Question by CJ: Car ran out of oil on highway, now engine knocks, did I blow it? What’s the opinion?
I’ve had a leak in my oil seals and THOUGHT it was fixed after my mom referred me to her friend mechanic… However, when i looked at the engine again, the seals still looked old… I’m pregnant with twins and have been so preoccupied with the babies that are due any day now, that I forgot to check the oil level to see if it was still going down. SO… On the highway, I start hearing knocking… then smell something, then louder knocking as I accelerate… so I pulled over immediately and killed the engine… checked the oil and there was oil on the dipstick till I wiped it clean and dipped it again – dry. My boyfriend came to the rescue with some oil and we topped her off… there is still a knocking and she’s rough idling… But it did make it home… Did I screw up my car for good this time? I’ve done this to it before when I FIRST discovered the leak… but I added oil and it’s been fine as long as I’m adding oil to it… this time I screwed up and neglected my car. My cousin’s friend says because it’s knocking, that means I blew the engine… Any opinions?
I noticed the knocking and drove maybe 30 seconds longer before I pulled over and killed it. He only put three quarts in… I had his Debit Card, so it’ll all he could get…. so that’s why it could be knocking still? I’m having it towed tomorrow to get the oil changed, so we’ll see… I just wanted a little piece of mind… in the meantime…
Best answer:
Answer by Kenny
You have not blown the motor yet, but it is about to go. When it blows, it will not move at all.
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2 Responses
How far did you drive the car after you added the oil? It could be that the oil didnt have enough time to heat up and get a flow to all the right places. In my experience, when you push a car too far without oil, it completely locks the engine up. You wouldnt even be able to crank it. But it could just be the 2 kinds of cars I did that way. Im no mechanic by far, I just wanted to let you know what happened to my 2 when I ran them completely out of oil. Cars do knock when they are low or out of oil. Thats why Im thinking either he didnt put enough in or it hasnt had the chance to circulate properly. But it does sound like its about to blow. Keep a look out for a new car. Good luck
3 quarts low is pretty low. If it runs you didn’t necessarily blow the engine but you did damage it. All kinds of parts can get scored up really bad when you run out of oil pressure. Sounds like you may have gouged the crankshaft, a connecting rod bushing or a piston bushing. You also probably scored the cylinder walls. You probably need a new engine.