Oil Pressure Dropping?

[poweranger]

I Just Picked Up A 1993 Ranger 4x4 Ext Cab And So Far It Has Been Running Pretty Good. It Does Have 150k Km On It, But The Last Few Days The Oil Pressure Has Been Dropping Significantly, Although Not Low Enough To Be Out Of The Normal Range Yet. The Oil Level Is Full, And I'm Wondering If This Is Normal For A Vehicle Of This Type And Age, Or Should I Investigate Further. Any Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated! Thanks.

[Southern3.0]

The oil Gauge on Ranges are completely unreliable and never read right, the gauge on my old '91 would jump around like crazy and my '02 flickers and jumps around all the time. Hook up a mechanical gauge and if it still reads low then there's a problem.

[Southern3.0]

The oil Gauge on Ranges are completely unreliable and never read right, the gauge on my old '91 would jump around like crazy and my '02 flickers and jumps around all the time. Hook up a mechanical gauge and if it still reads low then there's a problem.

[Wicked_Sludge]

double post

id like to clarify southerns statement. the stock oil pressure gauges arent unreliable...they are utterly useless. they serve the same function as an oil light...anything above 6-8PSI and the gauge reads "normal", anything below that it reads "low". nothing in between. the fact that your gauge is fluctuating is more indicative of an electrical problem (bad ground, low voltage, ect) then an oil pressure problem.

if you verify your oil pressure with a real gauge, you'll probably discover you have nothing to worry about.

[poweranger]

Thanks Guys, I Feel Much Better. But I Do Have A Slight Oil Leak, So I Guess I'll Have It Checked Out Just To Make Sure And Get Any Repairs Necessary. I'm Really No The Most Mechanically Inclined Person, Prob The Worst On This Site For Sure. Lol!

[Wicked_Sludge]

everyone has to start somewhere. there was a point in everyone heres life when they knew absolutely nothing about their trucks.

if its something you'd like to get into, i'd suggest picking up a haynes repair manual for your truck. its a good way to learn how to do basic maintainance and repair jobs yourself. not only does it save you money, but it gives you the satisfaction of knowing you did the job with your own two hands

[CaliRanger1989]

Originally Posted by Wicked_Sludge

double post

id like to clarify southerns statement. the stock oil pressure gauges arent unreliable...they are utterly useless. they serve the same function as an oil light...anything above 6-8PSI and the gauge reads "normal", anything below that it reads "low". nothing in between. the fact that your gauge is fluctuating is more indicative of an electrical problem (bad ground, low voltage, ect) then an oil pressure problem.

if you verify your oil pressure with a real gauge, you'll probably discover you have nothing to worry about.

Is there any way to correct the guage's reading if it is a bad ground? My personal mechanic took a look and stated the best way to correct my problem is to replace the guage (meaning the whole dashboard) entirely.

[Jspafford]

There is nothing you can do to make the guage "real" meaning, make it anything more than a dummy guage. By the time it reads into the red zone, it is already too late.

Best thing to do is go to the local auto store and most of them carry in stock Sunpro Oil Pressure Guages. It comes with all you will need to install it.

You will then always know exactally what your oil pressure is.

Once you install it you will be amazed. Contrary to what the guage in the dash says, the oil pressure is ALWAYS fluctuating. At idle it will be lower, higher you rev, the higher it gets, the colder it is the higher it gets, etc.

[Southern3.0]

Originally Posted by Jspafford

There is nothing you can do to make the guage "real" meaning, make it anything more than a dummy guage. By the time it reads into the red zone, it is already too late.

Best thing to do is go to the local auto store and most of them carry in stock Sunpro Oil Pressure Guages. It comes with all you will need to install it.

You will then always know exactally what your oil pressure is.

Once you install it you will be amazed. Contrary to what the guage in the dash says, the oil pressure is ALWAYS fluctuating. At idle it will be lower, higher you rev, the higher it gets, the colder it is the higher it gets, etc.

+1 on the sun pro if you want an actually oil pressure reading

[Wicked_Sludge]

Originally Posted by CaliRanger1989

Is there any way to correct the guage's reading if it is a bad ground?

ya, fix the bad ground

the sending unit is grounded through its threads. if it was removed at some point and installed with too much teflon tape, it would cause gauge problems.

aside from that, checking your motor, body, and battery terminal grounds might be a good idea.

Originally Posted by Jspafford

There is nothing you can do to make the guage "real" meaning, make it anything more than a dummy guage.

not exactly.

there actually IS a way to make the gauge function as a "gauge" by bypassing a resistor behind the gauge cluster, and replacing the stock sender with a replacement sender from an aftermarket electric pressure gauge.

but even so, the gauge doesnt have any numbers on it...so it really wont tell you any more then the dummy gauge does.

[Jspafford]

If I am going to go through all that trouble, I prefer a mechanical guage anyway. I mean it's oil pressure, there doesn't need to be any sort of electrical components to guage PSI.

[Wicked_Sludge]

i agree 100%

just wanted to make sure all of the OP's options were on the table