Re: cruise control

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

The aliens commander decided cookiedan@domain.elided (Daniel Nees) would make a
perfect specimen for dissection, and he yelled...

>What could be wrong?

Dan,

There are a number of components that could be causing the problem, but it
would be impossible to diagnose via e-mail.  I'd recommend you carefully
study the section in the IH shop manual that deals with the cruise control
so you get a better understanding on how the system works.  That way, you
can formulate a plan of attack on trouble shooting.

For starters, there's a spring loaded plunger inside the cruise control box
(brain) that's supposed to shut off all vacuum to the diaphragm when the
unit is off.  If this plunger becomes contaminated, rusty or corroded
through age, it won't properly shut off the vacuum and the unit will be on
all the time.  Secondly, there are several electric switches,
electromagnets and valves inside the box that might also be broken or fused
together which could lead to run away operation or no operation at all.

The box can be opened and if you're handy as a tinkerer, it can be
refurbished and tested.  I'm not going to kid you though, it's a little
complicated and probably easier to simply buy a new low cost electronic
cruise control.  The Dana unit IH used is very crude by today's standards
and doesn't offer any advanced cruise control features.  There's only an
"ON" and "RESUME" feature... no way to bump the speed up or down, etc.

I rebuilt the unit on my Traveler a couple of years ago and it's
performance isn't anything to write home about.  It's just slightly better
than not having one at all.  I only installed itt because I think it's sort
of cool to have something original.  Other that I have no praise for the
thing.  It's even affected by atmospheric pressure.  It's ability to hold a
set speed when engaged will change as your altitude changes.  Sort of pain
in the a** on a long road trip.

Regards,

John L.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
jlandry AT halcyon DOT com      | 
Conservative Libertarian        |  "The road to  tyranny, we must never
Life Member of the NRA          |   forget, begins with the destruction
WA Arms Collectors              |   of the truth."
Commercial Helicopter - Inst.   |                     William J. Clinton
http://www.halcyon.com/jlandry/ |    10-15-95, speech at the Univ. of CT