rudypoochris Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Sorry this is a non-Z related question. This refers to a 1992 Ford Explorer 5-speed with 175,000 miles on the original, not rebuilt engine. The oil pump and sending unit are original as far as I know. I switched to synthetic about 1 year ago and haven't had problems until... now. I changed the oil about two months ago and messed up the job by forgetting to check if the surface for the new filter was clear of gaskets. I dumped a bunch of oil on the ground and lost pressure for a bit. The engine didn't make any metal to metal or horrible sounds but it was a big mess to say the least. Thats just the background... 1. My problem is that today out of the blue I start the engine up and the "check oil" lamp is lit, but pressure is still in the normal range (according to the guage). I turn the engine off and to my surprise the pan is -2 quarts from full! i could not believe my eyes and checked the dip stick 3 times. Just three days ago it was at -1/2 a quart from full, which is where it normally sits (if you go to full it burns the oil off or soemthing but then hovers at -.5 from full so i stopped bothering). This puzzled me very much as there was no oil anywhere on the ground. So i drove very conservatively to kragen and put in 1 quart of synthetic. I did not start the car and simply checked the oil, it was at the perfect mark! So the level went from -2 quarts to full with only 1 quart of oil. Seemed fishy to me. The only explenation is that sludge somehow blocked a crucial passage down to the pan and was pushed clear when the new quart was added. Any thoughts?? Dealership said it would be $125 to diagnose, and more if they had to go into the pan, which is probably a guarentee. So any help is great. 2. The oil pressure guage used to read at about 70% which is in the normal range but now it reads about 50%. I have not noticed any difference in sound or performance, but this still concerns me. Is it probable that the sending unit is bust and should be replaced. Or would it make sense that sludge has built up on the pickup. Or lastly, could the synthetic be running past the seals in the oil pump? (not sure if this would make sense because it started at 70% one day and then the next was at 50%, not gradual and not after an oil change). Once again any help is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudypoochris Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 #2 is fixed. I put in a new oil pressure sending unit and I see 70% again!!! Glad I didn't pay more than $13.95. The first problem is stilla mystery, but the oil level remains full so, so far, so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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