Raacerx
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
We took my 2021 Ranger Tremor out in some Spring snow this past weekend. Most of the time was spent in 4LO with the rear diff locked, and we had 4 folks and about 700 pounds of gear, with mud, slush, snow, and ice.
At one point we got proper stuck in a 4+ foot snow drift across the trail and it took about an hour to dig her out. At this point we turned around and started to head back, which is when the Powertrain Malfunction Warning Light came on and the vehicle began to behave strangely, including struggling to make it back through some drifts we had breezed through before, traction control acting weird once in 4HI, etc.
Upon finally reaching the highway, we partially aired back up to 30psi and immediately had major drivability issues on the pavement.
The truck would not accelerate and was in full limp mode, bleeding all the boost, gear changes were harsh bangs, and lifting off the gas would cause the whole drivetrain to catch and bang.
It felt like when 4LO is engaged and you shift out of reverse when its loaded.
After a few stops and unsuccessful restarts, airing up to 38PSI with no change, we finally spent 20 minutes removing all the ice and snow from the undercarriage, axles, and other areas, and let it run for 15 minutes and then cool down for 10 minutes.
Everything was back to normal after this.
Obviously something happened with the ice and/or ultra cold temps. Maybe blocking an ABS speed sensor, or perhaps not allowing something in the transfer case to fully disengage, or freezing a sensor out of commission!?? Unfortunately I left my Ford laptop and cable back at home like an idiot, so I cannot scan it now, but figure this will be stored?
Was planning to head out again, but don't like the idea of having to get under the truck in the snow every couple hours.
Any ideas?
PS. Absolutely love the off-road performance of the stock Ranger Tremor in almost everything... except deep snow. I know the tires are just all-terrains and we had significant weight, but I've literally done this same trail in my Audi SQ5 with less trouble (granted, that was with 315 wide snow tires). I expected a bit more.
At one point we got proper stuck in a 4+ foot snow drift across the trail and it took about an hour to dig her out. At this point we turned around and started to head back, which is when the Powertrain Malfunction Warning Light came on and the vehicle began to behave strangely, including struggling to make it back through some drifts we had breezed through before, traction control acting weird once in 4HI, etc.
Upon finally reaching the highway, we partially aired back up to 30psi and immediately had major drivability issues on the pavement.
The truck would not accelerate and was in full limp mode, bleeding all the boost, gear changes were harsh bangs, and lifting off the gas would cause the whole drivetrain to catch and bang.
It felt like when 4LO is engaged and you shift out of reverse when its loaded.
After a few stops and unsuccessful restarts, airing up to 38PSI with no change, we finally spent 20 minutes removing all the ice and snow from the undercarriage, axles, and other areas, and let it run for 15 minutes and then cool down for 10 minutes.
Everything was back to normal after this.
Obviously something happened with the ice and/or ultra cold temps. Maybe blocking an ABS speed sensor, or perhaps not allowing something in the transfer case to fully disengage, or freezing a sensor out of commission!?? Unfortunately I left my Ford laptop and cable back at home like an idiot, so I cannot scan it now, but figure this will be stored?
Was planning to head out again, but don't like the idea of having to get under the truck in the snow every couple hours.
Any ideas?
PS. Absolutely love the off-road performance of the stock Ranger Tremor in almost everything... except deep snow. I know the tires are just all-terrains and we had significant weight, but I've literally done this same trail in my Audi SQ5 with less trouble (granted, that was with 315 wide snow tires). I expected a bit more.
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