Always at the worst possible times

[swindler]

We drove down yesterday to Houston as I have an array of medical tests lined up. My wife always packs until there's no more room in the SUV, even for short stays. The goal this morning was to get breakfast, pack that all up again, check-out, and head to the center for the tests, and then drive home. We awoke this morning to this.

We couldn't pack the car until we had someone swap out the flat tire. We called Lincoln Roadside Assistance, but it took maybe 90 minutes for the guy to show up. Anyway, we were late for the first test but are back on schedule by the third.

I guess I'll need to find a repair joint nearby where we can hopefully patch the flat. I would hate to have an oddball 4th tire. I haven't seen it, but my wife said the nail is near the edge.

 

[Jacyte]

Ugh yeah that sucks. I had to replace all 4 of mine due to nails and staples close to the edge.. Also had too much wear to go with just 1 tire.

 

[swindler]

What do you think?

 

[rodeknyt]

That should be repairable.

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[Jacyte]

Yeah I agree they should be able to repair that.

Mine was no good + wear was excessive.

 

[swindler]

I agree. If I was at home, I would have done it myself. But we're 300 miles out. My concern was a tire shop upselling me with a new tire because "Naah, we can't fix that."

My wife played the helpless travelers card and we got it fixed and we're on our way.

 

[C Krohn]

I carry tire inflators in both cars, even though they have spare tires. Sometimes it takes a while to get road service, and at my age, I don’t want to change a tire myself.
In your situation, you could have inflated the tire to get to your appointments, then get the tire repair later.

 

[swindler]

So I have to recount an odd thing that happened in relation to this event.

We had the spare put on at the hotel garage and drove only a few miles for my tests, and then a couple more to a local service shop. Along with the 'TPMS tire low' warning, we were getting a '4x4 Off' message. I'm not sure if that was because of the TPMS warning, or because the spare was a different diameter?

The guys at the shop were actually great, as we sat in the car while they fixed the tire. They jacked the car and swapped the tires and stowed the spare while we continued to sit in the running car. It was like we were at the pits.

But here's the odd part. When we left, everything seemed fine until we got to 25-30 mph. The car would NOT accelerate beyond that point. The engine was running, but depressing the gas pedal further had no effect. We went through a few stop lights, and it was fine as we slowed and then left the stop light. But again would not accelerate beyond 30 mph. We tried power cycling the vehicle at a light, but that had no effect.

Our plan was to limp our way toward home as there was a Lincoln dealership about 20 miles along the way. But after a few more lights, it started working again. It never came back, so we skipped the dealership and drove the 300 miles home.

I'm thinking it has something to do with the 4x4 mode being disabled, but we didn't observe the problem while we were driving with the spare. I'm not going to worry about it unless it shows up again.

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[Jacyte]

Yeah it went into limp mode because wheel speed mismatch. Likely just took some time to clear the fault once you got the right size wheel diameter back on.

 

[swindler]

Yeah it went into limp mode because wheel speed mismatch. Likely just took some time to clear the fault once you got the right size wheel diameter back on.

That would make sense, but it didn't start limp mode until we put the right size tire back on — at least as far as we observed. I suppose it's possible that it started earlier, but the traffic congestion kept us from exceeding 30 mph.

If that is the case, then what's the value of a 50 mph spare if the car won't let you go past 30 mph?

 

[angore]

If that is the case, then what's the value of a 50 mph spare if the car won't let you go past 30 mph?

Do not give them any ideas! There should be a way to clear limp in mode and then if conditions persist go back into limp in mode rather than requiring some dealer action. I wonder if any of the reset tricks would work (lock door with button, let sit) or disconnect battery for some period of time

 

[Billz]

That would make sense, but it didn't start limp mode until we put the right size tire back on — at least as far as we observed. I suppose it's possible that it started earlier, but the traffic congestion kept us from exceeding 30 mph.

If that is the case, then what's the value of a 50 mph spare if the car won't let you go past 30 mph?

Because it’s a standard 50 mph spare on a car that has limp mode. I assume that most cars do not have that capability

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[Steve_C]

I agree. If I was at home, I would have done it myself. But we're 300 miles out. My concern was a tire shop upselling me with a new tire because "Naah, we can't fix that."

My wife played the helpless travelers card and we got it fixed and we're on our way.

