First off, its got a swapped OBD1 B16A.

Basically, I bought a multimeter, and got to work trying to figure out WHY my cruise never engages.

I purchased a used, working, clock spring, and a used actuator, thinking mines were at fault, and yet nothing!

When I turn on the main switch near the dimmer, it lights up green, then I get up to speed (60 MPH on the Highway) and press the "Set" button on the steering wheel, and for 3 seconds the cruise control light on the guage cluster illuminates, and then turns off....and nothing happens .

I checked the vacum line going to the actuator, and got suction. I tested continuity for both the brake pedal and the clutch pedal and everything was fine. All related fuses are intact.

I didnt check the main switch simply because everything atempts to engage only after I press in the main switch. The guage light is obviously not blown, and my steering wheel butons work fine too. My VSS was not tested either becasue the system only engages after a specific mph ( I believe 35 mph or so?) so i assumed it mus work fine.

So what could it be? The Cruise control box itself? Maybe the actuator is bad? A faulty ground?

Anybody know how to test the actuator and/or cruise control box with a multimeter for proper functionality?

Attached are a couple of pictures and diagrams to help someone who is "Electrically Inclined" to better assist. These were the same pictures I used to troubleshoot the system...









Any help is greatly appreciated, as the honda dealer wants to charge me $114.50 just to "Diagnose" the problem...

 

i couldnt figure out what was wrong with my cruise control for the longest time..... problem was everytime i went to engage it, i was resting my foot on the clutch pedal =/ lol

 

I narrowed it down to the brown/white wire. It has no continuity, and when connected to a 12 volt source, does not display any volts on the multimeter.

I connected the actuator directly to the battery and a near by ground source, and that puppy was clicking and the motor was purring...so that rules out a faulty actuator.

I either have a shorted brown-white wire (I highly doubt this, as the wire is barely exposed at all) or a bad G301 ground (Highly Likely the cause!!!)

Where is the G301 ground located, i searched high and low but only found locations for it on Acura Legends' and Honda Accord's. Where is it located on a 98 Honda Civic???

Where is the G301 ground located on a 96-98 Honda Civic Coupe????

Thank you

 

i believe that is the ground bolted up to the side of the dash. your problem must be just a bad connection in that wire somewhere because the ground is community to many other electical devices. i'm sure you figured that out by now

just re-ground it somewhere else if that's the case.

 

Did you check whether the rubber stoppers that press on the brake and clutch switches are broken or have fallen out?

I think you are using the wrong diagrams for your car. Try these tests:

 

Hey guys, thanks for the replies!! The diagrams i used unfortunately were for a 99-00 civic .

These recent diagrams you guys posted are the correct ones for all 96-98 Civics.

I was mistakenly searching for the G301 ground location, when in reality what i needed to locate was the G202 ground, located here...



... just behind the windshield wiper fluid fill neck. I basically cleaned it really well, and then used petroleum jelly to facilitate better contact, and prevent corrosion. Unfortunately, upon driving the vehicle soon after, this yielded no results .

I am stuck!! The only other thing i can think of is that the brown-white wire is open somewhere along its path from the actuator to the main control box of the cruise control, but I'm still not sure.

All my pedal switches are working fine, and initially, the clutch pedal was missing the rubber stopper, causing an open circuit that prevented the cruise control from even engaging....but that was quickly fixed with some duct tape.

Anyone have any better ideas???

 

Check whether the wire lacks continuity between the actuator and control unit. If so, run a new wire.

 

Boom Bam Alakazam!!! Old post revive!!!

So, after i couldn't figure out how to fix my cruise control, I gave up and went on with my life, but then I was re-motivated to fix this pesky problem.

I have since gotten my hands on a pdf service manual for my car, and went through with most of the troubleshooting steps...here are the results...

I performed all these steps except for the speed sensor test ( didn't have the tools to get the car in the air), but I am confident the speed sensor works because the cruise control will not even try to engage unless i'm above about 30+/- MPH.



Taking this into consideration, all the checks based off this sheet came out negative for problematic issues. This leaves two culprits, the cruise control ecu box, or the cruise control actuator located under the hood.

I tested the actuator not precisely to honda's instructions, but my results point to a working actuator. Basically, I grounded actuator connectors 1-3, and gave direct battery power to actuator connector 4.

The actuator, once connected to power, instantly revved the engine, and did the opposite when power was removed. If I removed connector 1 or connector 3 while giving the actuator power, then it maintained its level of vacuum, instead of steadily increasing it. I assumed this is what it should do, since at one point or another, the driver will "set" cruising speed and the actuator is required to maintain it.

The problem is this, the Honda Service Manual states that when connector 1 or 3 is ungrounded, while the actuator is powered, then "the actuator rod should return." It later states that if this "return" of the actuator rod does not occur, then the Solenoid valve is defective.

Again, I kinda tweaked Honda's instructions because I didn't have a vacuum pump to simulate vacuum, I actually turned my engine on and had it produce "real" vacuum instead .

Still, what do you guys think? Think its the Cruise control unit itself, or more likely the actuator ( BTW this is my second actuator).

How much is the control unit at a junkyard? I hope its less than $20 bucks, but still, I'd rather not spend $20 on a part that doesn't solve my issue.

Thanks in advance.

 

I checked them at the cruise control box main harness, and the clutch pedal showed continuity when left stationary, and zero continuity when depressed. The brake pedal required me to check 2 wires, a GRN/WHT wire and a GREY wire for voltage. Again, with pedal stationary, both these wires showed 12-13 volts power, when depressed showed 0. I did not remove the brake switch nor clutch switch to check for continuity directly, as I felt I didn't need to given the results obtained via the main harness.

Also, removing and installing those brake and clutch switches are a pain in the *** .

Further, the Honda service manual only suggests direct testing of switches, harnesses, the actuator, in response to a failed outcome during the main harness check.

I'll probably check the brake and clutch pedal switches directly tomorrow anyway. I'm just stubborn like that .

Still leaning towards the control box being the issue, but tomorrow I'll make sure, and post up the condition of the pedal switches.

 

are the little rubber stoppers on the little actuator nun that contacts the brake pedal? Are they blue possibly? Think mine just fell off and can’t figure out why my cruise just stopped working. It worked this morning.

 

are those little rubber stoppers blue by chance and have kind of a pointed end on one side? My cruise worked this morning then just stopped after work. Was investigating why and found a little blue rubber-ish pointy piece on the floor in pieces.

 

This is what "Broken" means... it WAS fine and NOW it doesn't work.

Yes, check the lower pedal switch positions on the brake (and clutch if the car is a manual) and if there is a missing pedal pad, then replace it. The cruise control stopped working because it believes that you are either pushing the brake or clutch pedal with the stopper missing. Once you replace it, all will be fine again. The factory part number for the pedal pad is: 46505-SA5-000.

 

Ok awesome, I found it. Thank you!