Ok..so the cruise wouldn't work the other day and I noticed some scraping/grinding noises from the colum area.. My horn still works though.. So without dropping 150 bucks on a new clockspring hoping that is the answer. What test can be done to ensure that is the problem... Also, how can you tell if it is really broken or not?? Thanks

 

Test for continuity at the plug under the column to the switches. Also do you have any junk yards with early 90's caravans? If so you can get one from there, I did, just cut the big wire for the air bag flush and didn't use it.

 

Ok..I turned the key on.. Have pwr at the plug coming from the colum that plugs into the clockspring. Have pwr there.. Then plugged it in to the clockspring. checked the plug that comes out of the clockspring and I have pwr there... So maybe the clockspring is ok??

 

Not necessarily, as when mine went bad the horn still worked, but the other smaller wires for the cruise broke. You need a multi meter that checks resistance/continuity and a FSM. The FSM will tell you which wires at the connector need to have continuity with the corresponding switch terminal.

 

I need to seriously take an electrical class!! I have a nice multimeter, but don't exactly know how to use it properly

I'm more of a test light kinda guy, got pwr...good to go!!!

 

Its really not that hard, the biggest thing is knowing which wires at that plug correlate to the wires at the switches. And its been a while since I diagnosed mine, but the FSM really walks you through step by step to diagnose a faulty cruise.

But it you're hearing noises and can pick one up cheap from a junk yard caravan, it'd be an easy cheap way to fix it, probably.

 

ok, broke out the old manual and figured out the little horseshoe thingy is the continuity deal and performed the switch test and that all checks out ok, checked the plug that goes into the servo, that was good.. Then put a vacum guage on the servo and didn't get nothing... But Maybe I didn't have it in the right spot.. It said to hook it up at the end of the servo... But it probably has to be in line.. i'm gonna go check that again..

Plenty of Vacum, had it hooked up wrong

 

You also might check that the switches themselves are good and making contact when switched.

Glad you found the "horse shoe" looking thing on your multimeter. haha

 

If you have crunchy noises and the cruise is dead, it's the clockspring.

 

Hmm... one of these days I chould yank the wheel on my 92... No cruise, but the horn works... LOL The clockspring has been replaced once for sure though, found the sticker that held it together stuck to the floor beneath the carpet LOL...

 

do what I did. Go buy a steeing wheel puller for like $8 and just pull the wheel off and remove the clockspring. Only takes like 10-15 minutes. Once the clock spring is out, pop the cover and have a look to see if it's broken.

My horn worked but cruise didn't. I'm in the process of getting a new clock spring at the moment. I'm not buying locally though, a new clock spring from the *********** in town is over $260 :thud: I'll probably buy one from the states and save a few bucks. Over $260 for a frickin clock spring is the most retarded thing I've ever heard.

 

Im going to the salvage yard in the morning, what yr caravan will work?? I'm hoping to find a 92-93 dodge with tilt and cruise.. There has to be one at this place.. I hope!!

 

I just go to the pick-n-pull, so I just walk around pulled some steering wheels from caravans until I found one that looked right. So I don't exactly remember what year it was, but it must have been in the 89-93 vintage. I just had to cut off the one extra large yellow wire that the caravan used for the air bag, but other than that i'm pretty sure it had the right plugs.

Aaron

 

when the pendalum stops its a busted spring........ ha ha ha

 

Well, went to the salvage yard this morning and pulled a clockspring from a 91 truck with CC.. had to change the plug.. Hooked it up, no more scraping noise but no cruise.. So I ran a bunch of jumper wires from the plug that goes to the clockspring to the switch for the cc and it worked like a charm.. So I got a bad one AT the salvage yard I guess.. So then I called another place and they had a column from a 91 Caravan.. 50 bucks, so I went home, had to change the plug again, then it worked like a charm.. Just got to my destination.. 220 miles with a good working cruise.. Thanks Aaron for the lead on the caravan, it seems they are easily optained over the almight trucks!!

Just need to work on some better fuel mileage, 17 mpg on the way over at 70-75mph.. Not bad I guess with 4.10 gears.. I'm hoping to get 19 with some new injectors!!