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Check oil light on?

TheFox88

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 21, 2005
Messages
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City, State
Flagstaff, Arizona
Year, Model & Trim Level
'92 Sport
Just a quick question. If this has been covered before, i apologize and ask for someone to give me a link to that thread.

The check oil light has been coming on every once in a while since it has gotten cold outside. It only comes on from when i start up the X, (not while its already on). And this is only about half the time too. I have checked the oil level and it's right where it's supposed to be. The oil pressure guage always says that the pressure is fine too, (i know, i know, little more than a glorified idiot light, but i don't have a real one). I am curious if anyone has had this problem before. Also, is this something i should worry about, or no?

Thanks in advance.
 



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Interesting... I would check to see if maybe if the sensor wire(s) is grounding out somewhere.
 






Creager said:
Interesting... I would check to see if maybe if the sensor wire(s) is grounding out somewhere.
I have no idea where the sensor wire(s) would even be. I guess i could take out the manual and give it a shot, but i was really hoping that one of you guys would know. Bummer. Anybody else? :)
 






That light is for oil level not pressure so it should be in or near the oil pan, unplug it, if light goes out and oil level is up to the mark, the sender is hooped.
 






If I remember correctly. The sensor is on the drivers side rear of the pan. Pull the wires, clean the contacts and put some delectric grease on it.
 






OK, i'll give that a shot. Thanks guys.
 






mine just started this same thing tonight !
 






Mine only lights when the oil is down by 1 quart.

Bob
 






Bwana Bob said:
Mine only lights when the oil is down by 1 quart.

Bob

mine too
 






When I had to do 75 mph road trips with the Explorer GT without overdrive, that check oil light actually saved me :rolleyes: It doesn't knock or anything but I know it's a bit loose.

Yeah check the wiring. My oil pressure sending unit wires touched the exhaust manifold on the driver's side and broke, so I was reading no oil pressure
 






My 1993 does this when parked facing uphill on cold days. I discovered that it's partly due to the oil level sensor being near the front of the oil pan so that when it is elevated somewhat, the sensor sits just out of the oil in the pan. I've pulled and cleaned mine and then parked in various directions to test this. Happens mostly when cold and always when the front of the truck is uphill.
 






They usually go on when you are low 2 quarts. The 3.0 has the sensor on the passenger's side of the pan, and the 4.0 has it on the driver's side of the pan. There is a latching relay under the driver's side of the dashboard that trips, and stays on when it detects a low oil condition.
 






yeah ive noticed this too mine is usually because of turning the ex on and of in short periods of time
 






I've been lazy and haven't really looked at it any further. I need to get off my @$$ and fix it soon though as it's bugging me.
 






i was getting the same problem didnt know what to do, i check to see if i had oil since i had just gotten an oil change about 1000 miles before it started turning on an off sometimes right when i started the x and yeah it is cold out here but that was not it i check the dipstick and it looked like it was full in fact it read way above the crosshatched area but it really wasnt, i actually needed oil i looked at it carefully and a straight line of oil was at the add 1 quart along with a drip coming from above the crosshatched area so... in my humble opinion i would add some oil depending on when you last did an oil change.
 






If you think its the sensor, not the wires, you might as well change it seeing as they were only about $10 last i checked.
 






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