91 explorer oil pressure low

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mike - 17 Mar 2006 03:50 GMT

I was driving today and all of a sudden my oil pressure indicator went
below the L. After a couple mins I could hear the valve train clicking.

Stopping my oil level was ok, my temp ind ok, not burning any oil.

When I start it back up I have oil pressure, but after about a mile, it
goe s below the L and again I can hear the valve train.

Did I blow a gasket somewhere?

Mike

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sdlomi2 - 17 Mar 2006 04:40 GMT

>I was driving today and all of a sudden my oil pressure indicator went
> below the L. After a couple mins I could hear the valve train clicking.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Mike

One thing that can cause JUST that: if the oil pan has sludge built up
in it, the oil pump will suck it up to the oil pump pickup screen as you
drive, stop flow of oil thru the screen, & starve the bearings, lifters, et
al from receiving oil. When you stop the engine, this pulling force stops,
the sludge drops back to the bottom of the pan, and you can restart & go a
little ways until it again pulls the sludge onto the screen. Most people
drop the oil pan, remove the pickup screen & oil pump, clean all well, and
replace pump while in there.
If the pan is a high-dollar removal job, you might want to try a much,
much cheaper--yet quite effective--procedure. Leave out/change the obvious
& email samdanielsatspamcharterdotnet . Luck to you, sdlomi2

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Nate Nagel - 17 Mar 2006 11:35 GMT

> I was driving today and all of a sudden my oil pressure indicator went
> below the L. After a couple mins I could hear the valve train clicking.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Mike

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that your engine is all full of
sludge and gunk and that all the oil is pooling in your heads when
you're driving. Has this engine seen regular oil changes? Might need
to be torn down for investigation, although you might be able to get by
with just pulling the valve covers and cleaning the drain holes. I
would definitely follow up with some kind of cleaning regimen, be it an
actual treatment (I've heard good things about Auto-RX, gimmicky as it
sounds) or just regular changes with a Diesel-rated oil like Rotella or
Delvac. But see also the "how long do I soak my oil pump pickup in
kerosene" thread for other ideas and gotchas.

BTW, running the engine for more than a few seconds with no oil pressure
isn't particularly good for it...

nate

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HLS@nospam.nix - 17 Mar 2006 13:21 GMT

> Did I blow a gasket somewhere?
>
> Mike

In response to other posters suggestions about sludge, how often do you
change your oil and filter and what sort of oil do you use??

Low oil pressure can be due to several things, including a failed or
failing
oil pump, low oil level, foaming, excessively worn bearings, and sludge or
blockage.

A loose oil pump pickup can also be a PITA. (Dont remember if this is
a Ford problem or is mostly GM)

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Scott Dorsey - 17 Mar 2006 16:27 GMT

>I was driving today and all of a sudden my oil pressure indicator went
>below the L. After a couple mins I could hear the valve train clicking.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Did I blow a gasket somewhere?

Maybe, but more likely the oil pump. Drop the pan and check it.
--scott

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"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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mike - 17 Mar 2006 19:30 GMT

I oil doesn't look that bad. I had tranny problems and it was parked
from July last year to this past Dec when I fixed the tranny. I had
changing the oil "on the list", but I guess I should have gotten to
that item quicker.

Do you think I created some problems after this started happening by
driving it after it developed this problem?

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Nate Nagel - 18 Mar 2006 00:49 GMT

> I oil doesn't look that bad. I had tranny problems and it was parked
> from July last year to this past Dec when I fixed the tranny. I had
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Do you think I created some problems after this started happening by
> driving it after it developed this problem?

Any time spend under load without oil pressure is Really Bad. That
said, there's really only one way to find out. I know my landlady's son
ran her Nissan pickup out of oil, and drove it home a couple miles
(?!?!?!?) with the oil light on, and it's still kicking. I put over
three quarts in it when she told me what happened (!?!?!?!?!)

In other words, you might get lucky, you might spin a bearing next week.
Don't worry about it until it happens...

nate

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Steve - 20 Mar 2006 17:58 GMT

> I was driving today and all of a sudden my oil pressure indicator went
> below the L. After a couple mins I could hear the valve train clicking.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Mike

Most likely you collapsed the oil filter element, or you have an oil pan
full of sludge particles that is blocking the pickup screen after
driving for a while. When you stop, the gunk drops off the screen and
you have pressure again for a while.

I'd try a new oil filter first- especially if there's a Fram on there at
the moment.

Since you're hearing valve train rattles, I can pretty safely say that
it isn't a bad pressure sending unit.

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mike - 20 Mar 2006 21:22 GMT

thanks.

Are you saying that Fram sucks? Would motorcraft be better?

Mike

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Steve - 20 Mar 2006 22:10 GMT

> thanks.
>
> Are you saying that Fram sucks?

Yes. Paper end-caps on the filter element, sucky anti-drainback valves,
less filter media. Among other things.

> Would motorcraft be better?

Much. Motorcraft filters are my third pick, after Wix and Purolator.

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Nate Nagel - 21 Mar 2006 00:44 GMT

> thanks.
>
> Are you saying that Fram sucks? Would motorcraft be better?
>
> Mike

I'm not the poster to whom you're replying, but you can count me in the
"not a fan of the orange can" list. My specific gripe with them is the
lack of a functional anti-drainback valve on MoPar slant six
applications, but there's so many reasons to use a better filter. Wix
is commonly acknowledged to be a good, serviceable filter with no major
faults, and only costs a buck or two more. Purolator is also good, and
sometimes even cheaper than Fram!

nate

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mike - 22 Mar 2006 17:54 GMT

All,

Here is an update on my sludge problem. I appreciate all the feedback I
have received.

Here is the procedure I used:

1) drained the oil while hot, but did not change the filter
2) put the drain plug back in and filled it with a gallon of Berryman
B-12 Carb Cleaner (used Berryman because on the side of the can it
talked about adding 6 oz. to a cars oil for cleaning sludge)
3) let it sit for 2 days.
4) drained the cleaner.
5) filled with oil and a new Fram Filter ( used Fram because it was
cheap and wasn't going to be around long )
6) drove it for 15 minutes at @ 45 to 50 mph. ( after abut 10 min my
"check engine" light came on, oil pressure was fine )
7) drained the oil, removed the crappy Fram filter
8) new oil and Purolator filter

I have driven it twice for 15 to 20 minutes twice and it seems to run
fine with good oil pressure. No "check engine" light. I don't know what
that was about.

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