Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2005 13:15:31 -0700
Reply-To: Rajesh Injety <wolfvanagon@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rajesh Injety <wolfvanagon@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Cruise Control - Slow to engage?
In-Reply-To: 6667
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Hey Robert...
Your cruise control sounds normal to me. Since the system uses vacuum rather than a cable linkage it works a little slower. What happens is that there is rubber bulb like thing-ee attached to the throttle body. That rubber bulb has a line that goes to a vacuum pump. The pump has a vacuum line that goes to plungers on the brake and clutch pedals. So what happens when you push down set button is the vacuum pump draws the air our of rubber bulb, which then hold the throttle at the position your foot was holding it at. Once you hit the brake or clutch pedal the vacuum in that hole system is broken. And, then the cruise control is off.
Anyways that is why it seem slow to engage. This is also why it takes a few seconds to speed up using the cruise control inputs.
If you push the set button (for just a second or so) and keep steady pressure (that doesn't mean mash the gas to the floor) on the accelerator you should feel the vacuum build and the accelerator pedal pull away from your foot slightly.
Also if there is some wear and thus play in the bushing for the clutch or brake pedals the cruise control would be turned off if the van was jarred hard enough.
This is probably more than you cared to know.
OH well to late now
Chow
Raj
1988 Wolfsburg Edition
Vanagon GL (Gretchen)
Robert Campbell <vanagon-rcampbell@USA.NET> wrote:
Hello All!
Question for those out there who have the factory Cruise Control.
On my '91 Carat I thought my cruise control was broken. I turn it on, press
the set button, nothing happened. Oh well, something additional for the list
o' repairs.... But, NO, not true... quite by accident I found that if I press
and HOLD the set button for a few seconds the cruise will engage.
It seems to engage very slowly -- in that you must press and hold for the
cruise to engage. Once set, though, it does hold speed. If I want to
accelerate, I press the button again -- again I must HOLD it in order for the
cruise control to actually start increasing the throttle.
Is this normal? Any suggestions on what I should look at?
I'm actually just happy that it works this well, but I'd like for it to be as
"normal" as possible. This will be handy as I'm taking a camping trip up the
road about 2 hours drive -- what a nice thing to find before a short trip.
Again, this is a '91 Carat with factory cruise control.
Thanks!
-Robert
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