A neighbor shared with me a few days ago he changed his oil, drove his car for about 4 blocks, made a u turn, came back, and then filled with oil because he forgot. He thinks his car is making weird noises now. How much abuse can an engine take on no oil?
Running car without oil
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In many cases, not a whole heck of a lot.
This situation is actually worse than losing oil pressure while running, because there was literally no oil in the engine from start to finish. Very bad scenario.
This situation is actually worse than losing oil pressure while running, because there was literally no oil in the engine from start to finish. Very bad scenario.
The engine is most likely toast, but, how about a last ditch attempt to save it? Change the oil with Mobil 1 or any good synthetic and use a Fram Ultra or Mobil 1 filter. A finer oil filter will catch any metal particles and the synthetic oil may help keep the engine alive. Change oil and filter frequently for a few cycles.
This is a last ditch effort, but, what does he have to lose aside from the price of an oil change?
This is a last ditch effort, but, what does he have to lose aside from the price of an oil change?
He may want to use extra thick oil and looking to sell or trade it in.
Confession time:
Maybe three years ago, due to..um..various distractions, and a liberal measure of stupidity, my car was towed in gear, with the plugs out, for about 4 blocks, with the oil below the pickup.
Not as bad as the above, but pretty bad.
There was some signs of white metal in the sump, presumably from bearing surfaces. I doubt this metal itself is very damaging (since its soft) but of course its a symptom of damage.
Its still going. It perhaps helps that I have always used 40W oil (or 15/40) rather than the 10-30 recommended or any of the skinnier modern brews.
Why the recommendation above for "Mobil 1 or any good synthetic?". What difference is that going to make, apart from adding expense to what may be a lost cause?
Maybe three years ago, due to..um..various distractions, and a liberal measure of stupidity, my car was towed in gear, with the plugs out, for about 4 blocks, with the oil below the pickup.
Not as bad as the above, but pretty bad.
There was some signs of white metal in the sump, presumably from bearing surfaces. I doubt this metal itself is very damaging (since its soft) but of course its a symptom of damage.
Its still going. It perhaps helps that I have always used 40W oil (or 15/40) rather than the 10-30 recommended or any of the skinnier modern brews.
Why the recommendation above for "Mobil 1 or any good synthetic?". What difference is that going to make, apart from adding expense to what may be a lost cause?
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Maybe he should've come to a stop instead of making a u-turn.
crank bearing are surprisingly very weak without oil ,he likely will need to replace crank bearing soon.but then it is made in this fashion so you dont need to change the whole engine .it depend how hard he drove if its just around the block? just replace the oil and filter right now
There are some crazy YouTube videos out there that illustrate just how tough some engines can be. For fun, people will drain the oil from old beaters and run them at WOT to kill them.
Surprisingly they might last 5 to 10 minuets. I don't think all is necessarily lost. Refill with conventional 10-30, and change it out at 500 miles. Repeat. The car just might be OK. Drive on and hope for the best.
Surprisingly they might last 5 to 10 minuets. I don't think all is necessarily lost. Refill with conventional 10-30, and change it out at 500 miles. Repeat. The car just might be OK. Drive on and hope for the best.
if engine sound better after the next oil change ,filter and reuse oil and let the next oil filter there and when you got time empty oil and filter the oil and put it back. when you ear the engine sound similar to what you had prior to the incident just do a regular oil change and you should be fine!i always froget we arent in the 70s anymore ,unless the person is bruteforcing the car forward every second of the day ( he isnt a wrecker right? i dont believe he damaged anything
4 blocks? Not good! He probably did some damage, but not as much as you'd think. I'd be watching the oil level, and listening for odd noises if I was him, and planning an exit strategy if something is wrong with the car.
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Without oil in the engine, did he NOT have any dashlights on? You know, like the OIL idiot light? I always start my engine after an oil change and kind of stare anxiously at the dash till I know everything is OK and sounds good.
I'm sure the fellow didn't do it on purpose, I just can't imagine no dash lights on and no oil for 4 blocks, unless he was draining 90W gear oil and only idled...
I would also logically imagine (from being a former idiot teenager) that the first sign of anything wrong will be a lifter starting to tick...and never stopping.
Since he has nothing to lose, I'd suggest trying this: http://www.amazon.com/MotorSilk%C2%AE-Engine-Oil-Treatment/dp/B007HRI81M/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1461147647&sr=1-1&keywords=motor+silk
I'm sure the fellow didn't do it on purpose, I just can't imagine no dash lights on and no oil for 4 blocks, unless he was draining 90W gear oil and only idled...
I would also logically imagine (from being a former idiot teenager) that the first sign of anything wrong will be a lifter starting to tick...and never stopping.
Since he has nothing to lose, I'd suggest trying this: http://www.amazon.com/MotorSilk%C2%AE-Engine-Oil-Treatment/dp/B007HRI81M/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1461147647&sr=1-1&keywords=motor+silk
I would trade it in while he can.
People who start a oil change and plan to finish latter should tie some kind of marker on the steering wheel so they or family does not use the vehicle.
People who start a oil change and plan to finish latter should tie some kind of marker on the steering wheel so they or family does not use the vehicle.
Definitely some excessive wear or damage happened. Add oil, hope for the best and drive on....water under the bridge
OP, this situation reminds me of this guy: https://youtu.be/-UCxmJiRpjs?t=11m2s but your neighbor did it on accident while this guy knew exactly what he was doing. Excessive wear probably occurred but unless he does a tear down he will probably never know if there was any damage.
MrQuackers
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OMG love his video description haha
Some one I know did this with a nissan rogue. Well, more like the low oil light was on for AWHILE and they didnt think anything of it(missing 3 quarts somehow). The engine was making some noise then also, and adding oil didn't help. Suggested she trade it in and she did, got a pretty good amount for it too considering the mileage.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
He may want to use extra thick oil and looking to sell or trade it in.
Yup. Try something like a HDEO (maybe rotella 15w40 or the like) to try to quiet it down and and trade in... Or except an engine rebuild or replacement in the future.
Its hard to say exactly what or how much damage without a tear down. I would expect some bad effects on various bearings more than anything else (crankshaft and camshaft in particular)
He may want to use extra thick oil and looking to sell or trade it in.
Yup. Try something like a HDEO (maybe rotella 15w40 or the like) to try to quiet it down and and trade in... Or except an engine rebuild or replacement in the future.
Its hard to say exactly what or how much damage without a tear down. I would expect some bad effects on various bearings more than anything else (crankshaft and camshaft in particular)
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