Well finally some success with the 2013 ACE cruise control.......found the problem.......it was the guy who sits behind the wheel.
So I thought the cruise had quit in the last mile of returning home from our previous camping trip because I had shut off the cruise using the steering wheel button (cruise light went out on dash ok)......then tried to re-engage it again just prior to getting home and no cruise light on the dash. Came off the freeway into residential and did not try the “set”.
So fast forward after puttering on the easy cruise trouble shooting stuff to test in the driveway; we set out on our latest and possibly last trip of this season last weekend. So push on the cruise button (no dash lamp again)......speed up over 30mph-ish and press cruise “set” button......cruise lamp comes on and it is working. WTH ? So apparently it was always working, I just thought the cruise lamp always came on first when you press the cruise “on” button on the steering wheel......nope. Press cruise “on” (no indication that it is actually on that I can see), then speed up over 30mph approx and press “set” and the cruise lamp comes on the dash. So after 7 years of driving this coach I seem to be still learning things......or perhaps confused it with our toad (2014 Honda CRV)......which does have a lamp on when the cruise is switched “on”......then when you “set” your speed there is a second lamp that comes on.
The good part of all this, is I learned a lot about some of the typical problem areas for some F53 chassis cruise (speed control) failure mechanisms and how easy the cruise related components actually are to access (per my previous posts)......and I also learned how poor the Ford Canada email contact response and local Ford Dealers’ response is in dealing with inquiries about stripped chassis Ford repair. I hope that I never need any major Ford system repaired on the ACE while I own it......if I do, I might go find a Ford Dealer in a small town (outside of the major cities here) where heavy duty chassis repair seems more typical for farming folks (who don't do their own repairs). Glad to have my cruise back......that was always actually working.....the driver just needed the "tune up".