Help, Whats wrong with my car?

SCroots

Registered User
Hey guys. I was having a problem with low oil pressure. I thought maybe it was cause i was 100 miles past 3000 for the change. so, i changed my oil. problem NOT solved. there is enough oil in the crankcase. there is no leak that i can see on my garage floor. and it is low enough for the "check gauges" light to come on.

PLEASE HELP!
 
Okay. Be very very careful here. Don't run the engine until you find out why this is happening.

First off, try the obvious. It could be a faulty gauge or sending unit.
Remove the sending unit and hook up a mechanical pressure gauge where the sending unit was. This should be on the front of the engine on the drivers side.
If you start it, and have oil pressure reading on the mechanical gauge, you are very lucky and have no internal engine problems. It should have 40-60 psi at 2000RPM.
If you do not have any oil pressure as soon as you start it, SHUT IT OFF.
You could have a faulty oil pump, a twisted or broken oil pump drive shaft, the sump (pickup tube) could have fallen off inside the pan, or maybe the engine has spun a few bearings.
If it is an oil pump problem, and you don't run it or drive it, you may be able to salvage the engine and just make moderate repairs.
If you have oil pressure, then just try a new sending unit. If this doesn't work, maybe the gauge or wiring to it needs to be replaced/repaired.
Do not drive it or let it run for more than 7 seconds until you know for sure.
 
It's most likely a gauge problem.
My dad's Bronco II gauge dropped to 0 one night while we were driving along. I was freakin out. He just said no shhhhh. We listened carefully and the engine did not make any noises, so we kept driving.
It turned out to be the sending unit.
The 3.8 S/C is such a bear to remove and replace, I don't think I would risk that move though.
 
I forgot

i really hope its a gauge prob, but im not going to risk it. I also neglected to mention that everynow and then, the pressure goes up just a bit,so the light will go off, but then back down. does that tell you anything else? THANKS
 
well from what you just told us.. when you start it up when it is cold is the pressure higher than when it gets warm? or does it just get loopy from the get go.. if the latter is the case.. then 90% of the time you can smile.. its prolly just a sendor or gauge.. but if it is more towards the former.. then might wanna start finding places to get a new motor/rebuild.. and grab a bus schedule..

Jesse
 
Well, shoot. I dont really know which one of those i would say it is. with the light on, i only drove it to school, 30 miles, and back + two trips to the gym, 5 miles. the pressure is real low (light on) 90% of the time. and just goes off every now and then. is that loopy? isure hope so.

Anyways, i will probably be able to look further into it tonight.
 
I hope it just a bad sender, because just driving it a block or two with the oil light on is enough to ruin the engine.

Good luck, David
 
tha sounds like the sending unit doesn't have good contact with the little doohickey that goes on it (sorry if i'm being too technical :) just make sure the boot is all the way pressed on hard to the sender
 
Relief

You guys were right, it was just the sending unit. Picked one up from Ford, andall is well again. Good thing it was cheap too, now i can afford to do my exhaust!!! tomorrow mornig at 9:30 im dropping it off!!! YES! thanks for all the help.
 
Ford didn't cheap out when it came to the engine internals on the 3.8 S/C. I was pretty sure it was the sending unit. I have yet to hear of a 3.8 S/C with an oil pump failure.
 
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