2004 sporttrac no oil pressure

[sportrac94]

hi

ok so i have a 2004 sporttrac while driving all of a sudden the check engine light comes on and the oil pressure gauge is at low (no pressure)and starts making a horrible sound.i pulled over checked the oil and there is oil but when i start the truck the pressure gauge needle is normal then about 30 sec later it drops to L and ther noise starts again after about the 3rd time of starting and shutting it off the needle now doesnt move at all..any suggestions??maybe oil pump gone bad?thank you in advance for any suggestions

 

[ncranchero]

Either a stopped up oil pump pickup screen or bad oil pump. What condition is your oil in, been changed regularly? I had a Ranger w/a 2.9L that did the same thing, clogged screen. I pulled the drain plug and the oil wouldn't even run out. ( I had just bought it at the sale) Old time mechanic/dirt tracker told me to mix oil and diesel fuel in a 50/50 ratio and start flushing it out. After flushing repeatedly, then cranking/running w/the mixture it finally held pressure again. I drove it some 50K miles after that. I did make a "tool" out of an old old filter to blow air pressure back through the pump.

 

[swetrid]

We use atf since it has high detergency. Take the oil pressure sending unit and blow through there to clean sump and keep draining junk out.