Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online!
Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! 
-
Latest | 0 Rplys
Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Ford > Escape | Maverick | Escape Hybrid
Reply Show Printable Version Show Printable Version | Email this Page Email this Page | Subscription Subscribe to this Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 01-03-2013, 06:59 PM   #46
Grabber5.0
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Posts: 104
Thanks: 3
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Maybe he means when he takes it out of drive? It wouldn't make sense to me the other way.
Grabber5.0 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2013, 07:42 AM   #47
dylanborns
AF Regular
Thread starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Grain Valley, Missouri
Posts: 107
Thanks: 1
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

If I take it out of drive into reverse, neutral, park, etc., the rpm's increase enough that the light goes out as Grabber mentioned. I didn't think about that when I was going to just use the tester as the gauge. The only way that would work is to have someone else with me and have them keep it in drive with the brakes on while I checked the gauge under the hood.
I'm still going to look for the adapters so I can do it correctly.
dylanborns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-19-2013, 08:34 AM   #48
dylanborns
AF Regular
Thread starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Grain Valley, Missouri
Posts: 107
Thanks: 1
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

So an update since I haven't added anything lately. I've been driving it for the past few weeks, and the oil light would flicker or come on intermittent, again only at idle. I also noticed that when I would start the car the oil pressure light would stay on for a little longer than normal, and I'm talking like two seconds longer than normal so not by much. I remember that in the past most of the lights would just blink when you start it and then go out, but it would stay on a little longer lately. I also noticed in the past few days, the airbag light would also stay on a bit longer than just that quick flash and shut off.
So this morning, I try to start it up and its dead. I go to jumpstart it, and notice the nuts that hold the ground wire onto the terminal clamp are loose. The wire itself could have been easily pulled out of the clamp. I also noticed that the actual clamp was also loose and would spin on the battery post pretty easily.
I was puzzled on how this would have come loose like that. I had removed the ground clamp from the post numerous times while replacing the coils and O2 sensors, but I thought I had it back on there tight. I then noticed that right over the top of the ground post, is where the Ford mechanic had placed the new ABS "console". I had had it in for a recall due to a short in the original ABS wiring, and they had placed the new box right over the post. This problem seemed to start soon after that recall work, but I didn't even think about it. I'm sure they removed the ground wire from the battery to do the work and didn't get it back together tight.
I drove it to work this morning, but didn't hit many stoplights, and it was a short drive which the problem normally shows up after the car really warms up and I've driven awhile.
My question after that much info is, that if the electrical system was "corrupt" with the ground wire being loose, could that have caused a gremlin that prompted that oil pressure light?
dylanborns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-19-2013, 09:41 AM   #49
tempfixit
AF Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Windsor, Wisconsin
Posts: 2,469
Thanks: 22
Thanked 97 Times in 97 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Quote:
Originally Posted by dylanborns View Post
So an update since I haven't added anything lately. I've been driving it for the past few weeks, and the oil light would flicker or come on intermittent, again only at idle. I also noticed that when I would start the car the oil pressure light would stay on for a little longer than normal, and I'm talking like two seconds longer than normal so not by much. I remember that in the past most of the lights would just blink when you start it and then go out, but it would stay on a little longer lately. I also noticed in the past few days, the airbag light would also stay on a bit longer than just that quick flash and shut off.
So this morning, I try to start it up and its dead. I go to jumpstart it, and notice the nuts that hold the ground wire onto the terminal clamp are loose. The wire itself could have been easily pulled out of the clamp. I also noticed that the actual clamp was also loose and would spin on the battery post pretty easily.
I was puzzled on how this would have come loose like that. I had removed the ground clamp from the post numerous times while replacing the coils and O2 sensors, but I thought I had it back on there tight. I then noticed that right over the top of the ground post, is where the Ford mechanic had placed the new ABS "console". I had had it in for a recall due to a short in the original ABS wiring, and they had placed the new box right over the post. This problem seemed to start soon after that recall work, but I didn't even think about it. I'm sure they removed the ground wire from the battery to do the work and didn't get it back together tight.
I drove it to work this morning, but didn't hit many stoplights, and it was a short drive which the problem normally shows up after the car really warms up and I've driven awhile.
My question after that much info is, that if the electrical system was "corrupt" with the ground wire being loose, could that have caused a gremlin that prompted that oil pressure light?
Loose or corroded and old weak batteries can cause all kinds of electrical issues on these vehicles nowdays. Hopefully you found your problem. Keep us posted.
tempfixit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-21-2013, 09:12 AM   #50
dylanborns
AF Regular
Thread starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Grain Valley, Missouri
Posts: 107
Thanks: 1
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Yesterday morning after driving home, I left it running and tested the battery with a meter and it showed 13.6-14, so I knew the alternator was charging. After I shut it off, it was dead again so I knew it had to be the battery. I took it to get tested and noticed again loose wires; this time it was the positive wire. One of the bolts on the clamp holding the wire was pretty loose. The battery ended up being bad and I bought a new one. Driving it yesterday and this morning, the oil light did not come on, so I may have done all this work over loose connections and a bad battery! I know thats better than a problem with the motor though! I don't remember who mentioned something about the alternator in a past post, but that should have clued me in to checking the wiring.
Now I'll just have to see if its not an electrical issue like a drain on the battery somewhere. It was almost six years old though.
Thanks for all the suggestions and help!
dylanborns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2013, 12:36 PM   #51
dylanborns
AF Regular
Thread starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Grain Valley, Missouri
Posts: 107
Thanks: 1
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

