Cruise Control adventures

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The cruise control in my 92 OCC would not engage properly, and would drop off at random. I followed the service bulletin, and soldered the 390 ohm resistor across the A (yellow wire) an F (black wire) pins in the blue connector at the D pillar, and it now works properly. As far as I know only the 92s and 93 were affected by this bulletin.

Can you post a scan of this bulletin or say which D pillar? My OCC has the same issue and it'd be nice to get it fixed.

D Pillar?

What the hell is that circuit interconnected to that it gets a resistor back almost to the rear gate?

Driver's side D pillar. The CC is grounded through the CHMS. I do not ask why, I just follow the service bulletin, and write it off to GM engineering. If you need a resistor, I had to buy 20. I have 19 left. I will sell them for $1.50 shipped.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

. I do not ask why, I just follow the service bulletin, and write it off to GM engineering.

Priceless.

Now you tell me....

my cruise control does not work at all. neither does my 3rd brake light... havent worked since i bought the wagon back in December...havent been able to figure it out...

Check the upper switch on the brake pedal. It operates both of them. One side breaks the contacts and the other makes the contacts. It could be the ground for the switch as well.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Check the upper switch on the brake pedal. It operates both of them. One side breaks the contacts and the other makes the contacts. It could be the ground for the switch as well.

10-4, thanks Fred, i will check it. i jut did a quick search and saw some on ebay for $10 shipped, cheaper than rockauto. i bought one just now. throw it in my spare parts bin if thats not the problem...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/D895A-ACDELCO-STOP-BRAKE-LAMP-SWITCH-/370544353239?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item56462a1fd7&vxp=mtr

Olds Weighty Eight wrote:

Can you post a scan of this bulletin or say which D pillar? My OCC has the same issue and it'd be nice to get it fixed.

Quote :

INTERMITTENT/NO CRUISE CONTROL - REPLACE CHMSL BULB #92-8-160 - (07/15/1992)

SUBJECT: INTERMITTENT OR NO CRUISE CONTROL OPERATION (REPLACE CHMSL BULB, ADD RESISTOR ON WAGONS)

VEHICLES AFFECTED: 1992-93 "B" CARS CHEVROLET CAPRICE SEDANS AND WAGONS OLDSMOBILE CUSTOM CRUISER WAGON BUICK ROADMASTER SEDANS AND WAGONS

CONDITION:

---------- The cruise control system may not operate on the 1992-93 B-cars. On wagons, the cruise control may be intermittent, may drop out while driving, or may fail to engage.

CAUSE:

------ The ground for the brake switch signal to the cruise control module (part of the stepper motor assembly) goes thru the Center High Mounted Stop Lamp (CHMSL). If the stop lamp bulb is burned out, there will be no ground path for the cruise control. On wagons, the contacts for the CHMSL on the tailgate glass may corrode, causing intermittent operation. Adding a resistor will allow a ground through the brake switch without going through the bulb.

CORRECTION:

----------- On both sedans and wagons, check for operation of the CHMSL bulb. If the bulb is burned out, replace it. This should correct the inoperative cruise condition.

WAGONS ONLY:

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

2. Remove the left rear quarter trim panel, as shown in Section 10-7 of the Service Manual.

3. Locate the blue 8-way connector (C405), as shown in Figure 1. Find the yellow wire in cavity A, and the black wire in cavity F. The complete circuit is shown on page 8A-110-4 of the Service Manual.

4. Obtain a 390 ohm, 2 watt, 5 percent resistor from a local electronics supply store. Splice the resistor from the yellow wire to the black wire, as shown in Figure 2. Be sure to solder the connections, then tape the wires.

