Hello, I have a 2000 Durango SLT 4.7L 4x4 that I just bought a few months ago with a little over 200,000 miles.. It seemed to be decently maintained, no leaks, clean, etc, so I was excited to purchase. Today I was driving home from work on the highway, going about 70, when suddenly my check gauges light came on and my oil pressure was at the 0 red line. I pulled over, turned it off, and checked oil level. It was good, as I changed oil about a month ago, and the vehicle doesn't leak. I got back in the truck and when I started it, I noticed a slight tapping sound. CRAP. It didn't sound like a knock, more like a tap, and it seemed to fade as the engine idled for a moment. Still no oil pressure, I begrudgingly continued home(about 5 more miles). When I got home, I parked and listened to the idling engine. Sounded normal, but gauge was still reading 0. I shut off engine, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. When I started it again, the tapping was back, and louder. I popped the hood and traced the sound. Was coming from under the left valve cover. I'm thinking a lifter? But what's with the no oil pressure all of a sudden? Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

You need to verify the oil pressure loss with a mechanical gauge as the dash gauge is not reliable enough to say for sure what is going on.

 

These are sludge prone engines, even with fairly regular maintenance. plugged PCV is one contributor to the problem, but non the less, it is still prone to build up. If it were mine, before I ran it any more I would pull the valve covers to see how well it was taken care of, look for sludge. I may even start the thing for a few seconds just to see if any oil pumps up there.

 

Might be the oil pressure sender gone bad and you're paranoid listening for every sound. Check the pressure with a gauge. Harbor Freight sells them pretty cheap. I disagree with the engines being sludge prone, but they can get that way with poor maintenance.

 

Hi, Omar here,
I had the same problem after changing my lifters and oil. Here are my scenarios and where I stand with my truck.
1. If you added a motor flush additive before you drained the old oil it is very possible that your oil pick up tube is clogged.
2. A bad oil pressure switch might be the problem
3. Your oil pump has given up (listen to the engine for knocking, clear indicator oil is not flowing, or oil is not being able to be sucked up because of the clogged tube)
I wasted my new oil and added more motor flush to release some of the grime in the pick up tube, it did work for a day and then it clogged again.
I am currently dropping the oil pan and will remove the pick up tube to clean it. The problem is that in order to get to drop the oil pan, there are several parts you must remove. That is why I have not finished fixing my truck yet. once I do, I'll send an update.
All this happened after I opened the valve covers and replaced the lifters, then added new oil (There was a lot of sludge in the valve area, and my dumb as scrapped it off and vacuumed it). The truck was working perfectly before (mild knocking from lifters), that is why I am 99% sure is not the pump. Replacing the pump will be my last resort and if I do, I will also replace the timing chain and tensioners, it is a big deal. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

Thanks for all your input. I removed valve covers to check for sludge, it was minor. I installed new pcv valve, and also put some sea foam in my oil. It's been showing true oil pressure ever since, and the tapping is non existent as well. I'm going to let the sea foam do it's thing for about 150 miles, then drain oil and run full synthetic from now on. I'm going to pay close attention to the engine every time I start it for a while now... can't help it :-p

Thanks again! I'll update as things come up