Daughters Ford explorwe again

37chief · Dec 28, 2015

I have never seen this happen. Yesterday daughter left her car at my place, because of no oil pressure. Lifters were clattering so I know the pump was not putting out. This morning I started the car. It had oil pressure then 45 seconds oil pressure dropped off. waited one minute had oil pressure. Then the same thing all over again. The motor does have oil. Any more thoughts? Stan

Ron-MO · Dec 28, 2015

I'd be thinking about dropping the pan and have a look. Could this be a filter issue? Perhaps a filter came apart? Just thinking outloud, but I think for little expense and time it would not hurt to drop the pan and filter and give things a look.

Janicholson · Dec 28, 2015

A plugged up intake screen can make that symptom. As can a broken drive shaft, or a bad sending unit, or stripped drive hex/spline/or? Pulling the pan will tell all, and it is probably simple. Put a real gauge on it first. Then go from there. Jim

dhermesc · Dec 28, 2015

Sounds like your oil pickup screen is just about clogged permanently. After it runs a bit the oil pump sucks up enough debris to completely clog the screen. Shut it off and the suction is removed and the debris falls away from the screen.

If you are going for a cheap repair you might be able to lift then engine enough with engine mounts removed to get the pan out without fully pulling the engine (don't know - never tried it).

MSM · Dec 28, 2015

Oil return holes in the head clogged...oil gets pumped up top but doesn't drain back quickly. Have seen it several times on engines with poor maintenance.

Glen SW Wi · Dec 28, 2015

Had something similar happen on our 86 motorhome with the 460 engine. Oil pressure would stay up as long as rpm was kept up. Pressure would drop at idle. Limped into the ford dealer and they dropped the pan to find that the pickup tube had cracked from not being installed properly. After over 12,000 miles the crack developed. The pickup was supposed to be supported by a bracket attached to a cap nut on one of the journals. Ford would not pay anything for the repair because the vehicle was over warranty. Sent a letter to the chairman of the board and told him I would fully expect to have to tighten a nut or two on the outside of the engine, but never thought I'd have to go internal to check on loose nuts. Never got any satisfaction.

JRSutton · Dec 28, 2015

First question - did you add any oil?

I'm asking because if you've got a bad sender, that may have confused things a bit - adding oil would have eliminated the lifter noise - but the bad sender could still be coming in and out making it look like low pressure.

Which involves the next question - how do you know the pressure is low? Dash guage? Or lifter noise?

Ron-MO · Dec 28, 2015

Many years ago I heard of a similar issue with a friend who also owned a Ford Motorhome with the 460. This was about that same time as well, when the motorhome was not very old and he took a trip from MO to New York state to visit family. I cannot recall the details, but know it involved a cracked oil pump pickup and he was stranded at a shop and very unhappy at the time. He passed away several years ago, but I still recall the episode.

Glen SW Wi · Dec 28, 2015

We were traveling from southern Wi to northern Wi with our infant grandson and all the stuff that goes with the little ones. At least were on a major highway and I know there was a Ford dealer in the next town. Pulled up to their shop door and shut it off. Mechanic asked me to start it up again and when he herd the clatter told me to shut down.

Had to rent a car from the dealer for a week before they got the new pickup. Ended costing us about $700 for the week. Drove the rental 150 miles to our house and left it parked for the week. We had two vehicles at home. Vowed I would never buy another Ford product. Have always been a Chevy man. Broke down and bought a 2010 Escape and haven't had any problem for forty thousand some miles.

JayinNY · Dec 28, 2015

I have a 99 dodge Dakota, my friend put intake gaskets on it, then it started losing oil pressure, he dropped the oil pan and found crud plugged the oil pick up screen, this happened a few times, finally one day it lost oil pressure again, he looked into it and found the oil gear drive shaft broke, put in a new gear drive shaft and was good to go.

ETChew IN. · Dec 28, 2015

Could be the oil filter.I had the same thing happen on a mustang.

jturbo10 · Dec 28, 2015

Had about the same thing with a 89 GMC pickup with a 5.7L engine. I put a oil pressure gauge on the oil pressure line and confirmed good pressure. Turned out to be a bad sending unit. I always try to verify the problem first and then take the least expensive and easiest option first. If I had to guess, I would bet it is your oil pickup or oil pump but check the pressure first.

J.Wondergem · Dec 28, 2015

MSN has it. Oil pumps to the rockers and can't drain back down fast enough.

Steve@Advance · Dec 28, 2015

I'm going with the cracked pick up tube. Even if the top drain holes were clogged, I don't think it could pump all the oil up top in 45 seconds! If it were that clogged it would be sucking oil up the PCV and blowing oil in the breather box.

Thinking the crack is just below the "engine off" fill level. When the engine starts the level drops below the crack, the pump gets a mix of air and oil, pressure drops, lifters get full of air. Possibly the engine hasn't been hurt yet since it does build pressure temporarily, assuming there is no bottom end knock.

Even if the pick up screen were clogged, every one I ever looked at had a bypass feature that would open and let oil flow to the pump. Problem is, the oil going through the bypass can contain large, hard chunks that can lock the pump, twist the shaft, then no oil at all.

ShadetreeRet · Dec 29, 2015

A few years ago I had an 86 F-150 300ci. six and had to park it for about three/four months because I was out of work. When I started driving it again, one day I noticed the lifters rattling, and the oil pressure was dropping. Had it hauled back to the house and pulled the pan, and there was a lot of crud in the pan which had stopped up the pick-up screen and blocked off the oil supply. I figured that while it was sitting, the crud build-up in the engine dried out and dropped into the oil pan. Since the engine had about 150,000 miles on it, I replaced the oil pump and pickup along with any needed gaskets, and never had any more problems. This sounds like your problem, because when it sits for a few minutes, the crud will fall off the pick-up screen, but when you crank it up, it will suck the crud back up into the screen and stop it up.

dhermesc · Dec 29, 2015

I really doubt that. With 6 quarts of oil in the valve covers there would be leaks and some serious smoking going on. With 100K+ miles on the engine the valve seals might keep the oil out under normal situations but flooding the area with oil will cause some to get past the valves to the combustion area.

If its all in the valve covers pull the oil fill cap and see what you can see.

Daughters Ford explorwe again

37chief

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Ron-MO

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Janicholson

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dhermesc

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MSM

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Glen SW Wi

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JRSutton

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Ron-MO

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Glen SW Wi

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JayinNY

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ETChew IN.

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jturbo10

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J.Wondergem

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Steve@Advance

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ShadetreeRet

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dhermesc

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