Oil pressure issue

RADA SKOOG

MEMBER
1998 FORD F-150
4.2L
V6
4WD
AUTOMATIC
205,913 MILES

Hi there,

My oil pressure keeps dropping and the gauge seems to just fluctuate. Replaced the oil pressure sensor or sending unit hoping that that would fix the problem but upon turning my vehicle on again the oil pressure gauge was still bouncing. Is this an issue with my oil pump? If so, does somebody happen to have a link on finding the location of my oil pump on the 4.2 V6 engine? I'm just hoping not to have to tear apart a whole bunch of stuff on a front end in order to get to it.

1 Reply

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

Hello,

Unless you are experiencing drivability issues, it could just be a bad gauge.
Before you tackle the pump, to access the pump you will have to remove the oil pan, you will need to figure out if the pump indeed is bad.
To figure out if it is a gauge or a bad pump, you will have to test the oil pressure using a pressure gauge. Typically, you can get those testers at your local auto parts store to use.
The tester will plug into the same please as the pressure sensor goes.
I have attached the test procedure and the specifications below.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/high-or-low-engine-oil-pressure

Please let me know of any questions.
Thank you.

Images (Click to make bigger)