No Oil Pressure at Start

[jasongind]

The last week or so when i get up to go to PT, its around 0600 and the temp has been around 50*. I start my '01 4x4, manuel, 3.0 with 109,175 miles on it, and the check gauge light pops on and the oil pressure needle is still down. Once it has been running for a few mins the oil pressure needle jumps to its normal position and the check gauge light goes out. It seems to be takeing a little more time each morning for the needle to go to its normal positon. Currently I'm running the recomended Fram filter and Castol 10-30 synthetic oil. I have about 3,000 miles since the last oil change and the oil is slightly brown but nothing to horrible. I'm concerned since the motor is running each morning without any indicated oil being pushed through. Any thoughts as to whats going on, or what I can do to fix it?

TIA

 

[Big Jim M]

The key here would be engine noises made by having no oil pressure.. I suspect you don't have any noises as you don't mention them.

So you prolly are looking at cleaning the contact point at the pressure sender.. If that don't work replace it. High probability the sender is reacting slowly to the oil pressure.

Big Jim

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

ive had similar problems on all my rangers. i get a low pressure reading, a high pressure reading, or no pressure reading at all. ive replaced the sensors with new ones and had good results but eventually the problem always returns, so my solution was just to cleanly install a manual gauge cluster and ignore what fords gauges read. i now suspect that my sensor pigtail was probably to blame all along, but now that ive done all the work to install the gauges im not going to screw with it.

 

[jasongind]

The key here would be engine noises made by having no oil pressure.. I suspect you don't have any noises as you don't mention them.

So you prolly are looking at cleaning the contact point at the pressure sender.. If that don't work replace it. High probability the sender is reacting slowly to the oil pressure.

Big Jim

True, there is no engine noise during this period of "no pressure". I've experiance an engine running on no oil before and mine doesnt have any of the same characoristics, I just wanted to make sure. I'll try to clean the sending unit and see how that works.

Unrelated but still a problem, yesterday I took my truck through one of those sutomated car washes. After I came out I went to drive home, about 6 blocks away and it started to sputter and stumble then kicked on the check engine light. So I checked all the plug wires to make sure they were still pushed in all the way at the plug and the coil, they were. I also pulled the air filter to see if it sucked water, bone dry. Then I pulled the code and it gave me P0306 Cylinder 6 Misfire. I let it sit a while disconnected the battery then drove it a few hours later, seemed to be fine. This morning after driving to work I drove to the convient store and it started to misfire again at lower rpms (from idel to around 3k). I parked went in side then went to drive back and it was normal again. I dont know if its a sign the coil pack is going out or what.

 

[Big Jim M]

just a hint

Wet weather is when plug and coil wires first start to misbehave. The humidity causes the spark to exit the wire before getting to the plug.
Are the wires old? Do you have one or more very near or touching metal?
That is the first place i'd be looking..
Of course it could be just about anthing, but there is a starting place.
Big JIm

 

[jasongind]

Ther wires are new, roughly 4,000 miles. They are 8mm silicones, sepereated with the wire seperators and not touching or too close to metal. I'll double check and go from there. Thanks again.

*Found the problem. Number 6 plug wire was resting on the metal tube (possible oil vent tube?) and rubbed a hole into. Good thing these wires have a lifetime coverage.

 

[wahl_7s]

True, there is no engine noise during this period of "no pressure". I've experiance an engine running on no oil before and mine doesnt have any of the same characoristics, I just wanted to make sure. I'll try to clean the sending unit and see how that works.

Unrelated but still a problem, yesterday I took my truck through one of those sutomated car washes. After I came out I went to drive home, about 6 blocks away and it started to sputter and stumble then kicked on the check engine light. So I checked all the plug wires to make sure they were still pushed in all the way at the plug and the coil, they were. I also pulled the air filter to see if it sucked water, bone dry. Then I pulled the code and it gave me P0306 Cylinder 6 Misfire. I let it sit a while disconnected the battery then drove it a few hours later, seemed to be fine. This morning after driving to work I drove to the convient store and it started to misfire again at lower rpms (from idel to around 3k). I parked went in side then went to drive back and it was normal again. I dont know if its a sign the coil pack is going out or what.

Man I just went trough this on my daughters truck gauge misfire the whole enchilada. Her truck is an '01 3.0 auto, but the gauge thing is just the gauge IMO it doesn't do it all the time. The misfire is still a mystery to me i got the same code accept #1 cyl. replaced every thing including the injector, coil pack, wires, plugs same thing, one day go start the truck its fine been running fine ever since