Oil and Coolant gauge help

[georgiagoob]

three or four days ago my oil and coolant gauges are acting kinda weird
on my 2000 Ford Ranger my oil gauge sits on low for a few seconds then it will go to normal or it will go to normal then back to low for a couple seconds then back to normal , now the coolant is just rising kinda slow but goes to normal after a minute or so this only happens when you crank it up and not while driving and it has been extremely cold here and i dont know if this has any bearing on the problem but had a transmission put in about two months ago also

[toddler62]

If it was mine I would check the oil and coolant to make sure there is no oil in coolant or vice versa,and that both are at proper levels. You might have a real problem or it might be as simple as a bad ground in the dash. My amp gauge on my ranger intermitently doesnt work and I tap the corner of the dash and it works fine. Does this do this all the time or just when first started when cold. I would be watch it close because either problem can ruin an engine. The temp guage will take a while to get warm when its really cold as for the oil pressure I would think after just a couple seconds it should show normal pressure. This could also be a bad sending unit for the oil pressure gauge. good luck watch it close and have it looked at if you feel you do have a problem

[DonSor]

I have a 99 Ranger 4.0L. If the 2000 model is simlar, the oil pressure gauge is not really a gauge but a switch. If the oil pressure is OK, the needle shows normal. That's why the needle does not adjsut with the engine speed. In this case I suspect that you have a malfunctioning sending unit.

Regarding the temperature gauge, do the following test. Disconnect the single wire going to the sending unit, turn your ignition switch on (no run) and the gauge should read max. Then touch the terminal wire to nearest ground. The reading should read minimum. NOTE: I may have the max and the minimum reversed but noetheless, it should read the opposite extreme. If the readings were as described above, your gauge and wiring are OK and the sending unit is suspect. You may verify this by removing the sending unit, immerse it water, connect a multimeter, start heating up the water and see if the resistance reading increases.

[georgiagoob]

is the sending units hard to find and take off and does both the oil and the coolant have a sending unit?

[DonSor]

There are two coolant sending unit. One goes to the gauge and the other goes to the Power Control Module (PCM). The gauges sending unit should be right above the water pump. It's easy to remove although you may have to remove a hose to provide you enough room to maneuver your wrench. If the 2000 model is like mine (99), the oil sending unit (actually a switch) is located in the lower front section of the engine block. You'll have to crawl under right by the front left wheel to see it. The sender is also easy to remove. It has two wires. You may have to swing the stabilizer bar out of the way to maneuver your wrench.