Cruise-Control not working

Just a wag here but there is some connection between the brake pedal and the CC that disables it when the pedal is depressed. A switch or sensor, I don't know but my guess is there lies the problem.

There's a bunch of stuff that goes into getting the cruise to work. As John says, there is a signal from the brake switch. Also from the tranny, a vehicle speed sensor, various switches on the steering column, a cruise control module, a vacuum line from under the dash, and goodness knows what else. I might have a wiring diagram for a '96 Impreza that will probably be similar to what is in your Legacy, if you think that will help. Let me know and I'll see what I can find. Other than that, check the brake switch (brake lights OK?), and that vacuum line to the cruise control motor, they sometimes get bumped off, or develop cracks in the rubber . . .

ByeBye! S. Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

did you actually replace the fuse? My cruise failed and I removed the fuse and reinstalled it with no problems in years. try esiest first

Up here in Canada, on some of the coldest winter days, it takes a long time for the cruise "to catch", usually below -10°C or less. I don't know causes that, but it usually starts to get better once the heating has been going inside the car and the car is warm inside again. So I suspect it may be the vacuum hose that is under the dash.

I assume you're not going through such a cold spell wherever you are, even if you're in Canada too, as it's summer here now. I think perhaps that vacuum hose might be what you need to look into.

Yousuf Khan

I've had 2 problems in the last year that affected the cruise control on cars I own. One car had a problem with the accelerator position sensor that first reared it's head with the cruise control not being able to stay on. The second was the cruise control switch itself.

Just things to check, Jon

Does your car have steering wheel mounted paddles for the CC? Perhaps this is a 'clockspring cable' problem in the steering column?

I have a Legacy wagon manual shift 2.2L and I'm installing the cruise system from donor vehicles.

So far, I've discovered the following parts as making up the entire system:

1. Vacuum unit and cable - attached to the throttle body next to the accelerator cable and bolted to the firewall in the engine compartment right in front of the driver. There would be a rubber diaphragm inside this thing and I've had that crack and fail in other older vehicles.
2. Vacuum control unit - over on the right side (passenger side) engine compartment bolted to the side of the strut tower - connected to #1 by a small metal pipe. There are rubber hoses connecting these things and they could be cracked, or come off, or the vacuum unit might have failed.
3. Clutch switch - turns off the system when you depress the clutch pedal
4. Brake switch - same function as clutch switch.
5. Main CC system switch on dash. This has a light that comes on when the system is "on".
6. Steering column paddles - set, etc... I haven't had a chance to examine one of these yet.
7. CC computer - should be on the passenger side just to the right of where the passenger's feet would be.

So far as I know, those are the main parts. The two pedal switches could be misaligned, turning the CC system off.

That's about the limit of my experience with the CC system on this vehicle right now. I hope to know more in a couple of weeks when I'm finished.

Dave