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Speed Conrol 88 Town Car

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    #1

    Speed Conrol 88 Town Car

    The cruise stopped working in my Lincoln in 2007 and I haven't been able to get it working since.
    I fixed it on other boxes by fixing the ground wire from the control module to the firewall/LH fender area but that seems to be OK on mine.
    Anybody successfully fixed inoperative cruise control on their boxes or have any ideas as to what I should look for?
    Summer car-> 1988 Lincoln Town Car, triple blue, 335,xxx km. New HO 5.0 in and running. Bought 2006/08/22. June 2017 PotM!
    Winter vehicle-> 1995 Ford F-250 XLT SuperCab 4x4, 284,xxx+km. AKA "Brutus" 460/E4OD/4.10 axles and 12 MPG. Bought 2019/08/14

    Originally posted by phayzer5
    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers
    Tags: None
    #2
    sometimes the servo is dead... but check to make sure it's getting good vacuum first.

    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
    rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
    Originally posted by gadget73
    ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
    Originally posted by dmccaig
    Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

    Comment

      #3
      The dump valve on the break pedal is a common one. It often gets knocked out of adjustment or causes a vacuum leak

      1989 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series | 249k miles, current project car
      2018 BMW 430i xDrive M-Sport | 50k miles
      2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport | 97k miles

      Comment

        #4
        also the clock spring contacts are another source of frustration as well as the buttons themselves. I don't know of any good way to clean the buttons, but the clock spring just requires cleaning the contacts that are accessible with the steering wheel removed.

        Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
        rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
        Originally posted by gadget73
        ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
        Originally posted by dmccaig
        Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

        Comment

          #5
          you can pull the buttons out of there and take them apart. 2 screws on the back of each one through the wheel itself, and the button assembly pushes out of the wheel. The buttons will pop out of the assembly with very careful use of a small screwdriver or pick. Once those are out, flush it out with contact cleaner. I can't remember if you can actually get a piece of paper slid in there to polish the contacts or not.


          If the horn doesn't work, fix that first. The power for the cruise buttons comes off the horn circuit. I'd also check the vac dump valve. If you aren't feeling like a contortionist, you can get to the line under the hood. On the cruise servo, there is a hose that goes from one side of the servo to the other, with a tee in the middle of it. The line on that tee that vanishes into the firewall is the vacuum dump valve. If it won't hold vacuum, the cruise won't work. Could be a bad valve, or just out of position. I don't know of a source for replacement valves either.
          86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
          5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

          91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

          1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

          Originally posted by phayzer5
          I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

          Comment

            #6
            I'll check the vacuum stuff first. My horn was not working properly but it is now. The offending part there was the wire that connects the slips rings in the wheel to the column itself, between the wheel and the ignition lock cylinder. It was severed from the tilt wheel going up and down (I put the wheel up when getting in and out of the car, but put it down in my lap for driving).
            I know I have vacuum to the servo itself, as I have checked this already. I'll check the dump valve out and see where that takes me.
            Summer car-> 1988 Lincoln Town Car, triple blue, 335,xxx km. New HO 5.0 in and running. Bought 2006/08/22. June 2017 PotM!
            Winter vehicle-> 1995 Ford F-250 XLT SuperCab 4x4, 284,xxx+km. AKA "Brutus" 460/E4OD/4.10 axles and 12 MPG. Bought 2019/08/14

            Originally posted by phayzer5
            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

            Comment

              #7
              I think you can check button function if you locate the lightblue/black wire going into the engine control module or coming out of the column. Positive multimeter lead to that wire and negative to ground. You should get a slight positive voltage when you press on. For the other buttons switch to ohms. Off will be 0ohms, resume will be 2,200ohms, set/accel 680ohms, coast 120ohms. Not sure if the ECM staying connected will vary the ohm readings or not but should tell you if the buttons are not working at all at least.
              sigpic
              89 LTC 429>557 Cobrajet stroker
              13 F-150 XLT 6.2 l
              "If I could separate what's real from what I've been dreaming I could live to fight another day"

              Comment

                #8
                Fixed. Turns out it was the vacuum dump valve alongside the brake pedal was out of place.
                Put it back where it belongs and cruise works like a champ again now.
                Summer car-> 1988 Lincoln Town Car, triple blue, 335,xxx km. New HO 5.0 in and running. Bought 2006/08/22. June 2017 PotM!
                Winter vehicle-> 1995 Ford F-250 XLT SuperCab 4x4, 284,xxx+km. AKA "Brutus" 460/E4OD/4.10 axles and 12 MPG. Bought 2019/08/14

                Originally posted by phayzer5
                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                Comment

                  #9
                  Congrats! Mine stopped working when the horns were on the fritz, figured out the buttons get power from that as well before stumbling on this thread...
                  1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                  1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Something 86vickylx and I learned last weekend, the brake lights must also work in order for the cruise to function. They can't be LED either, at least not on an 87- or a 91-95. I don't know 88-90, but the other years look for a lack of ground condition to drop out the cruise. Basically unless the bulbs are there and working, the cruise module thinks you are on the brakes and will not engage the cruise control. With John's car, we fixed it by converting the third brake light back to regular lamps and that made the cruise work again.
                    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                    Originally posted by phayzer5
                    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Hmm. One of those things that make sense once you think about it but not something you consider when troubleshooting until all other options are exhausted. I do have a habit of thinking, "What changed?" whenever something stops working. Like my horns, which seemed to have died right after my 3G swap. Don't know how or why, death just happens at random sometimes I guess.
                      1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                      1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Not anything I'd have thought of either, but there is a ground circuit test in the shop manual. It failed, and that was about the time we put together the fact that he had changed the lamps to LED. Honestly I'd have never thought to design the thing to look for a ground state in order to run the cruise, I'd have set it up to look for positive voltage to drop it out. Maybe that logic was easier to make a controller work with or something.
                        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                        Originally posted by phayzer5
                        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                        Comment

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