2000 3.0 flex ranger 165000 miles

[gfrato]

Oil pressure gauge needle bouncing wile idle in traffic.
Stops moving wile driving or in park and neutral.

Any ideas what the cause might be.

Thanks, Greg

 

[Kealel]

Have you ever replaced your camshaft? If not, do it NOW. it is cheap and easy to do.

 

[enjr44]

Is the idle rpm the same in gear as in neutral? It should be between 750 and 800. If is dropping the oil pressure could be dropping below the 6 psi threshold.

On the stock engine (without aftermarket gauge) the oil pressure gauge is not a gauge. It is a switch that is turned on or off by the oil pressure sender. Above 6 psi gauge needle goes to normal. Below 6 psi goes to zero. Just a like when they used to use a oil pressure light. People didn't like having just a light so they did the exact same thing using a needle.

So if it is bouncing around while the engine is at a steady rpm, I would suspect either a bad/failing sender or wire or low idle speed.

 

[gfrato]

Oil pressure

Is the idle rpm the same in gear as in neutral? It should be between 750 and 800. If is dropping the oil pressure could be dropping below the 6 psi threshold.

On the stock engine (without aftermarket gauge) the oil pressure gauge is not a gauge. It is a switch that is turned on or off by the oil pressure sender. Above 6 psi gauge needle goes to normal. Below 6 psi goes to zero. Just a like when they used to use a oil pressure light. People didn't like having just a light so they did the exact same thing using a needle.

So if it is bouncing around while the engine is at a steady rpm, I would suspect either a bad/failing sender or wire or low idle speed.

Idle speed is slightly lower in gear, drive and reverse wile Higher in park and neutral.

 

[Kealel]

Not kidding though, replace yiur camshaft stuff if you haven't yet, it'll take the engine with it when it goes and that is a good sign it has already gone.

 

[pjtoledo]

you have 2 issues to consider,
1. the camshaft synchronizer may be failing. the oil passages clog, it puts a load on the roll pin that secures the drive gear. the pin shears off or wears the gear out, so nothing is driving the oil pump and the engine quickly dies.

2. gauge/sender is flakey as hell, causes the needle to bounce around when there is nothing wrong with the oil pressure.


put a real gauge on it and see what the pressure really is.
pull the cam synchronizer and clean it.

my 2000 3.0 flex will show low oil pressure for the first mile or so of driving, it's been doing that for a couple years.

 

[enjr44]

On a 3.0L the cam is buried and to change it is one heck of a job. Drive it til it fails and get a new/different 3.0 to replace it. There are millions of them out there. The camshaft synchronizer is a different story, it is on the outside of the engine and can be changed with engine together.

But, when it comes to oil pressure, I don't think they sort of fail. They stop the pump and the engine.