oil light comes off and on

[vmaxmasonrya]

Hi, Everyone!
I am new to this forum and I have a question about my wife's Expedition.
I have a 2000 Ford Expedition that we bought from a dealer in 2003. It has over 195k miles on the odometer. We have not taken very good care of it since our finances have been very tight over the past 5 years but now we are starting to have more available finances.
Referencing the sticker in the upper corner of the windshield, it looks like our last oil change was 2014. We have noticed that in the mornings, the red oil light comes on and the needle is on "E". This stays on for the first 5 mins and then the needle goes to the middle of the gauge and the oil light goes off. Some times this happens I check the dipstick and it shows "full". Some times it is "low" and I add a couple of quarts.
The last time this red light came on, it was reading "full". Figuring it is not the oil but maybe the oil filter being clogged since 2014, I brought it in for a oil change.
Here is my question: since the oil change, my wife says it doesn't run as rough as before (her perception) but tonight when I drove it, the light came on again with the needle reading "E". It went back to normal after 5 mins of driving. Any ideas??

Vmaxmasonrya

 

[Bedrck47]

A few things that could be causing your problem.
1st. Lack of maintenance and regular oil changes.
A faulty or clogged oil pressure sensor.
A clogged oil pump screen (this is different than the oil filter and is located inside of the oil pan.)
A faulty or clogged oil pump.

Even though the dipstick shows full if your pump screen and pump is clogged you may not be getting correct oil pressure.

The oil pressure sensor doesn't show actual oil pressure it is simply a switch the show you have or don't have oil pressure. Think of it as a light switch its either on or off

Continually operating under your current conditions may lead to engine failure.
And to run the engine for the 5 minutes it takes for you to have the red light go out is not a good thing to do. As you have no idea if you have pressure or not.

 

[vmaxmasonrya]

oil gauge flucuates?

A few things that could be causing your problem.
1st. Lack of maintenance and regular oil changes.
A faulty or clogged oil pressure sensor.
A clogged oil pump screen (this is different than the oil filter and is located inside of the oil pan.)
A faulty or clogged oil pump.

Even though the dipstick shows full if your pump screen and pump is clogged you may not be getting correct oil pressure.

The oil pressure sensor doesn't show actual oil pressure it is simply a switch the show you have or don't have oil pressure. Think of it as a light switch its either on or off

Continually operating under your current conditions may lead to engine failure.
And to run the engine for the 5 minutes it takes for you to have the red light go out is not a good thing to do. As you have no idea if you have pressure or not.

Thanks for the feedback! I will bring it to my local mechanic's attention.
Vincent

 

[98eb5.4]

you need to check what is really going on with the oil pressure, then go from there,

i'm not familiar with the expy oil indicator gauge/ light setup but good bet it can act up,

i've had oil pressure light issues that went away with a new sender unit

What Is the Oil Pressure Sending Unit? | DoItYourself.com

The oil pressure sending unit controls the oil pressure light or gauge depending on which you car is equipped with. When oil pressure is applied, the switch contacts either shut off the oil light or make the oil pressure gauge active. Basically, the oil pressure sending unit is what sends the oil pressure information to the car’s computer, which then controls the related lights and gauges. It is important for all car owners to know about the different types of sending units that exist, what problems they may have, and any repair information so they can make educated decisions regarding their vehicle whenever there’s an issue.

 

[IMINYOURCHAIR]

Op. Do some research on sludge and what it can do to an engine. You need to find a way to get it all cleaned out before it damages/totals the engine if it hasn't already done damage.

 

[AbbadonTD]

All of what they said is great and solid advice and information.

When a sensor "ons and offs" as you describe, its usually the sensor itself. But the first thing to do is what ^^ says, get it de-sludgged, or at least somewhat cleaned out. It really could just be that everything is really dirty. Knowing how long its been I would go to cleaning first, before I spent $$ on any parts. But I do think an Oil Pressure Sending Unit may be in your future (a cheap and easy to change part).

 

[rnuse]

FWIW, I had this same problem in a very well maintained vehicle. The wire going to the oil pressure sensor was partially cut and getting intermittent connection.