Cruise Control Not Engaging

Good afternoon, fine folks of TW. I know there are some posts on here regarding various cruise control issues, but I thought I'd check for feedback for my specific scenario.

I bought my Tacoma a year ago and the cruise has never worked. The light on the dash will come on, but the cruise will not engage. Everything appears to be hooked up properly int he engine bay. I had a (non-Toyota) mechanic take a look while getting an alignment done, and he said it was a bad actuator. I took it to the dealer today, and they think it is a bad main switch. Would this make sense with it still making the green dash light come on when activated?

Just curious to get any somewhat- to well-informed opinions here. If it is the main switch, it would seem that switching out the stalk is something I could do myself fairly easily.

My thought is to order the stalk and do the install myself (as opposed to paying $250 to have it done), and return the stalk if it does not solve the issue.

EDIT: Auto tranny, 2.7l. 2001 regular cab prerunner.

 

Mine is currently doing the same thing, the cruise control light comes on the dash but it won't engage. It happened right after I got my truck back from getting a new clutch put in, I was certain that had something to do with it because they had to disassemble the clutch pedal. Toyota has assured me it's not related to that though and it was some kind of coincidence...I'm not sold on that but it's currently in the shop getting worked on. I'll let you know what comes out of it.

 

So that would be something to do with when they put the new clutch in, right? They're trying to tell me I might have to pay for the repair since they're saying it doesn't have to do with the clutch job, but I don't buy that. It worked fine on the way to the dealership when I took it in to get the new clutch, stopped working when I picked it up.

 

Just in case the edit gets overlooked, I have an auto tranny. 2001 prerunner, 2.7l, standard cab.

 

Well if Toyota is indeed right about my truck and it doesn't have to do with the clutch pedal, I'll let you know because then it could be that we likely have the same issue in that case.

 

Could also be that there's too much play at the top of the pedal (ie readjusted the rod/clevis incorrectly) and that the pedal is now not engaging the clutch switch properly.

If the clutch switch isn't engaged, it's essentially telling the cruise control that you are pushing the clutch pedal in which of course disengages the cruise control.

I had the same issue when my pedal wouldn't rest all the way back up when I took my foot off of it. So for awhile if I wanted cruise control to work I had to put my foot behind the pedal and lift it back up all the way :/

 

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback.

Sorry @FWAdam didn't mean to derail your thread.

Anyone have any idea why his cruise control won't work with the auto tranny?

 

Those all sound like good leads. I'm gonna start with the stalk, as it is arriving tomorrow and seems fairly quick to install and check. If not, I'll move onto the brake switch. Have you found a good write-up on checking the brake switch or actuator for proper operation?

@eon_blue No worries. Glad my thread led to some useful info for you getting shared by some other members!

 

UPDATE: I have the same symptoms with a new stalk. So we can rule that one out.

 

Sorry, I forgot to update with my situation. Toyota kept insisting it had nothing to do with my clutch pedal, so when I took it in to get my clutch pedal fixed and cruise control looked at, they fixed the clutch pedal AND put in a new stalk for the cruise control.

Cruise control works now, they say it's because of the new stalk but I still think it was the clutch pedal bushing (which sucks because I had to pay for the new stalk, was a couple hundred bucks). Either way, mine's working now...sorry to hear that your's is still broken OP. I wonder if it's a vacuum related issue, don't our cruise control systems work off of a vacuum?

 

Additional notes: The cables running to/from the actuator are good. The electrical connections for the actuator are good. The cruise unit behind the passenger kick plate is plugged in.

The one thing I did notice after replacing the stalk is I hear a light click from the unit on the passenger side when I turn cruise on (not when setting, just when I turn it on). When I turn cruise off, there is another light click about 3-4 seconds after. I don't recall hearing that before, so at least the new stalk is sending a signal (I would guess).

I believe the brake switch is operating correctly. I guess it probably is the actuator?

 

bump

 

does your horn work?

 

No issues with the horn / turn signals.

 

OP,
How do you know that the brake switch is working properly? Did you test it?

 

You'd know if the brake switch wasn't working - your brake lights would be on constantly (or they don't come on when pressed). And the same principle mentioned by @Madjik_Man stated a few posts ago applies. CC disconnects when operator depresses either pedal...