electrical problem?
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Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2013
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electrical problem?
have a 97 f150 4.6 engine!!on my way home from work oil light came on and engine started to spit and sputter and the temp gauge pegged out,so i pulled over and shut it off.i checked the oil and it was bout a quart low so i put a quart in and started it up.oil light stayed off and temp was where its supposed to be but after a cpl of mins the oil light came back on and the temp gauge pegged out again but the engine is not overheating and theres no water in the oil or oil in the water.someone please give me some ideas as to what might be wrong!!!!
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Joined: Aug 2013
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Oil light on is a serious issue with any engine. Get an inexpensive mechanical oil pressure gauge and tee into the port where the electrical oil pressure sensor is screwed into the engine. See what the actual pressure is when warm at idle. Should be at least 15 to 20 psi and increase with rpm.
I believe you have a system that links the fuel pump relay to the oil pressure so no oil pressure shuts off the fuel pump relay.
My suspicion is that you have 5 lbs. of sludge in the oil pan that won't pump and the oil pump can't get enough oil when warm. This happens when "well intentioned" people put engine flush/cleaner in an old engine. The sludge gets washed down to the pan and sits there blocking oil flow. The gunk is like a gel and won't flow out of the drain plug. The only solution is drop the oil pan and clean out the gunk and replace the oil pump while you're at it.
I believe you have a system that links the fuel pump relay to the oil pressure so no oil pressure shuts off the fuel pump relay.
My suspicion is that you have 5 lbs. of sludge in the oil pan that won't pump and the oil pump can't get enough oil when warm. This happens when "well intentioned" people put engine flush/cleaner in an old engine. The sludge gets washed down to the pan and sits there blocking oil flow. The gunk is like a gel and won't flow out of the drain plug. The only solution is drop the oil pan and clean out the gunk and replace the oil pump while you're at it.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2013
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why would my temp gauge peg out like it did than?ive got great oil pressure!!after unhooking and rehooking up the battery and started it up it ran fine on my way home but the temp gauge was still pegged and oil light still on!!could it be a bad sensor or relay bcs the engine never did overheat?
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2013
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My advice was for your initial post based on what you reported. The gauges peg when the circuit is interrupted/connected as in engine stalling/restart.
If this were my vehicle I would make sure that oil pressure at idle when warm is good using a gauge. If ok, I would look for intermittent bad contacts by wiggling wires when the engine is running and see if the condition reappears. At battery cables, wiring harnesses, grounds, etc. and make sure all relays are seated tight. Intermittent electrical problems are usually bad connections not bad sensors...they don't fix themselves then misbehave and concurrent sensor failures are very rare.
Good luck!
If this were my vehicle I would make sure that oil pressure at idle when warm is good using a gauge. If ok, I would look for intermittent bad contacts by wiggling wires when the engine is running and see if the condition reappears. At battery cables, wiring harnesses, grounds, etc. and make sure all relays are seated tight. Intermittent electrical problems are usually bad connections not bad sensors...they don't fix themselves then misbehave and concurrent sensor failures are very rare.
Good luck!