phogroian

I have a '87 with a 305 5.0L V8. The former owner was elderly, and the truck sat for quite a while and I think there may be sludge and sediment partially blocking the pickup... the pressure reads a bit low. Is this a straightforward job? Can I just buy a new pan gasket, drain the oil, remove the pan, clean the pan and screen, and put the thing back together? Is there anything in the way that will prevent me from removing the oil pan? sorry i'm such a newbie when it comes to Ford trucks. It is the 2WD version, if that makes a difference.

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

5.0 liter is a 302, just so you say it right.
The cross member is in the way. You have to lift the motor a few inches to get the pan out.
Make sure you but blocks under the motor mounts so it doesn't fall on your hands.
Other than that it's pretty straight forward.
You'll need a little rtx type sealant for the 4 corners where the flat part of the pan meets the circles around the crankshaft.

fltdriver

BTW unless you are using an actual oil pressure gauge the one on the dash means absolutely nothing besides that you have 7+psi. It's more of a dummy light with a needle. If you loose pressure (below 7psi) it will drop all of the way otherwise wherever it rides is where it rides, not an indication of actual pressure.

tanman90

In my opinion it would be better to just get a new pump and pickup and replace them while you're in there. The parts arent too expensive so to me it would be better.

Crownman

You have to pull the pickup tube off to get the pan out. So just replace the parts.

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Or start by getting a new sending unit for the gauge and see what reading that gives you. As was mentioned, it's just a little electric sending unit, it's not really an accurate assessment of what your oil pressure really is.
If the gauge heads for 0 and you hear the lifters starting to clack, that's a problem. I've had a clogged screen do that. Long story, but if that's not happening, there's a very good chance that everything's fine.
A new sending unit, a few oil changes, maybe some seafoam engine treatment in the oil filler, might just clean things up in there without going through the nuisance of pulling the pan off. Unless it's leaking.

qdeezie

Regarding what your pressure gauge reads, different brand oil pressure switches read differently, even if the pressure is the same. For instance, the brand Wells (AKA Duralast @ Autozone) tends to read higher than the OEM Ford oil pressure seitch. You could simply swap out the pressure switch and it'll read higher, but it doesn't change your pressure.

Also, the oil filter you use and the weight of the oil you're using has an impact on how high or low it reads.

If it were me, I wouldn't take anything apart. I'd swap out the oil pressure switch and use a good quality oil filter (Motorcraft, Purolator, Wix) and use your favorite 5w-30 motor oil.