Sticky cruise control switch

[charm]

Now that the car is up and running the way it should be (2000 OBW, 222k miles, auto), I'm getting back to dealing with the quirky things in a high mileage car.

 

This one is, over time, the cruise control arm has gotten sticky, or stiff, or is gummed up with something.  I feel like this has caused the reaction time of some accl or coast funtion to slow or not work at all sometimes.

 

Thoughts on a fix?

 

Contact cleaner?

 

Buy one on eBay and replace it?  How the heck do you get to it!?!  The turn signal replacement was WAY easier than everybody said it would be, this looks tougher because I don't see the route to get to it (no screws and such).

 

Or, I could just deal with it, but I really do like my CC.

 

 

Also looking for a new, or at least functional auto dimming mirror.  Mine hasn't dimmed for 100k miles.  Someday I'll need to send the car to the upholstery shop to do the seats.  The drivers seat is just barely starting to crack and it sure would be nice to have some softer foam under my butt and behind my back!

 

Then there's the bumper covers, which I probably won't do anything about since people will just bump me while parrallel parking. 

 

And I'm sure there's a ton of other stuff!  But for now, how do I fix that cruise control?

[Fairtax4me]

These are easier to get to than the turn signal stalk, but you do have to deal with the air ag which needs certain cautionary measures.

Unhook the battery negative and let the car sit for about 10-15 minutes before beginning, and press the brake pedal a few times to discharge any capacitors in the airbag module.

 

Two screws behind the wheel at about 3 and 9 o'clock. (There may be 4 on some cars)

 

Pull the airbag out and unplug it and the horn, set aside and the screws for the cruise stalk will be right there.

 

As far as cleaning it, I'm not sure how much of the switch is exposed, or accessible. You'll have to pull it out to find out. Sometimes they can be disassembled (screws or plastic clips), sometimes the case is "welded" closed on assembly.

[Blue Whale]

My 2000 had a sticky/intermittent cruise control lever when I bought it (last year).  Nothing to do with mileage, care, or overall condition; it was a nice clean car with low mileage.  To make the cruise work reliably, I worked the lever through all of its positions dozens of times, somewhat forcefully.  I did this mostly while waiting at stoplights.  The lever works fine now, although it still feels a bit more viscous than the other ones I've had.

 

This little problem didn't occur with any of my other Legacy or Outback cars ('93, '95, '96, '05)--only with the 2000.

[charm]

There seems to be a lot of 2000 only problems.  I really enjoyed it when my front sway bar exploded!

 

I've been using it almost daily, but that isn't as much as playing with it at every stop light. 

 

It does sound pretty easy to get to.  They're readily available on eBay for cheap, so perhaps I'll just buy to have handy.