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Oil pressure....


88ranger5speed

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Is this normal?


Oil pressure is high and the oil dummy light is on but the oil level is fine.
1. Is the pressure too high?
2.are the incidents related?
 


tmcalavy

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what does the dipstick show?...normal, low, overfull?
 

Captain Ledd

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what does the dipstick show?...normal, low, overfull?
Oil pressure is high and the oil dummy light is on but the oil level is fine.
Is this new? I've seen some trucks run high when the engine is cold. And if the light is on, it feels there is a problem, and I would say they're related. There might be a restriction somewhere. How regular have the oil changes been? How many miles on it?

Could be sludge, could be that pressure regulating spring/ball sticking.

Could try running 1/2qt-1qt of diesel through it at an oil change (put it in the engine oil fill, NOT the gas tank). It'll act like a mild flush, and help thin out some sludge if there is any, and well as help the oil thin out and drain afterwards. If you can have the engine warm already (but not necessary) and just idle it for 5-6 min before you change the oil (don't drive it).
 

88ranger5speed

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3000 miles. 96,000. Oil is about halfway between empty and full.
 

Mickey Bitsko

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Maybe the ground on the sending unit is corroded or full of oil and dirt?
 

Bronco638

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Mickey Bitsko said:
Maybe the ground on the sending unit is corroded or full of oil and dirt?
Yeah, I'm thinking the sending unit, for the light, isn't working properly. If the oil were really low, you'd hear the hydraulic lifters start to "tap" as they run out of oil.
 

88ranger5speed

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That just happened recently. Everything still runs fine but the pressure reads high sometimes but others it doesn't.
 

tmcalavy

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Oil is halfway between empty and full...hmm, why not fill to the correct level and see if the pressure normalizes and the idiot light goes out? Then do an oil change and flush if it doesn't...Bob's yer uncle.
 

Captain Ledd

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The amount of fluid in the sump has no effect on pressure, unless there is not enough for the pump to suck, then there is no pressure.
 

tmcalavy

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Well, uh...call me crazy, but I like to run my engines with the oil at the full mark. If the pump had a serious problem he'd have no pressure like you said. But if he fills it up to full the idiot light will go away.
 

Bronco638

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tmcalavy said:
Well, uh...call me crazy, but I like to run my engines with the oil at the full mark. If the pump had a serious problem he'd have no pressure like you said. But if he fills it up to full the idiot light will go away.
Um, what makes you think that a full sump will make the oil pressure light go out?
 

Captain Ledd

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Um, what makes you think that a full sump will make the oil pressure light go out?
Some newer vehicles have an oil level sensor, but it only goes off when your level is LOW, like a quart or 2 quarts low. That's the only thing I could think of, because as stated earlier, sump level has zero effect on pressure unless it's actually below the pickup tube. My auto shop teacher looked at me like I had asked the stupidest question in the world when I asked what that extra plug thingy was on the side of the oil pan in class, I had never seen one before, and honestly, haven't since.

He does mean well by running the oil at the top fill line, and it's of course best practice. But after 3000 miles and it's a 1/2 quart low, is still pretty damn good for a 26 year old vehicle. and those hash marks are there for a reason, it's the safe operating level for a vehicle, as long as it's in those hashes you should be good, unless you have vehicular OCD, which is a people problem, not a vehicle problem.

Looking back to make sure I got my information right I see he's now banned, so I guess we won't get an answer lol. Which is unfortunate really, he could have learned some things if he wasn't so close minded and stubborn about the way he did things and that his thoughts on the matter were infallible. He had nearly 900 posts, I'm surprised I don't recall him before. If he posted like this elsewhere I'm sure I would have recalled his name, or at least sounded familiar.:dunno:
 
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Bronco638

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OK, I can see how the oil level sensor might come into play but, as you mentioned, if the level is within the hash marks, why would the level sensor come on?

I still think this is either a sender unit issue or an electrical (wiring) issue.
 

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