One of the dealer service guys I spoke with (as you say, they are all out of stock) told me to check the sensor and if there was no obvious signs of leakage not to worry about it. This was obviously unofficial info, but was appreciated. I did check and found no leakage. I'm going on a faily long trip in three weeks and will be using the cruise control.

Still hope some one can answer my stupid question!

Why does it catch fire? Well when the switch leaks, the fluid causes a short between the live wire and the grounded body of Master-cylinder and "lots of heat" is generated. If you have ever accidentally shorted the +ve and -ve terminals on a charged lead acid battery on your car or truck you will know that it causes quite a BANG and can burn through screw driver shafts and the like faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Hope this helps. The short term fix is to unplug the thing or install your own in-line fuse until Ford can get off their butts and get serious about this. A death or two and couple of law suits will wake them up smartly.

hi..would appreciate knowing where the sensor is and what it looks like..thanks,..jim

Hi Jim, The switch is attached to the master cylinder for the brakes.

If you open your hood, look for the master cylinder on the driver's side of the firewall/bulkhead. The switch should be attached to the front right hand side (when viewed from the front) of the master cylinder casting. It should be a light color plastic material with two wires which disappear into the wiring harness. If you feel uncomfortable about leaving it connected, you can unplug the connector. There is a small tab on the plug that you have to lift before it will unplug. The tab is typical of auto connectors to prevent vibration from shaking them connections loose. Hope this helps. If I can take a picture of mine today, I will post it later, if I can figure out how to do that.

In answer to JDR37's question: How will a fuse prevent a leak from causing a fire?? When a short occurs, the fuse should blow. I ommitted to mention this in an earlier response.

Jim: 99pa36b just gave you the correct information. I just got back and read your post. My dealer told me if it looked a greenish color to leave it unconnected.

I'm know as a hard head and that's what makes me still not fully understanding the "fuse fix".
I understand that if a shhort occurs the fuse will blow, BUT the arch that would start the fire HAS ALREADY OCCURED. If it is just the heat buildup from the short (no arch)then I can understand.

What size fuse should be installed?

Hi JDR37, No need to appoligize for being a hard head with a questioning attitude. That way you get answers and resolve issues. In my industry (Nuclear Power) a questioning attitude is must and is encouraged. If one does not feel comfortable with something or with an answer one gets, then speak up. Keep asking until you ate satisfied.

Anyway, while I do not work for Ford (thank God), m electronic and electrical background tells me tha the fuse would be an instant blow not a delayed type. This means that as soon as a short occurs or the current rise or spike reaches the capacity of the fuse, the fuse will blow instantly before much if any heat would result. Now as to the rating of a suitable fuse, that is speculative right now until one of two things happens. 1) Someone who has the Ford fix can pull their fuse and tell us what size it is. I have asked on this forum but no-one has responded to date that I know of. 2) When I get some time, I will do some testing and come up with a reasonable guestimate of fuse size. Unfortunately I am on the road right now and all my test gear is at home. I imagine that it would be somewhere between 2 and 5 amps. I might even patch in a 2 mamp fuse, and if it blows during normal Cruise Control use, then it is too small. Hope this helps.

99pa36b, appreciate your come back. I'll try to get the wife to hit the brake for me while I have the amp meter on the contacts. If I can get this done, I'll post the reading I get.
I also appreciate your comments about the "questioning attitude". During my working days I was somestimes referred to as being pessimistic when I would raise questions in the hope of solving problems BEFORE they occured. It's amazing how many folks there are that simply don't want to think about potential problems until its too late!

99pa36b..thanks.. i located the sensor last night and it looks ok..i will monitor it until i get it replaced next spring..i was wondering why it would be on the brake master cylinder and now i see it is probably the switch that shuts off the cruise control when the brakes are applied..jim