My 2021 Ranger with 1620 miles sits on side of road waiting for tow truck!

[paval3]

my guess is the belt came off.
that would explain the warning lights and the order you got them

the missing chunk was likely caused by something getting caught in it and derailing the belt off one pulley.

time will tell if they find the cause or not.

No, belt was not off... just a little chunk out of it.

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[halligan1201]

So here is my experience from today with Ford Road Side Assistance. This all started around 11 a.m. or so. First tow Assistance lined up didn't show up, they declined doing the tow... second one was lined up, no show after an hour, then text from Assistance saying it was declined.... third one lined up by Assistance, no show, got a text they declined and they would try another one. So I called the one that was the third one that was supposed to come out and asked what happened... they told me a lot of towing companies won't deal with Ford Assistance because of how they pay, slow whacky way of doing things (his words). This third guy was real nice though and told me he just saw a local tow truck sitting at the firehall and to quick give a call, maybe they are free now. So it happened to be it was the first tow company Ford Assistance tried to line up! I called, explained what was going on, they too told me they had declined because they won't deal with Ford Assistance because of how they pay. So they did agreed to come right out if I paid and were there within 10 minutes. So 4 hours later my Ranger was on the way to the Ford dealership.

I do have road side assistance on my vehicle's insurance... don't know how much they will cover, but I'll call tomorrow and find out.

That's true of most roadside assistance plans AAA, etc. They all take forever to pay out to the towing companies.

 

[jss81258]

Someone asked me on FB how just a small chunk out of the serpentine belt could cause so much problem especially if it was still running (I guess they meant belt still circulating around). Now I'm wondering too. Can someone explain to me. Is it all about sensors being able to pick up even minute disruptions of a component?

The missing area may have stopped at the crank pulley. If the area was slick (rubber missing, cord left but not "grippy") combined with a physical chock due to the missing rubber may have stopped the belt. If the belt isn't moving, then the driven stuff isn't either. So the water pump may not have been turning leading to the engine overheating. Seems to me you would have seen the dash light up as soon as the belt stopped, would have seen smoke from the belt heating up, and would have detected the odor of the overheating belt. If it was raining, then maybe not smell or see smoke.

Don't take this to the bank, just a guess.

 

[paval3]

The missing area may have stopped at the crank pulley. If the area was slick (rubber missing, cord left but not "grippy") combined with a physical chock due to the missing rubber may have stopped the belt. If the belt isn't moving, then the driven stuff isn't either. So the water pump may not have been turning leading to the engine overheating. Seems to me you would have seen the dash light up as soon as the belt stopped, would have seen smoke from the belt heating up, and would have detected the odor of the overheating belt. If it was raining, then maybe not smell or see smoke.

Don't take this to the bank, just a guess.

Yea, no smell... but it was raining pretty heavy. I guess when they say what they "found so far", they won't know if there is some other problem until they put the new belt on today. I forgot to ask if they were picking up any codes.

 

[Langwilliams]

Maybe the belt was slipping do to the chunk being missing an the rain causing an erratic voltage condition.

 

[Jason B]

He said while they have the vehicle they checked for cab leak. Said something about running water all over the cab and windshield and couldn't find a leak. I asked if anyone checked to see if it was actually water that was puddled on the passenger side Weatherteck Floor Liner mat. Told him how I read that some have experienced some kind of leak under the dash having something to do with the heater. Told him yesterday morning was the first I ever turned the heater on, up until now it had only been the A/C. So he said he put a note for them to run the vehicle with the heater on once they get the belt put on.

If I am correct, there is always water circulating through the heater core, unless AC is on MAX cool.
If it had been a heater leak, you would smell coolant in the cab. Could be from the AC condensate line, but I'm unsure where the drain hose is on these Rangers.

 

[paval3]

Got my baby home just now! Serpentine belt came in this afternoon and got the call to pick truck up at 3:30 p.m. I talked to the service manager. I asked him if the belt was actually off. He said when they got the truck, they started it, popped the hood and it was off already. I asked was the hole in the center of the belt or on the edge. He said it was on the edge. That it was small, like half the shape of one of those office hand hole punchers. He said he really didn't think it was from a rodent, more likely a freak happening of a stone hitting it. I asked wouldn't the skid plate have prevented that, he said it should but he thinks it's just a one in a million freak happening that a rock shot up into the belt. I asked could it have come in from the grill somewhere, he said no.

Said they ran the water test for 2 hours over the cab, checked for wetness in the carpet, nothing... no puddles formed on Weathertech Floor Liners on either passenger or driver side.

