Just changed my oil now the gauge is reading high

[stafphoto]

Have a bit of a strange problem I just changed the oil in my 1996 Ford explorer with the 4.0 V6 and now my gauge is reading close to high or high. The gauge is also moving around a bit. I used Synthetic 5W-30 and the proper size filter. What could be going on? It seems to run and drive fine. I also did not notice anything in the old oil.

 

[Thuggsy]

there is no high or low, the gauge is fake.

its just an idiot light that looks like a gauge, you either have pressure or you dont.

 

[koda2000]

thuggsy's correct. if it bothers you, you can change the oil pressure sending unit.

 

[stafphoto]

Well now my high temp gauge is reading high and moving around as well also battery is going dead. What the hell?

 

[swshawaii]

Test the battery and check all connections.

 

[my98nnj]

You have an electrical issue, not an oil pressure issue.

 

[koda2000]

if your temp gauge is also reading high, it could be your voltage regulator is going bad. check the voltage at the battery. it should be around 14.2-14.6 volts. if it's any more, that explains why your gauges are reading too high.

 

[stafphoto]

Where is the voltage regulator located? I need to get this fixed asap as it's my daily driver

 

[obie]

Credit to 2000StreetRod for this picture:

Voltage Regulator is where the green arrow points on your alternator. If you test your battery voltage while running and it's above 14.6, it indicates that part is bad. Motorcraft replacement from RockAuto is about $52. But that has to be shipped, so getting it locally would probably be about $80 or so, I'd guess.

 

[stafphoto]

Yeah I searched for one on the Autozone website and found out what they looked like and then checked the back of the alternator and found it. But thank you for the above photo. Thankfully it's an easy part to get to I have one on order which will be here tomorrow. Hope it works.

The symptoms I am having are both the oil pressure gauge, the over temp gauge and the check gauge light are all either reading high or turning on. And then the gauges are going back down and then back up. Also my battery was so low the truck barely started. From what I read these seem like signs of a bad voltage regulator. So I hope the new one works. If it does not I have no idea what to try next.

For now the truck is parked as I don't want to fry my gauges or anything else for that matter.

 

[Vic_Ferrari2002]

Well now my high temp gauge is reading high and moving around as well also battery is going dead. What the hell?

Check your belt, it may be slipping or stretched. The belt slipping or being stretched could be causing your water pump and alternator to not turn fast enough and not cool the engine or charge the battery properly.

 

[koda2000]

serpentine belts typically will not slip in this way, unless they have some fluid leaking on them. one tell-tale sign of a slipping serpentine belt is that you will temporairily lose your power steering assist.

did you check the battery voltage with the engine running? I would do that before i'd spend any money on parts. if you don't have a volt meter the auto parts store can test it for you.

 

[stafphoto]

The belt is fine. I'll have the voltage checked out tomorrow. I'm just not sure what else it could be aside from the gauges going bad but I don't see how that could drain the battery to the point of the truck not wanting to start.

It's almost like the gauges and possibly other things are getting to much power and the battery is not being charged at all as it was just about dead after a few starts today. I have also noticed the power side drivers window has sometimes had enough power to work and other times it's almost dead.

 

[koda2000]

The belt is fine. I'll have the voltage checked out tomorrow. I'm just not sure what else it could be aside from the gauges going bad but I don't see how that could drain the battery to the point of the truck not wanting to start.

It's almost like the gauges and possibly other things are getting to much power and the battery is not being charged at all as it was just about dead after a few starts today. I have also noticed the power side drivers window has sometimes had enough power to work and other times it's almost dead.

without further testing/confirmation, best evidence is pointing to the voltage regulator/alternator. if you have over 100K on the alternator, you might want to just go ahead and replace it. the replacement will come with a new voltage regulator. when you say your gauges sometimes read high, i'm beginning to wonder if what you're calling high isn't actually normal, but there's no point in speculating further. get it tested. it's free.

 

[stafphoto]

When I say high I mean like over the white line up on top past the H high.

Now I have another question I replaced the wiper motor yesterday as well and noticed I left the ground loose enough to flop around. I got it nice and tight and started the truck up and now the gauges seem to be alright, I also have the battery all charged. Could the loose ground wire have been the problem all along? I am not sure how this could effect the battery charging (although my battery could be bad) but I can see how it could effect the gauges.

 

[koda2000]

When I say high I mean like over the white line up on top past the H high.

Now I have another question I replaced the wiper motor yesterday as well and noticed I left the ground loose enough to flop around. I got it nice and tight and started the truck up and now the gauges seem to be alright, I also have the battery all charged. Could the loose ground wire have been the problem all along? I am not sure how this could effect the battery charging (although my battery could be bad) but I can see how it could effect the gauges.

you'd have to check a wiring diagram to see if the ground you left loose is shared with other components, but bad grounds can cause all kinds of weird problems/symptoms. as far as your battery discharging... get it and your alternator checked!

 

[deweyville65]

which ground wire are you talking about? If it was the battery ground cable, I think you have answered your own question. You have to have the battery cables tight to charge the battery and operate the starter and accessories. Or, does the wiper motor have a separate ground wire? I am of the belief that newer vehicles have a wire connector for all the wires, including the ground, unlike vehicles of 20 years ago. But I could be wrong. Didn't go look at my 96.

 

[stafphoto]

There is a ground wire that runs from one of the bolts that helps hold the wiper motor and then goes down somewhat along the firewall down to somewhere behind the motor but I didn't check to see where.

 

[deweyville65]

Thank you for the information. As I get older, I don't pay as much attention to things if they are not causing me a problem. In other words, I don't mess with things now as much as I did when I was younger.

 

[koda2000]

Thank you for the information. As I get older, I don't pay as much attention to things if they are not causing me a problem. In other words, I don't mess with things now as much as I did when I was younger.

in my experience, the last thing you messed with usually ends up causing the current problem, even if it seems totally unrelated...