AGrayson84
Active Member
Hi everyone, I've read up on several threads on this forum and across the internet about this issue, and can't seem to be able to pinpoint my problem. Almost 3 months ago I removed all of the bolts on my dash pulled it away from the firewall, as far as I could without disconnecting the steering column (I did drop the column from the dash, just didn't disconnect it from the steering shaft). I pulled my A/C plenum and replaced everything in/on it, and re-installed everything.
Either immediately after this, or after I replaced a both front brake lines and my master cylinder a week later, I lost my cruise control. It definitely worked before all of this. I see code P0581 (Cruise Control Multifunction Circuit High) when I check my DTC's, but this code is not illuminating the check engine light.
I've checked the fuses, done some of the procedures in my PC/ED CD, tried the self test, among other things, but no dice yet. All stereo and speed control buttons on the steering wheel light up at night time, and the stereo buttons work perfectly and so does the horn. But pressing the ON and SET + buttons on the car while driving over 30 MPH does nothing at all anymore.
When I attempt the self test, I have tried it with the parking brake engaged as well as disengaged, and I get no cruise control light on the instrument cluster after turning the ignition key on while holding the "OFF" button. Does this indicate a problem??????? In fact, without holding the OFF button, I simply get no speed control light on the dash at all when all the other instrument cluster lights (except high beam) come on for the couple of seconds after cycling the ignition key to the ON position. Not sure if the speed control light should light with the rest of the lights or not when turning the ignition on, but mine is definitely not lighting. I though maybe there was a bad bulb, but after removing the instrument cluster I found that there are no generic, incandescent bulbs you can twist out like on other vehicles.
I've checked the connections for the clock spring to ensure they are fully seated and there are no loose pins. I then removed the air bag and removed the steering wheel controls to clean them as I've read about doing, but there are no contacts on my to corrode nor clean. Just a couple of circuit boards with small buttons and LED's. And they look like they are brand new... no dirt, corrosion, rust, etc.
I check that the plunger to the left of the parking brake, for the cruise control, seems to be operating fine. I'll have to check to see if the circuit is opening and closing as it should later this week. I've also checked to make sure the secondary cruise control switch on the master cylinder (it was a Motorcraft unit, with brand new switch too) is connected and no loose wires.
I tried following the PC/ED troubleshooting guide, but after getting a bit of the way through troubleshooting for P0581 I found that guide to be very misleading. It starts with telling you to check circuit 151 (light blue / black) as well as 848 (dark green / orange) for voltage, and if both have voltage proceed to step C2, but if both don't have voltage then proceed to C4. Well, I later found that circuit 848 is ground, so it clearly shouldn't have voltage, so going to step C4 was not the right answer. Step C2 asks if any voltage is present. There is voltage present in circuit 151 (5 volts), and I later found that there is supposed to be voltage on this circuit with the key on, so the suggested short to voltage on this circuit, per the PC/ED, isn't accurate.
I have a digital multi-meter, and I also have FORScan on my phone as well as my Windows laptop. I'm not seeing anything I can do to try to read input from the cruise control switch, nor manually trigger the cruise control using the Input Control options on my laptop.... there doesn't seem to be an input control option for this. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I might be able to try to do next? I have some long road trips coming up next month and hoping to get this sorted out before then. I do have some piercing probes for my multimeter so I may have to start checking for a short between the steering wheel switch wiring and the wires going into the back side of the clock spring to see if there is a short in the clock spring. I can also back-probe the connectors on both ends of the clock spring and check for continuity that way. Is there anything I should expect to see voltage-wise on the light blue/black wire, or resistance-wise on the dark green/orange wire when pressing the ON button for the cruise control? What about the SET + button?? Any other ways to test the cruise control buttons for function? Any connector besides at the steering column (ie: behind/under the dash on the passenger side) that I may have left undone when re-installing the dash???? Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!
-Andrew
Either immediately after this, or after I replaced a both front brake lines and my master cylinder a week later, I lost my cruise control. It definitely worked before all of this. I see code P0581 (Cruise Control Multifunction Circuit High) when I check my DTC's, but this code is not illuminating the check engine light.
I've checked the fuses, done some of the procedures in my PC/ED CD, tried the self test, among other things, but no dice yet. All stereo and speed control buttons on the steering wheel light up at night time, and the stereo buttons work perfectly and so does the horn. But pressing the ON and SET + buttons on the car while driving over 30 MPH does nothing at all anymore.
When I attempt the self test, I have tried it with the parking brake engaged as well as disengaged, and I get no cruise control light on the instrument cluster after turning the ignition key on while holding the "OFF" button. Does this indicate a problem??????? In fact, without holding the OFF button, I simply get no speed control light on the dash at all when all the other instrument cluster lights (except high beam) come on for the couple of seconds after cycling the ignition key to the ON position. Not sure if the speed control light should light with the rest of the lights or not when turning the ignition on, but mine is definitely not lighting. I though maybe there was a bad bulb, but after removing the instrument cluster I found that there are no generic, incandescent bulbs you can twist out like on other vehicles.
I've checked the connections for the clock spring to ensure they are fully seated and there are no loose pins. I then removed the air bag and removed the steering wheel controls to clean them as I've read about doing, but there are no contacts on my to corrode nor clean. Just a couple of circuit boards with small buttons and LED's. And they look like they are brand new... no dirt, corrosion, rust, etc.
I check that the plunger to the left of the parking brake, for the cruise control, seems to be operating fine. I'll have to check to see if the circuit is opening and closing as it should later this week. I've also checked to make sure the secondary cruise control switch on the master cylinder (it was a Motorcraft unit, with brand new switch too) is connected and no loose wires.
I tried following the PC/ED troubleshooting guide, but after getting a bit of the way through troubleshooting for P0581 I found that guide to be very misleading. It starts with telling you to check circuit 151 (light blue / black) as well as 848 (dark green / orange) for voltage, and if both have voltage proceed to step C2, but if both don't have voltage then proceed to C4. Well, I later found that circuit 848 is ground, so it clearly shouldn't have voltage, so going to step C4 was not the right answer. Step C2 asks if any voltage is present. There is voltage present in circuit 151 (5 volts), and I later found that there is supposed to be voltage on this circuit with the key on, so the suggested short to voltage on this circuit, per the PC/ED, isn't accurate.
I have a digital multi-meter, and I also have FORScan on my phone as well as my Windows laptop. I'm not seeing anything I can do to try to read input from the cruise control switch, nor manually trigger the cruise control using the Input Control options on my laptop.... there doesn't seem to be an input control option for this. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I might be able to try to do next? I have some long road trips coming up next month and hoping to get this sorted out before then. I do have some piercing probes for my multimeter so I may have to start checking for a short between the steering wheel switch wiring and the wires going into the back side of the clock spring to see if there is a short in the clock spring. I can also back-probe the connectors on both ends of the clock spring and check for continuity that way. Is there anything I should expect to see voltage-wise on the light blue/black wire, or resistance-wise on the dark green/orange wire when pressing the ON button for the cruise control? What about the SET + button?? Any other ways to test the cruise control buttons for function? Any connector besides at the steering column (ie: behind/under the dash on the passenger side) that I may have left undone when re-installing the dash???? Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!
-Andrew