Oil pressure gauge flickering at idle

[kukaepe]

I have experienced the oil pressure gauge flickering or bouncing from high to low at idle on freeway off ramps. Seems to happen when traveling for 15-20 minutes at around 2500 rpm, exiting the freeway and at the stop at the end of the off ramp the gauge bounces all over the place and makes noise. I replaced the oil pressure switch as recommended on these forums and it only fixed it for a week or so and then started again. I purchased a "superseded" genuine Ford switch #6U5Z-9278-D (SW-6357), the parts guy said that it was a "5 psi" switch. This cured the problem, I hope this helps someone else with this same annoying issue.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

Sounds more like your oil pump pickup is clogged....

 

[aspevacek]

put a mechanical guage on there to test pressure. That is the sure fire way to see what the pump is doing. I have found over the years electrical guages to b emost inaccurate at best unles syou lay big money out for them. I have a test pressure guage for about every thing on a vehicle and if someone has issues before anything is swapped or money is laid out we see exactly what we are looking at. My dad has a 86 F250 that the guage drops to 0 psi at idle when the engine warms up. He was worried and I told him as smooth as i tis there is no way it has no pressure. well come to find out it is his cluster and the tracks build resistance as the cluster warms up and that is the cause for the issue.