I have a 2001 F150 SuperCrew 4X4 lariat with 5.4L auto trans and yesterday when I started it up at work to go home two things happend! First my power steering pump was whinning and the second more important problem is my oil pressure gauge didn't move it stayed below the L!!! It was -10 degrees outside I shut it off and started it again and same thing so I hit the gas and then the gauge came up and went right back down to nothing! I shut it off again then started it one more time this time it came up and stayed! I then started driving home and about a 1/2 mile later it dropped to nothing again so I stopped and shut it off and restarted it two more times before it would stay I made it the rest of the way home which was about 12 miles! Please tell me it is only the stupid gauge not the oil pump failling!! HAS ANYONE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM PLEASE HELP I DON'T WANT TO BLOW THE MOTOR UP IT ONLY HAS 88,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK!!!!!

 

Sounds as though your sending unit has gone bad.

 

where is it located is it on the intake somewhere? As long as it's not somthing major I always watch my gauges and it didn't get hot so I was hopping it was still pumping oil!!

 

I am not certain on it's location, but I believe it's located behind the oil filter.

Someone else will chime in to help you out also.

 

Do yourself a favor, dont bother getting a sending unit, go get a good oil pressure gauge and install it. This way you know you have oil pressure, the org. gauge is a on/off gauge. Once it gets above a certain pressure it jumps up and stays there, unless is goes below that certain pressure, then it shows 0.
If for some reason you want to replace the sending unit too, i beleive it is screwed into where the oil filter screws into.

 

Kind of funny-since the oil filter on my '98 4X4 is immediately behind the bumper-making almost every location somewhere "behind the oil filter"!

The sender on my 4.6 is threaded into the rear of the aluminum casting that the hose manifold (to the remote oil filter) is bolted to block (L side, front, bottom). Its plug & wire connect immediately ahead of the L differential mount, an inch from the end of the bolt & easily seen thru L wheel arch.

 

That's where the filter is on most trucks. some have a remote filter, but most do not.
Yes it is screwed into the oil filter adapter on the side of the block in the front on the driver's side.

 

i would disagree with the replace with a manual guage. i would make the dash work and install a manual guage. i put a t on mine and installed a manual guage. this way my guage on the dash was working and i had actual pounds on my manual guage. this keeps the check guage light off on my dash

Matt

 

Thats a good idea, i didnt know that the check engine light would come on(DUH!).

 

I had the same problem on my '01 XLT about a year or two ago. The trouble with mine and fix is as follows.

Oil pressure dropped and raised erratically, after engine warmed up, oil pressure leveled to normal range. Found out from my mechanic that the skid plate on 4X4 is to close to the sending unit (design flaw). When the engine is cold it shakes more then when it is warm. Oil sending unit was banging against skid plate and braking contact. My mechanic cut a small half moon out of the skid plate giving the sending unit about 1/2 to 3/4" freedom, he installed a new sending unit just to be safe. I have never had anymore trouble out of the oil pressure gauge since.

 

are you low on oil? my brother called me once freaking out about the same symptoms and i went over to his house and pulled the dipstick and he was about 3 qts low!

 

did you figure it out?

 

It is working fine now I just think it was because of the frigid temps! Vehicals do act a little crazy when the temps get in the below 0 degrees! I did take the plug off the sensor and cleaned it with contact cleaner!

 

I have a 97 5.4 and had low pressure.....looked at my oil filter and there was a pinhole in it must have been a rock or something hit it.....so I changed oil and filter to a fram tough guard couple dollars more but it is well worth it