I have a '97 Chevrolet Z71 Pickup. I have had the truck for seven years and it has acted like this all seven. When the temperature is low (about 60 or below), the cruise will work for a couple of miles and then it won't keep speed. When the temperature is above about 60 degrees, the cruise works fine. Does anyone have any idea what part of the cruise control system would be affected by the temperature? I've lived with it this long, but enough is enough. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
If the cruise is a factory unit, the problem may be in the stepper motor or main cruise module. It is mounted to the driver's side firewall. You could try using a can of cold spray on the module to simulate the cold weather to see if acts up. It is most likely this part of the cruise as it is the only piece of the cruise that has any electronic components that could be temperature sensitive. Confirm the diagnosis first, as the cruise module's aren't cheap.
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sparky
Thanks for the reply. I'll try that. When I bought the truck, I made copies of all the service records that had been performed on it. I went through them last night and noticed that the cruise module had been replaced back in '98. I bet the previous owner had similar trouble.
Excuse my ignorance, but are there any moving parts inside the unit? If there is, it feels like there is some grease between the parts that is gumming up when cold. I guess I could just take the cover off and look.
The cruise module is a stepper motor so yes there are moving parts. I believe it would have to get very very cold for grease to prevent the unit from operating properly. The problem is more likely caused by poor solder connections on the circuit board. Try the cold spray method as this is easier to simulate.
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sparky