Oil Pressure Light Question - Ford Ranger 2000

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi,



I just bought a 2000 Ford Ranger to use to commute between school, and my new internship. I bought the truck form a dealer here in Ohio, with semi low mileage (81K) and in good shape for the most part. I bought it just after thanks giving, and now that I am back home for Christmas I have really started driving it. For two mornings now I have gone out to start it and the Oil Pressure gauge is below zero, causing the “check gauges” light to come on. After turning it off, then restarting it a few minutes late both times, the gauge has responded immediately upon the engine starting and holds about in the middle of H/L. The rest of the day it’s fine. Any ideas on what’s causing it, and how to fix it? The truck sits outside all night in cold Cleveland temperatures. And as far as I know all the maintenance has been kept up and up to date.



Thanks,

Tim

2

The first thing you should determine is whether the oil pressure is actually low or is it an instrumentation problem (? bad sending unit). I’ve had 2 Ford trucks (both F150’s) that have had bad sending units. I don’t think it’s an uncommon problem.

3

Thanks, stopped up at the auto parts store and $9 later I have the new sending unit. For anyone wondering where the oil pressure sending unit is located on a 2000 Ford Ranger (3.0L V6) it’s almost on the back side of the block closest to the fire wall towards the passengers side. To find it, it’s almost easier to stand on the passengers side of the truck and lean over the engine, and it’s way down there with a white and green wire going to it. It comes out pretty easy once you actually get the socket on it and putting the new one in is a little harder. After however the needle pops up immediately when started, hot or cold.

4

Thanks for letting the world know how this problem was resolved…Few OP’s take the time to do this…Your truck by the way is a Mazda B-2xxx and most of those parts will interchange with your Ranger which makes finding parts very easy…

5

I’m almost sure most Fords have an “idiot needle”. It reads around midspan but may move just a tad due to the resistance of the wire changing as its temp changes. Sound would have been your first indication that an actual pressure problem existed.

6

FWIW, the oil “gauge” on that and many other Fords is just an idiot light. If there is less than 13psi the sender is open circuit and at 13psi and higher the sender closes the cirtuit and grounds the “gauge” through a resistor which moves the gauge to the normal range where it remains fixed.