To do the repair "by the book", in addition to the plug, the inside of the tire should be patched. Of course, some tire shops will not bother with that. I myself have been guilty of plugging without patching on occasion in the past (on my vehicles, never anyone else's) but down the road during tire rotation I have dismounted the rim & patched the plugged tire. These days, (older & wiser) I remove the offending wheel and do it right the first time, plug & patch.
Better to be safe then sorry especially with tires!

 

[swindler]

To do the repair "by the book", in addition to the plug, the inside of the tire should be patched. Of course, some tire shops will not bother with that. I myself have been guilty of plugging without patching on occasion in the past (on my vehicles, never anyone else's) but down the road during tire rotation I have dismounted the rim & patched the plugged tire. These days, (older & wiser) I remove the offending wheel and do it right the first time, plug & patch.
Better to be safe then sorry especially with tires!

Don't worry, @Steve_C. We got a plug, patch, and balance for $25.

 

[Steve_C]

Don't worry, @Steve_C. We got a plug, patch, and balance for $25.

Thanks for prompt reply. I can now sleep well tonight knowing you will be OK!

 

[ntotrr]

I agree. If I was at home, I would have done it myself. But we're 300 miles out. My concern was a tire shop upselling me with a new tire because "Naah, we can't fix that."

My wife played the helpless travelers card and we got it fixed and we're on our way.

If you have AWD, you shouldn't replace just one tire if the other tires are worn. This goes for any AWD vehicle. For example, before buying my Nautilus, I had a Subaru Ascent. If the difference in wear between three existing tires and one new one is more than 3/32, all tires have to be replaced or the new one has to be shaved down to the same tread width as the other three. There is risk to damage of the drivetrain if unevenly worn tires are on an AWD vehicle. Also, this makes proper rotation very important.

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[swindler]

If you have AWD, you shouldn't replace just one tire if the other tires are worn. This goes for any AWD vehicle. For example, before buying my Nautilus, I had a Subaru Ascent. If the difference in wear between three existing tires and one new one is more than 3/32, all tires have to be replaced or the new one has to be shaved down to the same tread width as the other three. There is risk to damage of the drivetrain if unevenly worn tires are on an AWD vehicle. Also, this makes proper rotation very important.

This is good to know. In our case, the tire was 1/32 to 2/32 worn. But I have a question.

I would describe the Subaru AWD system as a 'true AWD'. It's a symmetrical AWD that provides power to all four wheels simultaneously and continuously. The Nautilus hybrid AWD is not this. It's primarily a FWD system that (only when needed) uses the rear wheels to assist in stability during slippage or if it's trying to improve traction.

Would your caveat regarding tread depth apply to the Nautilus?

 

[bbf2530]

This is good to know. In our case, the tire was 1/32 to 2/32 worn. But I have a question.

I would describe the Subaru AWD system as a 'true AWD'. It's a symmetrical AWD that provides power to all four wheels simultaneously and continuously. The Nautilus hybrid AWD is not this. It's primarily a FWD system that (only when needed) uses the rear wheels to assist in stability during slippage or if it's trying to improve traction.

Would your caveat regarding tread depth apply to the Nautilus?

Hi swindler. Yes, it does apply to the Nautilus, along with all other current/recent Lincoln AWD vehicles (including my 2018 MKZ). And it is mentioned in the Owners Manual (unless inadvertently left out in recent printings).

And uniform tread depth and overall wheel/tire diameter being within specification is not only important for the AWD system. It is also important for the ABS, Traction Control, ESC/Electronic Stability Control (or whatever the equivalent system is referred to nowadays) and other handling systems.

On a related note: While different than the Subaru system, the Lincoln Intelligent AWD system is still a “true AWD” system. It simply is not designed to be as off-road capable/biased. It is designed towards on-road/foul weather traction and light off-road driving, as opposed to heavier duty off-road/trail-type driving. And generally speaking, AWD systems are less design capable than true 4WD systems.

And the Lincoln Intelligent AWD system has the added benefit of running only in FWD for the Corsair/Nautilus, or RWD for the Aviator/Navigator, for fuel savings (and less wear and tear on the AWD components), when AWD is not needed.

Of course, that’s the very short story. However it is still a “true AWD” system.

Good luck.

 

[angore]

I am mentally prepared to buy two tires if one is damaged,

 

[swindler]

I am mentally prepared to buy two tires if one is damaged,

That would have been my plan too, had I needed to replace a tire. I had confirmed that the shop carried the Primacy Tour before going there (for lack of a better tire available).

FYI, here's the warning from our OM.