Cruise Control & Brake Dust ??s

[mrclueless]

On my 2004 Crew Cab the cruise control works fine except going down hill. It surges, I assume because the transition is abrupt between coasting and some degree of throttle. Any body else notice this?

I also notice after 2500 mi that brake dust deposits on the wheels are staying heavy. It is even noticeable after highway trips where not much braking has occurred. I thought it might decrease some after break-in but this is not the case. Gas mileage has not been as poor as some have reported (has been 10-14) but is not as high either. Could dragging brakes be a possibility??

[CaliforniaTitan]

Brake dust is horrible on our trucks for sure...

One thing you can do to help with the cleaning is clean them really good...put a coat or two of paste wax...this will make the cleaning a little easier at wash time....re-apply about every 4-6 months.

Chris

[garo1]

I haven't noticed the cruise control problem, but it isn't too mountainous here in Florida so maybe that's why. As far as the brake dust, Kleen Wheels makes the dust shields for the Titan and they work great! I've had them on my Titan for about 3 months and I can honestly tell you I can go weeks without cleaning the wheels. Some say they will cause braking problems (not enough cooling) but I don't agree. I've used these on nearly every vehicle I've owned and never experienced a problem.

[Nuckle]

The truck has a feature that allows the transmission to gear down when you are coasting down hills. If you are not giving it any gas and the truck tries to increase speed the transmission will drop a gear to help keep your speed constant. I dont know what it is called but I know what it does.

Nuck

[BIGT56PA]

Actually, I think it drops to 3rd, because I tried to mimic the thing in manual mode and it took to 3rd to get the Rpms to raise to 2000 rpm at the auto fature by itself. sometimes its anoying, but works well most of the time. I agree about the brake dust issue. I am looking into ceramic carbon pads in the future.

Chris

[titanwild]

Originally Posted by mrclueless

On my 2004 Crew Cab the cruise control works fine except going down hill. It surges, I assume because the transition is abrupt between coasting and some degree of throttle. Any body else notice this?

Lot's have noticed, the solution was identified about 8 months ago by JetTech, addition of helper springs to eliminate the rear leaf spring axle wrap and resulting drive train clunk. I had both the clunk and the surge, fix sure worked for my SE KC. Here's the link, read the whole post, one of the best on this forum:
http://www.titantalk.com/forums/show... e+Train+Clunk
Good Luck!

[mrclueless]

Thanks for the link, lots of good info. I didn't see a response though as to whether the helpers make a positive difference when towing. I would guess they lessen the amount that the rear end drops under load??

[titanwild]

Originally Posted by mrclueless

I would guess they lessen the amount that the rear end drops under load??

That's probably true but since I don't tow, can't testify to that for sure. I do know that the helpers lower the back end as measured at the rear wheel wells by about 1/2-3/4", provide a slightly tauter rear suspension, greatly reduce rear tire hop, and completely cure the clunk problem. The bonus was that the surging during cruise on slight downhill grades (seems to fit your description) was also eliminated. That condition is NOT the Hill descent function that a couple of earlier posts mentioned.
Keep in mind that the helpers are not actually functioning in their intended role to provide stiffer and higher load capacity rear springs, but instead act as traction bars preventing the spring wrap.

Give 'em a try, pretty cheap and about 1/2 hour install. Would like to hear if they solve your problem.
Good Luck!

[IMADOGMAN]

Cruise control surge while going downhill is very annoying. I haven't checked to see if it is downshifting, but it just feels like the fuel is being turned on and off to maintain speed, or the throttle position is changing.
Next time it happens, I am going to try shifting to 4th. As of right now, I just cancel it while going downhill, and watch my speed.