My 2001 Ford Explorer Limited/ 5.0 oil pressure gauge shakes erratically at idle when hot.any idea whats wrong.?
Asked by hagood Jun 10, 2012 at 03:56 PM about the 2001 Ford Explorer Limited AWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Holds steady pressure when cold, as soon as it warms up or after a long drive. The oil pressure gauge starts jumping around shaking. etc. at idle when stopped at a light. When in park the gauge acts normally.
7 Answers
Engine is running fine, no noises..oil level is good...............
My money is on a worn sending unit. Being erratic then returning to a normal position when cold or while at idle leads me in that direction. I do not believe there is a pressure problem because you did not mention any symptoms of oil starvation. There are two types of guages used and I do not know which one your vehicle has. There is a mechanical type which works off of springs which get worn and electrical ones. On the electrical guages mesaures very tiny differences in resistance to display a reading. Dirt and corrosion can affect both. Sending units are cheap enough, and it is the easiest to replace.
Thank you !!! i kinda had a feeling that was the problem, but just wasn't sure. this is an electrical gauge...
If it not the sending unit. do this next. Remove the sending unit and attach an oil pressure guage in its place. You will probably need a reducer to match the size of the guage fitting to the port. Use a mechanical guage, not an electronic gage. If the guage reads steady and does not fluxuate, the the problem is probably in the dash guage. If the pressure fluxuates, then obviously the problem is before the sending unit. If you are interested, you will have to look up what the proper reading should be for your particular engine year.
I have done that, and the pressure is fine......................
A follow up 8 years later.................must be some sort of record.
