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Tried to replace cc switches, now have more problems

ygofast

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October 3, 2009
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Year, Model & Trim Level
'99 XLT, 212K miles
1999 Explorer, 4.0L, RWD, 212K miles:

Our cruise control switches broke apart, so we decided to replace them. NOTE that they were working OK, just the plastic covers (what you press on) totally disintegrated.

In trying to remove the old wires from the old switches, one wire broke. So we had to go ahead and replace the whole wiring harness as well as the switches. This entailed pulling the steering wheel, etc. To run the wires around the wheel, we had to remove and replace the two "horn contacts" (left and right, big screws holding them down, don't know what they are really called).

We believe that we put everything back together just the way it was. HOWEVER . . . we obviously didn't.

My husband decided to test things out before putting the air bag/horn back on. When he turns the car on, the "Speed Cont" light just flashes. Doesn't change if we press the ON button for the cruise control. The cruise control does not work. If you press the OFF button, the horn honks. When my husband pressed the left horn switch, the horn honked and it blew the fuse for the instrument lights (after dark, the headlights were on).

Now we're home and he decided to put the air bag back on to see if that would stop the problems -- maybe some sort of sensor?? However, when he does that, as soon as he connects the battery back up, the horn honks. Actually, it honks repeatedly.

Any ideas of what we might have done wrong?? Or is a repair shop really our only bet at this point??

Those two "horn contacts" -- is there a right and left to them? Anything else that we could have put together backwards?

Our shop manual is of absolutely no help on any of this, has no photos that would help.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!
 






Sounds to me like the wiring was installed backwards on at least one of the cruise control switches. I had the same issue when I installed the wiring on the other switch with the set function on it. I can't tell you at this point which way the switches are supposed to go, but you'll need to flip them around some to make things work. It took me two tries to get it right the first time - one install had the horn blowing constantly right after you hooked the battery up, the other had one of the switches activating the horn.

Good luck!
 






Problem solved -- more info

First off, let me thank MNGopher and also aldive (different thread, how to replace the switches, helpful photo)!!

MN Gopher was right -- the cable on the ON/OFF side was upside down. If you're using the SW5928, note that the plastic bumps on the connectors go UP and the single wire (horn connection) is towards the top of the wheel. That's the correct configuration on both the left and right sides.

Second, I HIGHLY recommend that you take digital photos at every step of this repair. Every time you're about to pull a connector off or take a screw out, take a photo first. You may not need them all, but we would have killed for a few good photos.

Third, it's very easy to screw up a connector in pulling it apart. You need to work slowly and carefully, giving a steady pull and not a jerk. We found that my smaller hands were better suited to this than my husband's -- I've also done more mucking around with computer connections than my husband and am more familiar with this type of a connector.

Fourth, before beginning on the car side of things, take a photo of the switches and the wiring harness. Then disconnect the wiring from the switches. Doing it on the set that aren't in the car first will make it much easier to do the set that are in the steering wheel and aren't as easy to see.

Fifth, if you're like us and end up having to take the wheel off, be sure to take photos of how the cables are run around the wheel. And note that when you put it all back together, you have to make sure that no cables are pinched.

Okay, so it only took us 12 hours to do a 30-minute repair. I wanted to post photos to help someone else like we were helped by this board. But since I'm not an elite member, I can't. If you need photos, send a note to ygofast (at) 123mail (dot) net. Please, no spam!

It's time for a beer! And we'll toast you, MNGopher (even if we are MSU Spartan fans . . .)
 






Glad it worked out for you - I know I really enjoyed trying turning a 1/2 hour project into a drawn out ordeal figuring out what I did wrong! Way too easy to force those wiring connections together backwards, isn't it! The fun of having the horn start blaring whenyou reconnect the battery in a closed garage was a nice touch too :).

No problem with MSU fans - Now Iowa, that's another story...

:D
 






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