Aftermarket Cruise Control Systems
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 8
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From: Cocoa Beach FL USA
Aftermarket Cruise Control Systems
Has anyone tried to install an aftermarket cruise control kit? I am looking at a kit made by audiovox it costs about $90 vs the ford factory kit which costs $325. If anyone has installed an aftermarket kit please let me know how the install went, ie problems etc. Thankyou
Member
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Plano, Texas, USA
tshank,
I installed an Audiovox cruise control on my '93 Nissan truck. What a let-down it was. I was fixing to move 1500 miles from CA to TX, fully loaded with girlfriend and beagle, and the contraption let me down in the midst of the desert.
At first, I found a bad ground (my fault) which I fixed, and also tightened a vacuum line. It worked wonderfully for a while, then would "fall off" if I hit a bump or sharp rise in the road. It got so I couldn't trust it to maintain any decent speed. I fiddled with it some more, and then it resorted to an annoying surging...speed up/slow down...which was even more aggravating.
Re: the installation of the unit..ease, etc. It wasn't all that hard to install, but I had to go the library to get a diagram on the Nissan's wiring so I could find the speed sensor wire coming from the truck's computer. The computer itself was underneath the passenger seat, which I had to remove. Then I had to pray the diagram was right and that I tapped the right wire. I did, but that wasn't the most enthralling part of the install.
Also, on the Nissan, the cruise unit itself, which mounts somewhere on the firewall, uses a cable to work the throttle, and a chain that attaches to the cable end, which is supposed to attach to the accelerator cable, and share it. Audivox packs a few adapter kits for various throttle body configurations, and one of them did work for the Nissan. It was a throttle body injection engine, the new Fords are multi-port, and I haven't pulled the box over the body yet to see if the linkage is the same.
So, needless to say, I'm wary of the Audiovox, (my experience with it dates from 1995) as it's a generic box, and I'm not sure if it will adapt to the throttle bodies on our F trucks. (does anyone know if it will?)
You might want to visit a local junk yard and see if any wrecked-out XLT's or Lariats are around, and get a cruise from one of them. Of course, that would also entail a steering wheel change.
Last resort is to bite the bullet and get the Ford factory unit, and try to save a few bucks by installing it yourself.
Hope this helps...
------------------
Cam
'98 F-150 SC XLT, 4.6L, Bright Red, Red Spray-in Liner, Extang Soft Tonneau, Ford Bug Guard, K&N filter, contemplating Airaid/Superchip
"The Red Neck Snapper"
[This message has been edited by Crazy C (edited 07-18-1999).]
I installed an Audiovox cruise control on my '93 Nissan truck. What a let-down it was. I was fixing to move 1500 miles from CA to TX, fully loaded with girlfriend and beagle, and the contraption let me down in the midst of the desert.
At first, I found a bad ground (my fault) which I fixed, and also tightened a vacuum line. It worked wonderfully for a while, then would "fall off" if I hit a bump or sharp rise in the road. It got so I couldn't trust it to maintain any decent speed. I fiddled with it some more, and then it resorted to an annoying surging...speed up/slow down...which was even more aggravating.
Re: the installation of the unit..ease, etc. It wasn't all that hard to install, but I had to go the library to get a diagram on the Nissan's wiring so I could find the speed sensor wire coming from the truck's computer. The computer itself was underneath the passenger seat, which I had to remove. Then I had to pray the diagram was right and that I tapped the right wire. I did, but that wasn't the most enthralling part of the install.
Also, on the Nissan, the cruise unit itself, which mounts somewhere on the firewall, uses a cable to work the throttle, and a chain that attaches to the cable end, which is supposed to attach to the accelerator cable, and share it. Audivox packs a few adapter kits for various throttle body configurations, and one of them did work for the Nissan. It was a throttle body injection engine, the new Fords are multi-port, and I haven't pulled the box over the body yet to see if the linkage is the same.
So, needless to say, I'm wary of the Audiovox, (my experience with it dates from 1995) as it's a generic box, and I'm not sure if it will adapt to the throttle bodies on our F trucks. (does anyone know if it will?)
You might want to visit a local junk yard and see if any wrecked-out XLT's or Lariats are around, and get a cruise from one of them. Of course, that would also entail a steering wheel change.
Last resort is to bite the bullet and get the Ford factory unit, and try to save a few bucks by installing it yourself.
Hope this helps...
------------------
Cam
'98 F-150 SC XLT, 4.6L, Bright Red, Red Spray-in Liner, Extang Soft Tonneau, Ford Bug Guard, K&N filter, contemplating Airaid/Superchip
"The Red Neck Snapper"
[This message has been edited by Crazy C (edited 07-18-1999).]
