I have a 1997 Ford Ranger 4.0 with 188K miles. Recently, the Idler pulley disintegrated causing the serp belt to come off while driving. LUCKILY, I was a 1/2 mile from home and managed to limp back safely.
In that 1/2 mile though, I smelled what I can only describe an electrical component burning. The steering was locking up and by the time I got home, the coolant reservoir tank was overflowing and spewing coolant all over the engine under the hood.
I changed the idler pulley and re-attached the serp belt, then topped up the coolant reservoir. Tried to start, but nothing happened. Not a chime, light or indication that the truck would turnover or start.
I'm afraid that the engine has locked up and will need to be towed. Given that the truck has high-mileage, I'm thinking the cost to repair maybe worth more than the trucks worth.
If you were in my position, what steps would you take? I'm not technically savvy and usually find solutions on Youtube for small repairs and maintenance.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

 

Welcome to the forum

Yes, you should not run any engine without a fan belt, because the water pump is no longer working, best to pull over and wait for the engine to cool off then limp home in short trips allowing engine to cool off when stopped
Without the water pump the engine overheated and that why the coolant was spewing out, you may have cracked a head or blew a head gasket, remains to be seen

Yes, no power steering when fan belt is off so very hard to turn the steering wheel

Thats the hindsight part

As for the no lights or chime with key on, that's electrical of course, and not related directly to the fan belt or overheating but could have been indirectly effected
First stop is the battery cables, remove and clean BOTH
See if dash lights come on with key on

In the engine fuse box, pull out and look at each fuse one at a time
You need to get the electrical working before you can diagnose if there was any engine damage

Call a mobile mechanic if you don't feel comfortable about checking electrics yourself


Ranger engines are usually good for 400k miles
Automatic trans 250k
Manuals 400k

An undriveable vehicle is not worth much, so if you use vehicle's value as a metric on repairs then no vehicle is worth a major repair, lol
You know your Ranger, do you think it will run OK for 3 more years without major repairs?
Thats 36 months
So if you spent say $4,000 on repairs thats $111/month for 36 months to continue driving it
Not many worthwhile used cars you can get for $111/month

But first find out what the problems are before worrying about the cost of repairs

 

Thank you for responding, Ron! Very helpful.