Windstar oil pressure warning

I'm having a concerning issue with my 2000 Ford Windstar, gasoline engine, with only 34,064 km on it. The oil pressure warning lamp lights up, and the speedometer also shows a warning light. I checked the oil, and it looks… well, not good. It's dark, almost black, and seems thicker than it should be. I suspect engine oil contamination, possibly due to exceeding the maintenance interval. Could this be causing the warning lights? I'm worried about potential engine damage from oil sludge.

4 comment(s)

Sounds familiar! I had a similar problem with my old Renault Scenic. The oil color was a major giveaway, looked like tar. Have you checked the oil filter? If it's clogged, that could definitely trigger the pressure warning. What does the oil filler cap look like? Is there any brown gunk under it?

Thanks for the quick reply! I haven't checked the oil filter yet, but that's a good point. I'll take a look tomorrow. As for the oil filler cap, yes, there's some brownish sludge under it. It’s not a huge amount, but definitely noticeable. Is that a bad sign? What did you do with your Scenic?

The brownish sludge is not a good sign - points towards oil sludge. In my Scenic it was also maintenance interval exceeded. I did not do anything myself, went straight to the workshop as soon as the warning lights appeared. I strongly suggest you do the same to prevent engine damage. They will flush the engine and change the oil and filter.

Thanks a lot for the advice! I really appreciate it. I'll take it to the workshop ASAP to get it checked out. Hopefully, it's just a matter of flushing the engine and changing the oil and filter, and not something more serious. The repair ended up costing around 165€ Fingers crossed!

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