I've driven it since changing the battery for the past few days and had no issues until... This morning after driving about 20 miles it started again. I pulled over and checked the oil level and I can't tell but it looks like its over the full line. I don't know if that's just from driving and the oil sloshing around on the dipstick or not. Its hard to see where the oil actually is on the stick because its so new and clear.
If I've overfilled it, and the pressure is high will it cause the oil pressure light to come on or is it only when the pressure is low?
dylanborns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2013, 08:51 PM   #52
tempfixit
AF Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Windsor, Wisconsin
Posts: 2,469
Thanks: 22
Thanked 97 Times in 97 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Light should only come on when low oil pressure.. Have you installed the mechanicl gauge yet??
tempfixit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2013, 09:21 PM   #53
dylanborns
AF Regular
Thread starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Grain Valley, Missouri
Posts: 107
Thanks: 1
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Quote:
Have you installed the mechanicl gauge yet??
No, I do have one, but I haven't had time without my little kids to go to Oreilly or Ace to find that correct adapter. I know its going to take quite awhile to figure out what I need, and two 5 year old girls get pretty antsy after about two minutes. I'll give it a try on friday because I know I need to get that in.
dylanborns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2013, 06:16 PM   #54
prmcgill
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Watsonville, California
Posts: 3
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

I'm really anxious to see the results of your next test because I'm having the *exact* same problem. The oil pressure light on my 2001 Escape XLT with 3.0 L V6 and 115k miles started blinking at idle last week after an hour on the freeway (hot engine). I checked the oil, and seeing that I had plenty, I stopped driving the car until my mechanic could check it out.

First thing we tried was a new oil pressure switch because they're cheap. Thought I was good but two days later the light is back.

After a second new pressure switch, with the same result, we put a pressure gauge on the oil port and it shows 25 psi at idle, dropping to about 18 psi when the engine is hot. This should be plenty of pressure and the light shouldn't be on until it drops below ~6 psi.

We looked at the vehicle schematics, wondering if the signal goes through a computer to turn the fuel pump off when pressure is lost. Nope - the switch signal just goes through a couple of connectors to the light in the instrument cluster. That signal is either grounded by the switch when the pressure is low, turning on the light, or it's not when the pressure is good.

Right now we're stumped. My mechanic's a good guy and didn't even charge me for the second round of troubleshooting and second new switch. But now I have an oil pressure light that flickers constantly at idle. I guess I can live with that, knowing the pressure's good and the engine is okay, but it kills the resale value of the vehicle.