Said after belt was in, they gave it a good test drive, and ran both A/C then heater for awhile... no leaks under dash.

I have the copy of the work they did, the codes they picked up, etc. with all they tested/checked out.
Said if I have any problems again to certainly bring it back in.

 

[paval3]

And dang it, the tow truck driver was a really big fellow... just as I suspected I would, I had to reposition my seat. Sure wish they offered seat memory position buttons on the Ranger like my Mountaineer has!

 

[P. A. Schilke]

And dang it, the tow truck driver was a really big fellow... just as I suspected I would, I had to reposition my seat. Sure wish they offered seat memory position buttons on the Ranger like my Mountaineer has!

Hi Val,

I am sure Program Management drove the deletion of the seat memory feature as part of a cost thrifting. Just my opinion as I had no involvement with the 5G Ranger. No excuse for not having this feature in my mind... Probably saved a few bucks with the risk of customer irritation...yep I am irritated my Lariat does not have this feature like my Lincoln Nautilus does... Nautilus knows who is in the driver's seat by the fob.

Best,
Phil

 

[Radioman]

And dang it, the tow truck driver was a really big fellow... just as I suspected I would, I had to reposition my seat. Sure wish they offered seat memory position buttons on the Ranger like my Mountaineer has!

Ha...
I usually wash my vehicles myself but sometimes I get lazy and take them to a car wash. The car wash people always change the seat positions. With the Highlander it is a simple button push to restore the seat settings, but with the Ranger, as you know, I have to play with the seat to get it back to where I normally have it.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Ha...
I usually wash my vehicles myself but sometimes I get lazy and take them to a car wash. The car wash people always change the seat positions. With the Highlander it is a simple button push to restore the seat settings, but with the Ranger, as you know, I have to play with the seat to get it back to where I normally have it.

Hi Kent,

One of my good friends here in Green Valley, now departed to the big house in the sky, worked hand in hand with Darrell Hana of Hana Car Washes, the inventor of the Car Wash. So when Octopus Car wash was in construction, Ken T, my friend was a consultant at 85 years old. Ken owned several car washes in Texas in his life and one thing he instructed owners of the car washes he built for them, was to leave the seats in the position in which they found them....Deal with the cramped conditions of a 5' person. Octopus here in GV leaves the seat alone..

Best,
Phil

 

[Hot Pepper Red Zeppelin]

Curious.... why didn't you just call a tow truck yourself and let your insurance handle it?

 

[Floyd]

As for the water on the passenger side floor....
On almost every vehicle made, cabin intake air comes in from the cowl.
Heavy rain can overwhelm the cowl drain and small amounts of water can then come in through the air intake.
I have seen lots of vehicles which are parked outside get leaves and dirt in the cowl and plug up the drains as well. Especially when parked in the shade a lot.
I know when we go to Florida the leaves from the live oaks and the pine needles get in everywhere.
They even plug the window drains on or Travel trailer.

Another common cause can be from running the defrosters, many vehicles run the A/C on full along with the heat to defrost the windows. sometimes in really wet conditions even the vents will spit condensation.
Bottom line , it may not have a leak at all... at least I hope not.

 

[paval3]

Curious.... why didn't you just call a tow truck yourself and let your insurance handle it?

Because I had Ford Roadside Assistance.... and I didn't know it would be useless and such a nightmare experience. I mean... don't you think if I had such prior experience with Ford Roadside Assistance, I wouldn't have called them??

As far as why I didn't then call one myself after Ford Roadside Assistance first 2 failed attempts... when they told me tow companies were refusing calls because of weather, I believed them and it never occurred to me they just didn't want to deal with getting paid by Ford.. so why would I think I would have better luck on my own?

 

[paval3]

As for the water on the passenger side floor....
On almost every vehicle made, cabin intake air comes in from the cowl.
Heavy rain can overwhelm the cowl drain and small amounts of water can then come in through the air intake.
I have seen lots of vehicles which are parked outside get leaves and dirt in the cowl and plug up the drains as well. Especially when parked in the shade a lot.
I know when we go to Florida the leaves from the live oaks and the pine needles get in everywhere.
They even plug the window drains on or Travel trailer.

Another common cause can be from running the defrosters, many vehicles run the A/C on full along with the heat to defrost the windows. sometimes in really wet conditions even the vents will spit condensation.
Bottom line , it may not have a leak at all... at least I hope not.

Thank you so much for that possible explanation! It indeed was a heavy rain.

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