MatraSport Forum

Hello fellow Espace-friends

The cruise control on out 2001 Espace JE0G V6 24V has stopped working. I've been looking for a description of the system in the documentation vault, but I can't find anything on that. I do have electrical documation in the schematic diagram I have of the car and I know that the system is a vacuum operated system driven by a pump located in front of the washer tank. The pump has a pump motor and two solenoids driving vacuum valves. The whole thing is controlled by a computer under the drivers' seat.

Before taking things apart, I'd like to hear whether anyone of you have experience trouble shooting this?

Cheers,
Anders

I have my car apart at the moment & I wondered what the pump was! Not had any trouble with mine other than the stick having come off the throttle flap. I see the vac hose runs with the wiring loom across the engine through a plastic protector. Have you sucked on the hose to see if there is a leak?

http://www.matrasport.dk/Cars/Espace/vault/JE/MR315ESPACE8_PRE072000_ELECTRICS.pdf  page 55. But i dare say you sorted it by now.

Many many thanks, Brian. Actually, I haven't. I need to have it working by April when we have the yearly trip to Provence planned.

Hello Anders,

You didn't actually say what is happening - does it simply not switch on at all (at the master sw.), or does it switch on but then not work on the road?

As you haven't posted a solution yet, have you actually started investigating the problem yet?  If not, and knowing Renault's weakness with electrics, I suggest looking at the steering wheel connections first.  Since the wheel has to rotate and in fact is almost constantly moving, I would start my investigations in that area.  Provided the system is actually switching on, look for power at the computer and earth.  If it is not even switching on, then check for power to the master switch and at the steering wheel.

Roy

Hi Roy

Thank you for your good advice.

It turned out the problem was just electric, probably corrosion in the connector. The car had the timing belt done this week, and I asked my mechanic to check the pump connection while he was working with the car. Unfortunately his Renault Clip didn't work, and he couldn't test it with the Bosch tester, but after cleaning the connectors, the cruise control works again.

I could rule out the steering wheel connections, as first of all I replaced the steering wheel rotating connector a few years ago in search of an airbag fault (which turned out to be not caused by that, though), and had the problem been due to that, I would have expected the cruise control to work, but just not react on the buttons.

So I'm happy with the problem solved and the car ready to take the family to France in about two weeks :-)

I only need a new exhaust...

Thanks,
Anders

The cruise control started working after my mechanic took a look at it last year, unfortunately it stopped working again after the autobox swap in april 2014, so for a year or so I have been driving without this nice feature.

Last week I finally got around inspecting the electrics, but everything looked fine. No sign of corrosion or bad connections anywhere. I removed the vacuum pump, which also - from the outside - looked good, but when I took the lid off the motor part, another truth was revealed as there was much corrosion on the outside of the motor, and the spindle could not be turned.

The second picture shows the drive to the membrane pump, which was completely stuck. In the photo, it has been soaked in WD40 and was rotating freely again :)

The third picture shows one of the two vacuum solenoid valves in the pump housing.

Final picture shows the pump with the part number visible. You'll notice that it has "Hella" stamped on it. It seems to be the same part used in some Volvos and VWs, except - annoyingly - with a different connector.

However, I have fitted the pump back, and now have a working cruise control. Wonderful :)

So far it has only cost me time and some very dirty hands, and some WD40 :)

/Anders