don't use cruise control, even on long drives. Kinda like the feel of the foot on the gas sorta thing...

 

Try driving the interstate highways of Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Western Missouri or Eastern Colorado. They are straight stretches with constant cruising. Your right foot will cramp (or go to sleep) due to no changes in position. Cruise is a must for these roads.

 

I'm beginning to remember why my favorite vacations are to the Rocky Mountain states . . .

My wife still tries to use cruise control on trips heading from Atlanta to Mobile, Meridian, etc, where the roads are flatter and the traffic just a tad lighter. Still, I can't help but notice how she is always having to engage and disengage the system due to traffic conditions.

I think we'll move to some remote north-south 'farm-to-market' road in western Texas. Or maybe Casper WY. A place where the wind blows free, and the sun always shines. Somewhere I can see fifty miles in either direction, and not a vehicle in sight.

The danger with that is my joy would be so great, and the pounding of pure pleasure in my chest so strong, my aorta would probably split wide open.

 

"light," I'm not certain you can handle the winters in Casper after living so long in the Atlanta area. It spoiled you for really cold winters. You are also correct about the winds around Casper -- they are always blowing -- which gets to be a drag after a while -- and is reported to cause Casper to have one of the highest suicide rates (per capita) in the nation.

I suggest that you consider moving to an area in the Rockies that have warmer winters, but where the Summers are not too hot. These are generally at higher elevations, so you need to have good lungs. Santa Fe (6989 ft) or Los Alamos (7355), NM; Durango (6523 ft) or Colorado Springs (6008 ft) or Boulder (5344 ft), CO would be the first locations you should consider. The further south you go, the warmer the winters and the higher you go the cooler the summers. I live in the foothills west of Colorado Springs at 7,200 feet and find that the temps here in the summer are cooler than in town by from 3 to 8 degrees and the winters are usually warmer than in town by the same difference. And the same temperature difference occurs between Colorado Springs and Pueblo (4662 ft) about 50 miles to the south.

 

not under 40mph or over 90mph right? i have no clue... it's a 95 enless possibilities

wait wait why is this still in the 6th gen forum,... hmmm

 

I thought the highest suicide rates were in Washington state.

 

Yes. There it is the endless rain that pushes people to it. In Casper, WY it is the endless wind (and bleak winters). But I did not say Casper was the highest, but one of the highest per capita.