Technical Cruise Control Problem - 1.9 MultiJet 120

[CHBravo86]

Hi All,

Got a little cruise control problem. Long story short, i've just inherited my wifes Bravo as she has got a newer vehicle.

The car needs a little bit of work so basically I have been doing bits and bobs to the Bravo (cleaned EGR) general tidyup, checked fuses.

However one very annoying problem relating to the cruise control (which has apparently always been the case with this car since we got it second hand)

It will work in all gears absolutely fine. Apart from 5th gear (top gear on this model).

In 4th doing say 60mph - click cruise on, push leaver - engages straight away. Cut off cruise with clutch, press RES and resumes fine.

Change to 5th - press RES - nothing
Try to engage cruise when in 5th - nothing.

Works in 3rd gear, 4th gear just can't get it to engage in 5th, and to add a spanner to the works - I've linked it up to a friends diagnostic and it reads the vehicle is in 5th and cruise is on all parameters are the same.

So yeah, if anyone has any ideas whatsoever i'd be happy to try them out as when your doing a lonnnng motorway journey at 4am and nobodys around, cruise control is my friend

 

[neilshep]

Hi All,

Got a little cruise control problem. Long story short, i've just inherited my wifes Bravo as she has got a newer vehicle.

The car needs a little bit of work so basically I have been doing bits and bobs to the Bravo (cleaned EGR) general tidyup, checked fuses.

However one very annoying problem relating to the cruise control (which has apparently always been the case with this car since we got it second hand)

It will work in all gears absolutely fine. Apart from 5th gear (top gear on this model).

In 4th doing say 60mph - click cruise on, push leaver - engages straight away. Cut off cruise with clutch, press RES and resumes fine.

Change to 5th - press RES - nothing
Try to engage cruise when in 5th - nothing.

Works in 3rd gear, 4th gear just can't get it to engage in 5th, and to add a spanner to the works - I've linked it up to a friends diagnostic and it reads the vehicle is in 5th and cruise is on all parameters are the same.

So yeah, if anyone has any ideas whatsoever i'd be happy to try them out as when your doing a lonnnng motorway journey at 4am and nobodys around, cruise control is my friend

Cruise control uses the stalk on the steering column to turn on / set / restore, and that seems to be OK, as it works in 3rd and 4th gears. It uses the brake light switch to disengage cruise when you brake, and it uses a switch on the clutch pedal to detect gear changes.

What gear you are in is deduced from comparing road speed with engine revs, and the ECU gets stressy if you change gear without using the clutch. If road spped is constant, the revs change, but no clutch operation detected, it will disengage cruise control.

eLearn says there is a minimum speed of about 30mph for cruise to operate, and also a maximum. Do you have the speed warning beep set lower than the speed you change up to 5th?

If all works completely correctly in 3rd & 4th, then I might expect an ECU fault, or a software upgrade needed.

Was cruise factory fitted, or is it a user modification?

 

[CHBravo86]

Thanks NeilShep for your thoughts.

No speed warning is set higher than when I change up, for instance I can do 70in 4th and it works, change to 5th and it doesn't at same speed.

The cruise control is factory fitted as far as I am aware. We bought the vehicle with it, but the vehicle was second hand.

Is there a tell tale sign for an aftermarket system being fitted? If this isn't factory it's a good job

Chris

 

[neilshep]

Thanks NeilShep for your thoughts.

No speed warning is set higher than when I change up, for instance I can do 70in 4th and it works, change to 5th and it doesn't at same speed.

The cruise control is factory fitted as far as I am aware. We bought the vehicle with it, but the vehicle was second hand.

Is there a tell tale sign for an aftermarket system being fitted? If this isn't factory it's a good job

Chris

When I got my car, I had a choice of 3 cars, all 1.9multijet 120 Actives, two with cruise, one with steering controls. I chose the blue one, without cruise. The mod to add cruise is to fit a stalk from an Alfa 147, and if you are lucky the connector is there under the steering column shroud. The giveaway then may be that the original shroud is cut awy to goe round the cruise stalk. If I want to fit cruise, I need to run extra wiring from the stalk into connector 1 on the ECU. That would be obvious.

 

[CHBravo86]

Okay in that case this is defiantly factory fitted cruise. Which makes the issue even more bizarre. I think maybe a trip to the dealership is in order see what they find.

 

[Mckay254]

Did you ever get this fixed? I'm having the same issue, cruise control won't work in 5th gear.