When I Google "ford escape oil pressure light" I see at least half a dozen other people complaining of the same problem, but they haven't made much progress with suggestions like "did you check the oil?" This forum thread is the only one that has any chance of solving this mystery.
prmcgill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 08:45 PM   #55
dylanborns
AF Regular
Thread starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Grain Valley, Missouri
Posts: 107
Thanks: 1
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Does it seem like your idle is dropping like mine? It's right around the 500rpm mark when I'm sitting still and that's when the light flickers or comes on.
dylanborns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2013, 03:29 PM   #56
prmcgill
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Watsonville, California
Posts: 3
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Funny you should mention that. When I picked the car up from the shop the light was flickering at idle and I sat there in my driveway fiddling with the throttle. I noticed that the idle RPM sounded pretty low and that any increase, however slight, would make the light go out. I was wishing I had a tach other than the standard console gauge, which isn't too accurate below 1000 RPM. I completely forgot that I have a ScanGauge plugged into my ODBII port.

Of course now that I have my ScanGauge set to display RPM, the light isn't coming on. I do see that I'm at about 700 RPM at idle, and the light doesn't come on even with a hot engine.

My old oil pressure switch was definitely bad because it was leaking oil and the light was coming on even with the engine turning two grand driving down the road. Now all I can do is wait for the light to come back on and I'll let you know what I see on the RPM. Does anyone happen to know what the Ford spec for idle RPM is?
prmcgill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2014, 05:55 PM   #57
caribbeanma
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: St Tom
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

I have a 2002 Ford Escape XLT V6 4x4 and am also experiencing this intermittent flashing oil light. Wondering if you ever sorted it out. Thanks
caribbeanma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2014, 06:25 PM   #58
prmcgill
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Watsonville, California
Posts: 3
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

I decided it was a low RPM problem. I've seen the light flicker on a couple times in the year since I had the pressure sender replaced, and each time the RPMs were dropping below 700. I don't know what's causing the idle RPM to dip, but it happens so rarely that I haven't worried about it. I just have to hope it's not doing that on the day I sell the vehicle.

There's one other clue that may be a red herring but I'll throw it out there anyway: I had to replace my mass airflow sensor a few months ago because it was causing bad running and throwing OBDII faults. I'm wondering if the dirty MAF was causing unsteady idling, thus causing the oil pressure light issue. I haven't seen the oil pressure light on at all since the MAF was replaced.

I suggest you get an accurate RPM gauge and see what your idle RPM is. If it's dipping below 700 then you may have the same problem. If so, figure out what's causing the low idle. You might check to see how dirty your MAF is. They can be cleaned (Google it) but I was in a rush so I just replaced mine.

Good luck and let us know what you find.
prmcgill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2015, 11:00 PM   #59
chrs5503
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: crossville, Tennessee
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Hey I have a 02 escape 125000 miles with the same problem. Sometimes it will go away for a week or two and come back on. It usually always happens at operating temp when I come to a complete stop. When it comes on I hold the brake and raise the rpm to a little over a thousand and it will stay off until the rpm drops back to 600-800.here lately after I get off the interstate and it comes on It won't go off until I reach about 2300rpm or about thirty mph. I see this is common in the 3.0 and I was wondering what the actual fix is. I would usually assume oil pump or worn main bearings and even a cam synchronizer. So if anyone has actually had the same issues and fixed the issue feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Last edited by chrs5503; 01-08-2015 at 11:02 PM. Reason: forgot to put the mileage
chrs5503 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2015, 08:16 AM   #60
65comet
AF Enthusiast
 
65comet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Porter, Indiana
Posts: 890
Thanks: 7
Thanked 74 Times in 72 Posts
Re: Oil pressure light was blinking at idle; now constant

Mine it was the pickup screen in the oil pan was 90% clogged. Dropping the pan with the exhaust manifold to exhaust nuts corroded away was a pain, but putting it back with a nice seal that no longer leaked and no more oil light till the pump gave way at 180,000 was nice.
65comet is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD

Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Ford > Escape | Maverick | Escape Hybrid

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:17 AM.

Community Participation Guidelines | How to use your User Control Panel

Powered by: vBulletin | Copyright Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
 
 
no new posts