# 2001 F150 morning oil pressure problems **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** oil\ **Created:** [November 22, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386 "2008-11-22T13:46:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mcleodd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mcleodd](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcleodd)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/1 "2008-11-22T13:46:10Z")
I have a 2001 F150 that after a 10 hour sit in cold weather has no oil pressure for about 30 seconds. Both the idiot light and gauge show no pressure (did Ford put two indicators coming from one sending unit?) then it kicks up. Once I get pressure it is normal and stays there at idle, driving, etc. Also when it reads no pressure I do not get valve clatter or other unusual noises. My guess of the problem is the oil pressure sending unit, but would like to hear opinions and if this is common in this make? ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/2 "2008-11-22T21:30:08Z")
I agree with your thoughts about the sensor. If you don’t hear any noises that should be happening if there really wasn’t any pressure then I suspect you are correct. ---
**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/3 "2008-11-23T04:28:00Z")
If it were a shorter period, I might suspect that the anti drain back valve in your oil filter is not working, but a half minute is a long time. I would check it with a mechanical gauge attached temporarily. Are you sure you have a real pressure gauge? Some are just set-up to pop to the middle of the range if there is some minimum oil pressure. Apparently, fluctuating oil pressure gauges are too much for the minds of some drivers. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 11:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/4 "2008-11-23T11:39:50Z")
Beadsandbeads, you state, “Are you sure you have a real pressure gauge? Some are just set-up to pop to the middle of the range if there is some minimum oil pressure.” This news hit me pretty hard. I don’t know what to believe or not to believe any more. It’s like somebody telling you that there is no such thing as Santa Claus. I’ve never heard of an idiot gauge, only an idiot light, until now. Tell me this isn’t true. Excuse me, I have to go sit down. ---
**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 12:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/5 "2008-11-23T12:45:55Z")
Very true. Many Ford models and some others simply have a resistor on the back of the cluster that puts the pressure gauge at about 2/3 and then have an on/off pressure switch on the block. You either have 2/3 oil pressure or none. Question: Have you changed the oil and filter? ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/6 "2008-11-23T12:55:37Z")
This is a new one on me too. Do you have any pointers to more information on this? ---
**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/7 "2008-11-23T14:24:05Z")
Just Google “oil idiot gauge”. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/8 "2008-11-23T16:00:02Z")
Thank you. I just learned something. ---
**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/9 "2008-11-24T01:17:58Z")
I guess you already have your answer. It really upsets a lot of people that frequent automotive web sites. Apparently, it ends up in fewer people going to the dealer with questions about why their oil pressure is not perfectly steady. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/10 "2008-11-24T11:40:58Z")
It’s true Virginia, there are idiot gauges. ---
**Author:** ![jr00101abc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e495f1/32.png) [@jr00101abc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jr00101abc)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/11 "2008-11-24T13:29:12Z")
I think we need some of those gauges and lights on people’s foreheads, just to make sure their working properly. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-f150-morning-oil-pressure-problems/22386/12 "2008-11-24T14:19:08Z")
These “Idiot Gauges” Must Have Been Developed By “Idiot Parents” That Don’t Allow Soccer Scores … … to be kept so that there are no “winners” or “losers”. We wouldn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings or self-concept or make one feel inferior if they don’t know why their oil pressure fluctuates. I have never been a big fan of the “gray area” that some in society are moving us toward. I feel that that this idiot gauge thing is a societal problem. What the h\_ \_ _? In my wildest dreams, I never thought we would devolve to a situation where a gauge in one’s car “suggests” a reading in order to somehow be convenient for a human “dumbed down” by a bunch of jack-a_ \_es! Am I reading this situation right? Is it just me? What’s next? America (the one I’m familiar with), What a country! America (the one others try to reshape), What the He\_ \_?