Re: Aftermarket Cruise control

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

The aliens commander decided Scott Machalk <smachalk@domain.elided> would
make a perfect specimen for dissection, and he yelled...

>A while back, someone mentioned that the best solution to cruise control
>was to add a new aftermarket one instead of trying to fix the old one. I'll
>buy that.
>
>Has anyone here actually done this on a Scout? If so, what brand/model and
>how did you like the quality, ease of installation and how well did it work. 

Scott,

I haven't done this specifically on a Scout, but I have installed
electronic cruise controls on several other vehicles I've owned over the
years.  Installation is fairly simple, but it can be a little tedious
hooking up all the wires and keeping everything neat.  The whole ease of
installation thing depends on how the cruise determines the speed of the
vehicle.  Some will have you install magnets on the driveshaft with an
associated pickup on a bracket nearby.  This is very effective at
monitoring the actual vehicle speed no matter what gear you're in or
whether you have an automatic transmission.  Other models will attempt to
use the electrical impulses from the negative terminal of the coil.  This
might be simpler to hook up, but the best the cruise control will be able
to do is hold the *engine* at a fixed speed and not necessarily hold the
road speed.  Because of this, I'd pay particular attention to how the
aftermarket cruise control determines *vehicle* speed before you make your
choice.

All models will require some connection to the brake lights so it will know
to deactivate itself when you touch the brakes.  Then they all use either a
vacuum operated solenoid or an electrically operated solenoid to control
the throttle linkage on the carb.  If you have a stock cruise control now,
you might be able to get away with using your stock throttle solenoid
already there.

After installation, you usually go through some sort of brief sensitivity
adjustment procedure and then your all set!  Installation should take no
more than a weekend afternoon.

Regards,

John L.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
jlandry AT halcyon DOT com      | 
Conservative Libertarian        |  "The road to  tyranny, we must never
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Commercial Helicopter - Inst.   |                     William J. Clinton
http://www.halcyon.com/jlandry/ |    10-15-95, speech at the Univ. of CT