IML: 1973 Cruise Control Weirdness

["Jay King" <j_king@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello, list,

I've been working on getting my '73 LeBaron ready for the 300-mile trip to my daughter's college graduation this coming weekend, and I encountered a strange cruise control malfunction not covered in the FSM. 

First of all, the servo works--electrical, vacuum, everything. I was concerned that it might be marginal so I swapped it with a cruise control servo off a Fifth Avenue (slightly different housing, but identical mechanically) and got the exact same symptom. Swapping the actuator cable brought no joy either.

Here's the symptom: accelerate the car to cruising speed, turn on the control, and press the button to engage. As with all Mopars of this vintage, the cruise control takes three or four seconds to take effect, at which point the engine speed should increase to the set level and the driver can rest his right foot and smile. Not on my car! The engine speed falls to idle and the accelerator pedal becomes brick-hard. Disengaging the cruise control by turning it off or tapping the brake lets the accelerator return to normal operation. So the cruise control works but it does not function, if that makes sense. 

When I take any car to a mechanic, I always describe the problem and any steps I have taken to solve it but refrain from diagnosing. That's his job, and it's possible I could give him information that would cause him to waste time because I'm not that much of a diagnostician. However, in this case, I'm sure the problem is in the throttle connection. The servo works as it should, the cable moves freely (I swapped a Fifth Avenue cable onto the LeBaron, just to be sure), and the control system (turn signal switch, brake interface) is doing what it's supposed to do, so I'm stumped. 

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Jay King
Meridian, Mississippi
<a href=mailto:j_king@xxxxxxxxx>j_king@xxxxxxxxx</a>

Honey Gold 1973 Imperial LeBaron 4DHT
Sterling Silver 1981 Chrysler Imperial Coupe
Charcoal Gray 1985 Chrysler Fifth Avenue
Nightwatch Blue 1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue



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