94 Explorer oil pressure gauge - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

billputnam · 07-27-2008, 23:07

Hi everyone,
I'm new here and in a bit of a bind.
I live near Washington, DC, and recently had my 94 explorer tuned up at a local Midas. All of the fluids were changed. Oil. Radiator. Transmission. Everything.
So about an hour after leaving the place I noticed my oil was reading too high. You know how it reads "Normal" on the dash oil gauge? Well, my rig's needle would normally run around "r" and "m" before the tune up. After the tune up it was running at the "a" and "l".
I took it back and they figured there was too much oil. They drained it. Problem solved.
Wrong. It still ran high. I took it back again. A different mechanic said the oil pressure guage sensor was burned out. They replaced it. Nadda. Still reads high. In fact, sometimes it almost pegs out.
I live in a fairly hot and humid climate. So my three-part question is this: will heat affect oil pressure? Will it affect an oil pressure gauge and its sensor? If heat does affect oil pressure, the oil pressure guage and sensor, what are my options?
Thanks much in advance.
Best,
Bill.

**360ci** · 08-04-2008, 18:57

I'm guessing they put in a different weight oil than what you normally ran. A 15W40 (generally for diesels due to their lower operating rpm) is sometimes substituted at shops for 5W30 or 5W20 which can affect pressure. Oil pressure should remain constant with speed and show a lower reading when at idle. If the pressure is still high after a long drive I'd take it elsewhere for an oil change (yes, bite the bullet any pay another $20), and see if that solves the problem.