Electrical Gremlin

[O'Rattlecan]

1994 F-150

When I'm crusing down the highway, cruise control engaged, I'm a happy camper.

When I'm passing someone on the highway and use my left blinker to go around and the cruise disengages, I am unhappy.

What kind of issues could this be? The problem actually used to be when I used my right blinker, but then the problem disappeared. It then moved over to the left blinker. Ideas?

This is why I don't like computerized stuff in my big mechanism.

Ryan

 

[Skandocious]

Dude!!! My truck does this too sometimes!! Only sometimes; its not consistent at all. Sometimes it'll also make my truck drop momentarily out of gear and the RPMs will climb a bit before setting back down. WTF?

 

[6L PWR]

Sounds like an electrical short in the column somewhere.

 

[O'Rattlecan]

I'm wondering if it has to do with one of the computers. It seemed that the right blinker issue was cleared up when I grounded out my EEC (or whatever it's called). Is this tied to a much larger problem like one of the computers going bad, or is it a short like Todd said?

Any of you experts seen this?

Ryan

 

[Bob Ayers]

Check and make sure you have the correct bulb P/Ns for the stop/turn lights, and that they are all working correctly.

 

[blacksnapon]

There has been numerous issues with the wiring in the column (especially if you have tilt). Pull the dress panels off the column, and look at the wiring on the top. Sometimes it will be stretched tight enough, that the plugs in the switches will partially pull out. I've had them get caught in the tilt and short out.

 

[bowtiehatr]

if it only happens when you activate a turn signal, check your bulbs (remove them and look at them) like bob said. any back feed on the BOO circuit will turn the cruise off because it saw a voltage drop in the line. make sure you shake the bulb because the filament could be broken and making contact when and where it wants to (brake light circuit).

also, are you using led bulbs in the rear? there have been issues of voltage issues when using led lights.

 

[Skandocious]

I'll check into that. No LED lights over.

Any explanation to why it would make my RPMs ramp up for a second and then settle back down?

 

[O'Rattlecan]

no LED's here either. don't have the rpm problem, but I'll check the wire harness seating.

Ryan

 

[Skandocious]

I guess this topic kind of fizzled...

But now that I know a bit more about the torque converter clutch, I've made an observation. Not only does this disable the cruise control when I use the right turn signal-- it also disengages my torque converter clutch. This would explain the ramp in RPMs that I mentioned in post #8. The TCC is designed to disengage when the brakes are depressed (try holding the gas and touching the brake at highway speeds), so this indicates to me that something in the brakes circuit is being tripped when the right turn signal goes on.

I'm going to pull the column cover and check wiring and also check the rear right break light bulb when I stop being lazy I'll report back whenever that happens.


Oh and just to clarify... This ONLY happens with my right turn signal and only SOMETIMES does it. When I made the trip to Stockton, it disengaged my cruise and my TCC every time I used the right turn signal. Then on my trip from Newcastle-to-Davis I used my right turn signal a lot and it never did it once... Very strange.