yet another cruise control thread...

[XwalkerX]

car in question is an 89 325i with an obd 1 s52.

so when i first bought the car the cruise was not hooked up, but it didn't take long for me to change that. well it would work about 50% of the time. whenever i would hit a bump it would disengage or sometimes it would work for a minute then just quit.

about 2 weeks ago i was sick of it and decided to try and get it working. well i replaced the brake light switch and boom it was working 100% for about 4-5 days. no brake light led lit up on the check panel. i was golden. then for some reason the brake light warning came back and it hasn't worked AT ALL since.

yesterday i verified that the brake switch and clutch switch are both being depressed until the pedals move then i swapped out the old bulbs (which didn't have any corrosion) and i swapped out the old fuses in spots 6,10,12, 21 and 27 and that took care of the brake light warning on the check panel but still no cruise...

any ideas?
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[dasmanschaft012]

Check the "not working" section for some more troubleshooting steps. I also have a full cruise control set up im selling if something ends up being broken ....;)

[XwalkerX]

where exactly is the "not working" section?

[dasmanschaft012]

oops. forgot the link!

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/Cruise_Control#Common_Problems

[XwalkerX]

Cruise Control Not Working
Disconnect the cruise ECU and the actuator. Use a meter to check that there is a low resistance (not zero) between the green/red wire (9) of the ECU plug and earth. Switch the meter to volts, and check that this wire goes to 12 volts + when you press the brake pedal with the ignition on. Connect a 12 volt 5W or 10W bulb between the purple/white (1) of the ECU plug and brown (23) and check that it lights with the ignition on.

so i have a few questions on this quoted part from that site you linked.
im not the most electrical savvy person so please deal with me if this is a ridiculous question

the underlined part.
what the hell does earth mean for that reference?

[jlevie]

It means exactly what it says. If that doesn't make sense to you, perhaps you should engage the services of a pro.

[XwalkerX]

so rather than clarifying and saying something like "oh that means find a good ground or literally put the other end on the ground or hold it in the air" you decide to just post some condescending response.

thanks jim

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[vpilarrt]

Earth = ground

[XwalkerX]

thanks for clearing that up. I just never heard of a ground referred to that way.

[XwalkerX]

ok so i verified that there is low (not zero) resistance at the red/green wire to the harness going to the cruise ecu.

i checked to make sure that it is getting 12v while stepping on the brake pedal (so the brake switch is working properly)

took off the steering wheel and verified that the ground behind it for the cruise stalk is nice and tight.

took out the cluster and checked to make sure that the green connector was secure and had the proper wire going to it.

lastly i verified that the purple/white wire on the cruise stalk was receiving 12v.

all that and still no cruise!

aside for checking for power is there any way to check to make sure the stalk actually works properly?

any way to actually test the cruise control ecu?

the cable on the actuator going to the TB is not broken or loose at all (i know some people mentioned this as a common problem)