HELP ,...cruise, horn, air bag

[bignic81]

Sooo i have a 1998 for ranger and the horn never usually works it use towork sometimes but only from the remote. There is no power at the horn, fuses and relays seem fine, the cruise just up and stopped working as well and recentlly the air bag light started flashing and stays on. Think these problems are related stemming from something under the steering wheel. I think posiblly at least the horn and cruise are related. The truck has been extremelly well maintained and has about 135, 000 miles on it. its an xlt, extended cab, 4x4. Any ideas?????

 

[V8 Level II]

There's a good chance that the clockspring has given up. It is a spool of ribbon cable behind the steering wheel that winds and unwinds as the wheel is turned. There are several electrical conductors on the ribbon for the cruise, horn and airbag. The ribbon can break at higher miles or during a collision. It costs about $100 for the part.

 

[bignic81]

thanks

Someone else had told me that as well, so is the clock spring the same as this ribbon or is the ribbon the wires that come off of the cruise control switches, and is the clock spring easy to change?

 

[V8 Level II]

The clockspring is the name for the multiconductor ribbon in its cassette. To replace it, you must remove the air bag and column trim, then pull the steering wheel and the ignition lock. It is CRITICAL that the wheels be pointed straight ahead before disassembly. That's because the clockspring must be "timed" to the steering to prevent it from breaking again. New clocksprings come preset for straight ahead but they can also be retimed if the initial position is lost. Beware of junkyard parts - they are often high miles or may have broken in a collision.

The CS is the white piece in this picture: