Low oil pressure message

[Texas2022]

Have a 2015 Ford Explorer 3.5 non turbo. This evening while sitting at a light, a low oil pressure message popped up. Clicked Ok and it went away. Pulled over, checked oil level and it was a little low, but still on the dipstick. After I started the vehicle back up again, the low oil pressure message came back on and then went off. I added a quart of oil, but think I should get it checked out to be on the safe side.any thoughts? The guy at the auto parts store said low oil level would not cause low oil pressure. Any ideas?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Have a 2015 Ford Explorer 3.5 non turbo. This evening while sitting at a light, a low oil pressure message popped up. Clicked Ok and it went away. Pulled over, checked oil level and it was a little low, but still on the dipstick. After I started the vehicle back up again, the low oil pressure message came back on and then went off. I added a quart of oil, but think I should get it checked out to be on the safe side.any thoughts? The guy at the auto parts store said low oil level would not cause low oil pressure. Any ideas?

interesting. low volume shouldnt cause low pressure so as long as it is not low enogh it is aerating and suckig air up, but if its still on the dipstick i cant see it being an issue. if it was a sohc id suspect chain guides clogging the pickup but something could be clogging the pickup, but when spun faster than idle it can probide adequate pressure. what does it read at idle?

 

[peterk9]

How did the oil on the dipstick look? Any signs of a 'milky' substance. Is your engine coolant level where it should be? Just wondering if it could be the start of a leaking water pump. Coolant mixed with oil can cause low oil pressure.

Peter

 

[Motorhogman]

Yes have it checked out if you can't do it yourself. I would install an external OP gauge on it and run it up to operating temp. Then let it idle and see what the gauges says. We run into this on the Harley Forum I belong to. Just how low was the oil level.. You stated you put a quart in.. Did that bring it to the full level while the low OP message is activated ? Then again the message may not appear with an external gauge hooked up. Not sure where the message center gets it's input from.

 

[ProjectSHO89]

Probably just a failing oil pressure sensing switch. Pretty common issue on Fords for a long time.

 

[The D]

The above is most likely the scenario. Make sure you get it replaced soon otherwise it could start leaking out the sensor pins and make a giant mess. Ask me how I know…

 

[feiock]

Probably just a failing oil pressure sensing switch. Pretty common issue on Fords for a long time.

If this was failing, would it cause the car to not start? I have a 2011 Ford Explorer with the same symptoms as above. It is not all that low on oil, but the car will not start back up until we add oil (maybe half a quart to a quart). It will just shut off and stay off until oil is added, so it seems like there is something in the car that intentionally keeps it from starting back up.

 

[peterk9]

If this was failing, would it cause the car to not start? I have a 2011 Ford Explorer with the same symptoms as above. It is not all that low on oil, but the car will not start back up until we add oil (maybe half a quart to a quart). It will just shut off and stay off until oil is added, so it seems like there is something in the car that intentionally keeps it from starting back up.

Welcome to the Forum.
I've never heard of a vehicle not starting because of low oil. I believe that unless the oil pressure sensor is wired into the ignition, you should be able to start the engine with no oil at all. Not recommended though. The bigger question would be, why is the oil low in the first place? Are you constantly having to add oil? How many miles or on the vehicle? Have you checked the condition of the oil on the dipstick? If it is a milky colour it is contaminated and you have a water pump issue.

Water pump failure leads to dead engine

I hate being the guy that joins only to have his first post be about needing help, but I’ve been lurking here for the better part of a year and now have a depressing reason to reach out for assistance. This is long, so the summary is 1k miles over warranty, water pump failed without any check...

www.explorerforum.com

Peter

 

[feiock]

Welcome to the Forum.
I've never heard of a vehicle not starting because of low oil. I believe that unless the oil pressure sensor is wired into the ignition, you should be able to start the engine with no oil at all. Not recommended though. The bigger question would be, why is the oil low in the first place? Are you constantly having to add oil? How many miles or on the vehicle? Have you checked the condition of the oil on the dipstick? If it is a milky colour it is contaminated and you have a water pump issue.

Water pump failure leads to dead engine

I hate being the guy that joins only to have his first post be about needing help, but I’ve been lurking here for the better part of a year and now have a depressing reason to reach out for assistance. This is long, so the summary is 1k miles over warranty, water pump failed without any check...

www.explorerforum.com

Peter

Thanks for the response. To add a little context, the Explorer has about 110K miles. I have owned it since 40K and have kept it well maintained the last 70K miles with pretty much no issues. Recently I let my 16 y/o son start driving it, and that is when these issues have started. He is pretty responsible, so I don't think he is doing anything wrong/harmful, but given his inexperience, I think there may be other issues at play he is not picking up on. Problem is, while this issue has occurred 4 times (3 with my son, 1 with my wife), it has not happened with me in the car, so I am just trying to piece together what they have reported to me.

To answer your questions, the reason why I asked if the Explorer wouldn't start due to the sensor is that I know this same Explorer will disable other functions when it determines the car shouldn't be driven. A few years back, an issue occurred with the car, and the power steering was disabled. I thought there was an issue with the power steering, but later found out the root issue was not related, but the Explorer will disable the power steering to keep the car from being driven when this specific issue occurs. I thought something similar might be occurring with the oil sensor.

It seems to use a little oil, but not as much as would be needed to result in 4 non-starting issues in the last 6 months. When my wife or son have added oil to get it started again, they did not measure the before and after amounts, so it is hard to determine how much was added (and thus how much was used). When I checked the oil last night (after one of these issues), the oil looked normal and clean. We had the oil changed maybe 1000 miles ago, and then my wife added additional (new) oil, so if it was milky before, it might have been covered up with the new oil. I will keep the water pump issue in mind, and try to train my son and wife to both check how much oil is being added and also to take a photo of the oil on the dipstick to better determine what is happening.

 

[peterk9]

Thank you for the reply. I have not read anything about what feature would disable the power steering except a power steering fault. There were several of those failures with the earlier 5th gen Explorers that resulted in replacing the steering rack. Loss of power steering will not prevent the vehicle from being driven, it just makes it much more difficult. Good luck.

Peter

 

[feiock]

I took the Explorer to the Ford dealership, and they found 2 issues:

• The purge valve needed to be replaced - This was stuck open and the tech said this is likely what was causing the car to die and have a hard time starting again.
• The front engine cover needed to be resealed - He said oil is seeping out of this cover, and needs to be resealed.

This second item they quoted $3200 to do because he said it was labor intensive (about 12 hours). What are your thoughts on this estimate? If my local mechanic could do this for less, is that an option, or is this something that should be handled by the dealer?

 

[Big Ed 1]

Wow! I think that is a ripoff!
But that is a dealer, I won't say too much about them, I am new here.
I would never take anything to a dealer, don't you know anyone that can recommend a reputable local shop?

 

[Big Ed 1]

It might not help, but did you try to tighten the cover bolts?

 

[Big Ed 1]

If you find another shop don't mention what the dealer quoted you.
Just see what their price is.

 

[feiock]

Wow! I think that is a ripoff!
But that is a dealer, I won't say too much about them, I am new here.
I would never take anything to a dealer, don't you know anyone that can recommend a reputable local shop?

I do…the question in my post was whether to take it to my local mechanic or if this was something that should be handled by the dealer.

 

[Big Ed 1]

And I think you got my answer?
I should add the only reason I would use a dealer is if it is under warranty.
And the local mechanic? Do you know him, his reputation?

The job is sort of labor intensive if you look at what they have to do to fix it, but I think the $3200 is high.
But if you take that $3200 and divide it by the 12 hrs it is $266 per hr, which I guess is not too bad.
I would bet a skilled mechanic could do the job in 6 hrs or so. 6hrs = $533 per.
New Gasket? Around $175 or so, I guess parts is included in the price?

Have you watched any videos on what they would have to do to fix it?
Please let us know what the outcome is.

 

[feiock]

And I think you got my answer?
I should add the only reason I would use a dealer is if it is under warranty.
And the local mechanic? Do you know him, his reputation?

The job is sort of labor intensive if you look at what they have to do to fix it, but I think the $3200 is high.
But if you take that $3200 and divide it by the 12 hrs it is $266 per hr, which I guess is not too bad.
I would bet a skilled mechanic could do the job in 6 hrs or so. 6hrs = $533 per.
New Gasket? Around $175 or so, I guess parts is included in the price?

Have you watched any videos on what they would have to do to fix it?
Please let us know what the outcome is.

Thanks for the info. I called my go-to mechanic, and he said he was familiar with the job, and could do it for $1600 including parts, so I am going that route.

 

[javaleo]

I have had the "low oil pressure" warning on my 2018 Explorer Platinum. Replaced the oil pressure sensor, never had it again.

PITA to reach the sensor,

 

[peterk9]

I do…the question in my post was whether to take it to my local mechanic or if this was something that should be handled by the dealer.

You can have a local mechanic check it out. The only reason to go to the dealer would be if the mechanic doesn't have the knowledge to do the work.
I'm guessing that once they take the front engine cover off that they will have access to the water pump. How many miles on the vehicle?
Just wondering if it may be a good idea to change the water pump and timing chain and associated parts.

Water pump failure leads to dead engine

I hate being the guy that joins only to have his first post be about needing help, but I’ve been lurking here for the better part of a year and now have a depressing reason to reach out for assistance. This is long, so the summary is 1k miles over warranty, water pump failed without any check...

www.explorerforum.com

Peter

 

[BrettS.]

I took the Explorer to the Ford dealership, and they found 2 issues:

• The purge valve needed to be replaced - This was stuck open and the tech said this is likely what was causing the car to die and have a hard time starting again.
• The front engine cover needed to be resealed - He said oil is seeping out of this cover, and needs to be resealed.

This second item they quoted $3200 to do because he said it was labor intensive (about 12 hours). What are your thoughts on this estimate? If my local mechanic could do this for less, is that an option, or is this something that should be handled by the dealer?

If you are going to do the front cover and you are over 100k you would be foolish not to do timing chains, tensioners, phasers, vvt solenoids, water pump, maybe oil pump, etc. Throw new spark plugs in while you have everything apart. Also consider new belt and belt tensioner since those come off. You are already 90% there in labor so might as well replace them.