5. Reinstall the trim panel, then reconnect the negative battery cable.

For vehicles repaired under warranty use:

Labor Operation: N-0768, Time: 0.2 Hr. CHMSL Bulb Only Time: 0.3 Hr. To add the Resistor


General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit

I did the mod, and my cruise control still does not work right. The first time I tried to engage it, it worked, but since then, it is still disengaging. I am going to troubleshoot it one of these days. I changed the control box, the turn signal arm, and the brake switch, to no avail. I believe I am looking at a connector issue, or maybe I got a bad control box.

An intermittent anywhere in the bulb circuit would be the equivalent of a bad bulb.

Funny story about my experience with this problem: My 92 was only a few years old when the cruise started cutting out. I had the car in to the dealer for another issue and asked the CC be repaired under the extended warranty at the same time. The warranty expressly covered the "cruise control system". GM's warranty people balked at the repair, as the warranty excluded wiring issues "not specifically included". We had quite an argument over the telephone; my position was that the word "system" encompassed all portions that could impair operation, including the wiring by definition, and that they could not therefore limit the coverage to specific components. The CSR stubbornly held that they would cover a fault with any component save wiring. Finally I told her it was obvious that we would have to agree to disagree and let the lawyers settle it. 15 minutes later, they called back and agreed with my interpretation. It was only after the repair that I learned that all this fuss was over a 15¢ resistor I could have installed myself in less time than the argument lasted!

The cruise control worked flawlessly for the rest of the car's life.

I had another car where the problem was one of the tiny wires between the switch on the turn signal stalk and the column harness. It broke internally from the repeated flexing as the signal lever was operated over many years. That was easier to figure out though: the cruise consistently quit whenever you changed lanes to the left ;-)

Well, I'll have to give the resistor a whirl as the cutting out issue is an annoyance. I'll also go over all the connectors back there too because it always drops out going over bumps.

The cutting out going over bumps may well be corroded contacts to the brake light on the glass. That's what the resistor compensates for.

I have a bunch of the resistors for $3 each shipped.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Driver's side D pillar. The CC is grounded through the CHMS. I do not ask why, I just follow the service bulletin, and write it off to GM engineering. If you need a resistor, I had to buy 20. I have 19 left. I will sell them for $1.50 shipped.

Doubling the price on us already?

Flasheroo wrote:

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Driver's side D pillar. The CC is grounded through the CHMS. I do not ask why, I just follow the service bulletin, and write it off to GM engineering. If you need a resistor, I had to buy 20. I have 19 left. I will sell them for $1.50 shipped.

Doubling the price on us already?

he made a funny!!!

whats the cost if you hand it to me at wagonfest?? LOL.

Sorry about that, I was figuring on a different packaging that costs me almost $2. At wagonfest $1.

swapped the brake light switch with a brand new one but still no dice on the 3rd brake light. next thing i will do is swap out the 3rd brake light fixture with one my buddy grabbed from the JY. the pic below is the contacts on my current fixture... these are really bad off, i think.

You can swap just the part with the contact pads. Check the springs on the plungers on the gate as well.

put in resistor I got from Fred at WF--and my cruise works for first time in my 93RMW--just drove 1200 miles to New Orleans and back--nice to have cruise---thanks a million Tom W

Dammit, I forgot to have Fred bring me one while at wagonfest.

udownwitk wrote:

Dammit, I forgot to have Fred bring me one while at wagonfest.

I had a whole bunch of them, and you could have had one for $1.

Comes with 19 spares, delivered to your door for $1.28:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1w-Watt-390-R-Ohm-Metal-Film-Resistor-20-Pcs-IUK-/131113009502?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e86f1c15e

buickwagon wrote:

Comes with 19 spares, delivered to your door for $1.28:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1w-Watt-390-R-Ohm-Metal-Film-Resistor-20-Pcs-IUK-/131113009502?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e86f1c15e

The bulletin calls for 2 watt resistors, not 1 watt.

Oops, you are right. 2 watt resistors are $1.50 a pack delivered:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2w-Watt-390-K-Ohm-Metal-Film-Resistor-20-Pcs-GAU-/191092489973?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c7dfffef5