Mazda MPV oil pressure

[LavaRand]

I have a Mazda MPV 2006. These have a Ford 3 liter V6 engine.

The oil-can light is coming on and off intermittently. I don't know if this means low oil pressure or low oil level. There is oil on the dipstick, so I assume it's oil pressure. From what I understand there is an oil pressure switch on the block, and I already bought a replacement, but it's just a switch and not an analog sensor. To see if oil pressure is low I would like to hook up a pressure gauge and actually measure the oil pressure, either through the OBDII interface (I have a scan tool) or by literally plumbing in a gauge somewhere. Does anyone know if it's possible to measure oil pressure through OBDII, or if there's a pipe thread on the engine somewhere where I could hook up a gauge?

 

[kschachn]

First off, surely you know whether the engine is low on oil or not? If you don’t know that then that’s a primary problem here. “Oil on the dipstick” isn’t the same as saying there is the proper amount in the crankcase.

And second yes some engines report oil pressure but not all do. You often plumb in an auxiliary pressure gauge using a “T” fitting connected to the block where the sender is located.

 

[Number_35]

I have a Mazda MPV 2006. These have a Ford 3 liter V6 engine.

The oil-can light is coming on and off intermittently. I don't know if this means low oil pressure or low oil level. There is oil on the dipstick, so I assume it's oil pressure. From what I understand there is an oil pressure switch on the block, and I already bought a replacement, but it's just a switch and not an analog sensor. To see if oil pressure is low I would like to hook up a pressure gauge and actually measure the oil pressure, either through the OBDII interface (I have a scan tool) or by literally plumbing in a gauge somewhere. Does anyone know if it's possible to measure oil pressure through OBDII, or if there's a pipe thread on the engine somewhere where I could hook up a gauge?

If the OP sensor/sending unit is faulty, it will send out the same inaccurate signal to the scanner that it does to the oil light.

Therefore, you're best to remove the OP sensor, and install (on a temporary basis) a mechanical OP gauge. This will let you know if have a bad sensor/sending unit or actual low OP. Hope for the former!

You might also want to check out the 2000-2006 section of MPVclub.com. Excellent forum in the past, though pretty dead in recent years. But at least you will get an idea as to how common sensor/sending-unit failures are.

Or, if a replacement sending unit is not expensive, you could gamble and just replace it.

 

[LavaRand]

I put a new sending unit in. It's super hard to access. The problem is much less now, practically fixed but sometimes when idling the oil light will still flicker slightly. Revving the engine a tiny bit makes it go away. So I don't know if this is a good signal or bad signal because it probably means oil pressure is near the low threshold on two different sensors, but I don't know the trigger pressure of the sensors.

 

[Number_35]

That's worrisome; not sure about the 3.0 Duratech specifically, but some OP sensors are set to trigger the warning light at 5 PSI. If the OP is actually that low, you need to determine what's causing it. Worn main bearings? Weak oil pump? I would try to measure the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge.

I'm assuming it's a problem at hot idle only. Have you tried a thicker oil?

I believe the factory specs 5W-20. I would try a 5W-30 to start with, and see if the light stays off at hot idle.

 

[LavaRand]

I'd like to hook up a guage but I need to find a port somewhere I can reach. I don't think I could ever hook into the sending unit port because I can't even see it and could barely change the sensor.