Hi All:

The latest saga with my V10 just started today at work. Since I did the roller-follower job, I've put nearly 4000 miles on the truck, trouble free.

Today, in drive with my foot on the brake at a red light, the oil pressure gauge drops out, and the "check gauges" displays in the window along with a beep.

I was running MAX A/C, with the fan speed at #3. As soon as I started to touch the go pedal when the light turned green, pressure gauge went back up to normal. Same thing at next light. This time, popped it into neutral while waiting at the light, and the gauge popped back up to normal. Next stop, left in drive, held the brake with my left foot, and just barely touched the go pedal, and instantly the gauge popped up again.

Check my oil level every other fill up. Thing hardly burns any oil. I'm always good on oil level, so I had the oil and filter changed today. No change. So I experimented in my hotel parking lot a little. I let it idle for about 10 minutes in park, gauge never moved. Put in drive, foot on brake, gauge drops. Back in neutral, no problem. Back in drive, foot on the brake, gauge drops THEN I turned off the A/C. Minute, and I mean very minute idle increase, gauge pops back up.

Bad sender (switch) ? Bad connection ? Or is my idle a tad low. I've only ever had one stall where I was up a hill on a red light and didn't get my foot firmly planted on the go pedal and lost it. It idles smooth as glass. No startup issues. No oil leaks. Coolant is good. Using the dash tach, I would say the needle is between the 650 and 675 hash marks in park (hot engine) and drops closer to 625 (estimating) in drive with the brake on. I need to verify actual engine idle with my strobe, but am I looking at a simple sender replacement, a slight idle speed increase, or something catastrophic ????

Thanks,
Brandon

 

It's probably a bad sensor however I would get a cheap mechanical oil pressure gauge and get it installed ASAP, you can pick one up for 25 bucks. Have you run any oil flush or oil treatment resently?

 

Back when I had my suspected lifter problem, I run Marvel Mystery into it, then changed the oil, and then SeaFoamed it. Changed the oil again.

I realized I had my strobe with me, so I just checked the crankspeed - hot engine, no load (in park, no lights, no AC, no fan speed, control set to off, and strobed 657 - put in drive, turn the AC on MAX & Fan Speed #4 (where the problem occurs) and strobed 606.

50 RPM drop when AC & Fan speed Load, combined with being in Drive.

Jiggled the sender wire, no change. This issue is very repeatable. I could swear that just now I could hear some rapid clicking (not engine clicking, too high-pitched and rapid) whenever the gauge needle would drop. Like a solenoid clicking on a low battery, that real rapid clickity click. However, I've got a loose heat shield somewhere along the exhaust pipe that likes to rattle at idle.

I have a 250 mile drive home tomorrow. Is it safe to assume that if it's simply a bad oil pressure switch, it won't affect driveability, but I'll be running without a warning system until I can change the sender switch out ?

Thanks for the reply !

 

Looking at the pictures of the switch on AutoZone's website, I think I see the reason you asked if I ran any flush through it- there's a sizable hole on the switch that could get loaded up with garbage that has been knocked loose. I assume that's why you asked ?

 

No one else has weighed in on this yet - is it safe to assume that it's like a bad sender ?

Looks like a simply job - found the new pressure switch at AutoZone for 9 bucks, looks like I just pop the connector off, thread it in and torque it down, and hook the connector back up.

If anyone has replaced this switch, can they specify if I need to coat the threads with anything (even simple teflon tape) and what the torque spec should be ?

Thanks !

 

Before I go into details on the oil flush...change the oil pressure sensor first. You can use teflon tape or thread dope. It's easy to get to, cheap, and shouldn't take more then a few minutes to change. Hopefully this will take care of the problem! If not, I'll go into more detail on the oil flush. I'll pray it's the sensor!

 

You can give me the details now- I'm a big boy, I can handle it.

For a 9 dollar part, I'll change it regardless.

 

Oh yes, pick up a mechanical oil pressure gauge and fittings that will allow you to install your oil sensor and the new mechanical gauge at the same location. You'll need a tee and nipple, I believe it's 1/4 inch pipe. I used brass fittings from the plumbing department. Your OEM stock gauge reads normal when it has 7 psi or more...you might have very low oil pressure all of the time even when your gauge shows normal. A gauge is IMPORTANT!

 

Here's my thread that starts out with an oil flush and ends with a replacement engine. Yours might be a different issue...take it one step at a time.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...-behavior.html

 

Hey Pipeline- thanks for the thread. Just read it, and I feel very relieved. Why ? Because I had the valves covers off just 3 weeks ago to replace a bad roller-follower and the top of the head looks IDENTICAL in color and clarity like the second picture of the new 2006 V10 you put in.

I don't think I'm sludged up. I hope not, anyway. Like I said, I Marveled it, drove 50 miles, changed the oil, then SeaFoamed it, and changed the oil again. Since then, I've put 4000 miles on it.

I will get a new sender on my way home tomorrow and do a quick change in the drive before I head out again for work on Wednesday and see what it does for me then.

But seriously - I can't believe the original pics of the valve train in your original engine...wow !

 

Here's my thread on my roller-follower replacement. You can see in the pics and video I included that it is definitely cleaner than the issues you had with your original engine !

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...06-v-10-a.html

 

I'm GLAD! Change the sensor and get a gauge on there to provide accurate oil pressure. I just finished installing autometer gauges in my V10...check out the thread it should be on the first or second page of the V10 forum.

 

That's a damn nice setup you have there ! I especially like the Winchester boxes used to proper up the gauge pod, LOL, that's quality right there !

 

Ditto on the mechanical gauge. Even if the new sender makes it go away, there's no replacement for KNOWING what your real oil pressure is.

 

Just to further mess with my mind, started it up this morning and drove to my customer site, did every possible thing I could to duplicate the problem, and nothing. Running like normal.

Gotta love it !

I'm still going to change the sender out, and put together a fitting setup to bring a regular pressure gauge into the cab. I really don't know why they don't do this anyway.

Thanks for the replies everyone !