Ticking engine, oil pressure gauge 0-normal

[bilzy7]

I know there are other threads on this but I figured I'd ask as none I could find said anything about a ticking engine.

So about 4 days ago my engine started ticking, I know it's coming from the top end. Then about 2 days ago I noticed my oil gauge would drop to 0 and flicker up and down when below 20 mph. Im just curious as to should I just take this thing to a shop, or should I try to play replace oil pump and hope that's what's happening? I'm just trying to avoid paying pretty much equal in value of my truck for a repair... If that's the case I misewell be in the market for something else...
This happens all at the worse time... My wife might be leaving, I have to pay to replace pretty much a whole side of wall in basement of my apartment because her brother accidentally broke water faucet and now mold is growing on walls, landlords mad cause her other brother went into basement to do drugs and stole bike from basement... So fed up with pretty much everything... It's tough to deal with so much and not go crazy.
There was an auction in Salem nh today, auto auction place for public, I wanted to go and see if I could get this 1999 5.0 expo with 109k miles, but I just didn't give a crap by time I got out of work.

 

[cr_the_machinist]

How many miles do you have on the engine? Sometimes the sending units go bad and the gauge will fritz out. If there is more engine "chatter" noise than usual (in your opinion) the oil pressure could possibly be on the low side. You can pick up a mechanic oil pressure gauge (good tool to have) to see how healthy it is. I would try changing the oil and oil filter and see if that changes things. Cut open the old oil filter and take a peak to see if its catching anything. If the engine it healthy there should be no sludge and particulate on the filter media. Start with the small stuff and work your way up, oil pumps do not fail very often. Low oil pressure in higher millage (or under-maintained) engines is mainly do to bearing tolerances opening up beyond spec.

 

[bilzy7]

214k miles lol. It was running healthy till then. I'm gonna grab oil n a filter omw home and see from there. I'll cut old filter open n check for chunks, but I did deadpan my oil about 5k miles ago so I don't think there should be sludge, well see. It was dirty as he'll after I seafoamed it, alotta sludge came out. I'm hoping it's nothing is have to get engine lifted to check in oil pan. I'd have to go to a shop for that and that'd be a ridiculous price. So hoping it's something that bolts to engine or simpler.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[cr_the_machinist]

I would forgo paying someone to drop the pan, in my opinion. 214,000 miles is a quite a decent amount of miles, not to say it wouldn't go more. I would take it to a tech and get an opinion before paying to have the engine pulled, just to inspect the pan. I just think replacing the oil pump may be more of a "band-aid" fix rather than a suitable sollution. I would pick up a mechanical oil pressure guage, like I stated. Those sending units are only pressure switches, meaning it will up the oil guage up to mid-position it the switch is triggered by enough oil pressure (rumored by as low as 8psi).

It could only be a lifter causing the noise. If you have a lifter, that would be a much easier fix. The top ends of the engines are very easy to rebuild. If you have a free day, it may not hurt to pick up some valve cover gaskets and pop the valvecovers off for a preliminary inspection of the valvetrain.

 

[jhammel85]

The seafoam may have loosened up some of the junk that was possibly starting to form. I bet some of the sludge is blocking a passageway in the motor or pump.

 

[hondaxr650]

I think jhammel is on the right track. All the crap that came loose after the seafoam may be clogging the pump pickup screen.

 

[bilzy7]

I read that some non genuine oil filters may mess with engine too? I'm gonna get a motorcraft. There was a deal on synthetic and... Crap forget filter name but it's one of those stupid air intake companies. Aem... I forget. It's only been 5k miles but.. Idk. I'm home waiting for wife to get back. Apparently I work all day and she needs a break cause she's watching our son... It's ok wife, it's only my engine lol.... Someone PM'd me too about taking oil filter fitting off and using a suction to try to suck out possible debris. Sounds like a good idea... If I could get 5 mins after work to get anything done. Thanks all for the help an Earl for the pm. Going for oil soon...

 

[98 ranger xlt]

K&n oil filter

 

[bilzy7]

OMG! My dipstick lied to me!!! That SOB!

Lol, I wipe off my dip stick two times when I check oil levels, and it read full this time checking. I drain oil, I only drained 3 qts, put in 5 full synthetic Valvoline I got and motorcraft filter. It started rough and bam, back to pristine running condition. Oil drained was very dirty and had a bunch little pieces in it. I'm mad at my dipstick. I will now change oil every 3k whether full synthetic or not. Apparently my tiny drip=2 quarts every 5k miles, or time it takes me to go 5k miles.
I felt stupid once I felt weight of drained oil against the 5 qt container I had... My poor top end.
So that's why below 30 mph my oil pressure would fluctuate, and in turns it would drop to 0. I would have told about the 0 pressure in turn but It just started omw home today. The turn thing made me think It might be because I was low, but my dipstick said otherwise. Well... This man has a good running pump and appreciates all who wrote and gave me advice on something I was too stupid to figure out on my own. Thank You.

And yes it was a k&n filter, they had a deal on that and full syn when I got oil last time so I said f it I'll try it. And ammm... Ya... That was some hot oil hahaha... I should have let it cool down more but w.e, I gave it a half hour... I gotta get to reserves early for a PT test for the Combatives school Im going to... Have to be certified level 1 before I can go to level 2 school. Thanks again all.

 

[Earl43P]

Glad you figured THAT out.

I check my oil every gas fillup.
Park at pump, pop hood.
Pull dipstick out.
Pump gas till full. This gives oil time to settle in the pan.
Wipe dipstick, read the oil level, wipe, read it again.
Close hood, clean windshield.
Pitstop complete.

 

[Brycieb2]

I was having the same issues. Thanks to reading this I realized the cheap oil filter I bought at Walmart a couple weeks ago might be my issue. Changed it to a Fram filter and seems to have fixed it. Thanks

 

[sd359]

I bought a 87 Ranger 2.9 some years back. When you cranked it, it had good oil pressure after about a minute it dropped to 0. I thought the oil pump was bad. I pulled motor and when I took off the intake all below had crud from where he oil had not been changed regularly. The oil would pump up but took forever to go back down. If the oil is not flowing and keeping a constant oil pressure you are going to have some ticks, the parts are working with little or no oil. After rebuilding the only part that was good was the oil pump. I sold the truck with 105,000 on the rebuilt motor.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Particularly with 200k plus, check the oil regularly .

Particularly with 200k plus , you are changing the oil because it's contaminated, not because it has broken down .

REALLY sludged up engines treated with powerful ( engine cleaning products ) can have the nasty side effects of previously stationary pieces of crud breaking loose, and getting into places where they can cause problems .

Plan A - Use powerful methods only imeadately before draining oil . As in measured in minutes of idling .

Plan B - Use a milder cleaning method most of time between oil change . Such as Marvel Mystery Oil . ( MMO enabled me to get any extra 1.5yr out of '76 Torino . Engine was still hanging in , but the rusted out rear window channel caused the retirement .)