flickering oil light after sitting for 8 months or so.

[zoomlater]

You have a flickering oil pressure light at idle? That's not something you should first blame on the sensor.

First do a 5W-30 Valvoline Full Synthetic High Mileage with MaxLife oil change, including a new Motorcraft FL400S filter. Correct viscosity, correct level, and clean filter ensure correct pressure.

Still idle oil light sometimes coming on, even moreso when hot? More than one second of oil light at startup? Then you should start suspecting bearing clearances if you've never done rod bearings. Also you have oil pan pickup tube (clogged screen?), leaking pickup tube gasket, and an oil pump on the front of the crankshaft as possibilities.

You can replace the sensor just to be sure it's not erroneous, but it is more likely that it malfunctions and doesn't illuminate.

I don't have a flickering oil light, but have had an oil smell in the car for a long time and saw oil smoking in that area before. Car has 150K on it and started to have hard starts. Plug wells are full of oil, so if I have to pull the intake to change things, I might as well address the sensor as well.

 

[tommyturbo]

For what it is worth, I always had a oil smell also. I lived in the desert and drove the car in hot weather and never had any issues with the light flickering at idle, even after hard driving. Car sat, and light issue started. Replaced sensor, was very oily in the area, and since replacing have driven the car, even on the harder side, and do not have the issue with the light anymore, and don't smell oil anymore.