shaky oil pressure

[fishon91]

'03 2.9 ltr ranger 2wd
happens mostly when accelerating, but the needle is always shaky, most a little above halfway between L and H. also, shouldn't have anything to do with it, but maybe it will, sometime when headed home i go about 70 for 10 minutes then slow down and the truck shuts off..... weird, vacuum maybe? well, anyway what do ya'll think is causing the shaky oil pressure?

[Explorin94]

?????????????????????????????? 2.9 in an 2003 Ranger?????????? You need to relook at your truck tag and figure out what you have. If anything it is a 3.0. First never.....never trust the dash gages. If you think your oil pressure is fluctuating get an actual oil pressure gage and see if it is actually fluctuating. you don't even need to run it into the cab, just set it up so when you close your hood it is outside where you can read it while you go drive the truck. If it doesn't fluctuate then your sender is bad and then I would disconnect the dash gage and run an oil pressure gage into the cab and be done with it. It's you truck and your call.

[fishon91]

sorry don't know why i wrote 2.9, it's got a 2.3 liter. thats good news, the needle shaking so fast now that it's not possible for the presure to fluctuate that quickly.
anyone have any ideas about the other problems?

[Explorin94]

sorry don't know why i wrote 2.9, it's got a 2.3 liter. thats good news, the needle shaking so fast now that it's not possible for the presure to fluctuate that quickly.
anyone have any ideas about the other problems?

Those engines are also notorious for the oil pump pick-up tube screen plugging up. May have to drop the pan to find out.

[fishon91]

ok dumb question now, the pan is obviously gonna have a gasket. is it a kind that's gonna need replacing? i have to do an oil change wednesday after trip and i'll do it all then, but if i need a gasket i need to buy it before i start.

[Explorin94]

ok dumb question now, the pan is obviously gonna have a gasket. is it a kind that's gonna need replacing? i have to do an oil change wednesday after trip and i'll do it all then, but if i need a gasket i need to buy it before i start.

No such thing as a dumb question. The pan should have a one piece rubber gasket as I think the oil pan is aluminum. Correct..have all the parts before you start, or do it when the parts houses are open.

[fishon91]

wow, that was fun. :annoyed: (not)
got the oil changed didn't take off pan, because the sensor is on the fliter adapter. started to take off the whole adapter, but the wrench i had was too big and couldn't get the socket all the way on(time for a new socket set), so i just removed and cleaned the sensor. it helped a lot, still shakes some, i think it'll come back eventually.

the reason i said that was fun was cause when backing the truck up after everyhing, i missed a hole where water runs out, and fell in. used two jacks to lift up the front of truck, twice. took about 30 mins. to get out. but i did, take that hole!! :thefinger: