1961 Cruise Control Adjustment - Anyone Have This Experience?

[P. Manoogian]

The cruise control in my 61 Eldorado works at 30 MPH and that's it. I can't get it to set at a higher rate of speed. Once it did set, but kept climbing and climbing in speed. The pedal switch is good and the three electrical terminals check out according to the TSM. There is reference to adjustments on the points inside and the Bowden cable that leads to the dash. I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and how you may have resolved it. As always, thanks. I really get good information from this group and it has been a big help!

[Detroit61biarritz]

I've got a '61 Eldorado  with cruise control, but have never got it to work, period. Usually too worried about traffic to focus on testing it throroughly. I'm not on the highway enough to use it, and it has just become a curiosity when the hood is up.

[bcroe]

The mechanical CCs were short lived, and the earliest ones were the worst. 
If the external stuff is OK, I'd try to find a spare for parts, and expect to do
a serious rebuild on the drive unit.  Actually what I'd do, is get an 80s
electronic unit with the vacuum activator.  good luck, Bruce Roe

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

It's been at least thirty years since I drove a 1961 SDV six window back and forth to work, a distance of fifty miles each day. It had cruise on it and like the first poster, I found that it didn't stay at a set speed. So when my left hand got looking for "something to do" I let it play with the windows or the seat adjuster instead of the cruise. The car did have the best radio of the Cadillacs I had been driving.

[cadillactim]

Sounds like  it may be a cable issue. Maybe a broken link in the speed control wheel on dash, or something wrong with cable at power unit.
The system controls the speed by centrifugal weights. The cable puts more pressure on those weights the faster you want the car to go. Since you can't set it for more than 30 mph, there may not enough pressure on the weights.

You can take the cover off the power unit and see if the cable is moving the spring against the weights as you rotate the speed dial.

Tim

[Glen]

Back in the 70’s when I had my 61 Coupe Deville, I found a cruse control on a 62 that had the proper color dash unit in a junk yard.  I bought the complete system and installed it on my car.  It worked very well within the limitations of the design.  It held the correct speed properly.  The only problem was the other cars on the road didn’t.  Adjusting the speed while under cruise control was risky, as the speed could jump wildly.