if your car had no oil init, what damage can be caused?

Question

my car had no oil in it, until my service last week..
its not driving smoothly, infact when i go on journey`s about 40 mins drives it gets hot from inside but doesnt overheat i watch the sensor. Speed is slower and for some reason it doesnt pick up speed properly. I also think it could be due to my alloys which i think are a bit big for my car and putting a strain on bearings as i was told by servicer. i dont know what too do as its really upsetting me im a girl off 22 and my car is a vauxhall astra 2001 x reg.

pls help me.

x

sorry i meant i watch the temperature gauge. Also car engines makes a tick tick noise what could this be.

pls tell me what too do.

Answer 1

The tick tick noise is the cam, this is an important engine part which is at the top of the engine, It is loud because it has got too hot and bent out of shape slightly, so it can no longer turn so easily, causing the noise but it can be repaired.

Being starved of oil is bad for all of the engine components, especially the cam though which is high up and furthest from the oil storage area, which is called the sump. This sump should normally contain around a gallon(5 litres) of oil which is pumped up onto the cam and other parts.

This cam turns fast when the engine runs and needs a coating of oil in order to keep it cool, by stopping friction from movement. And other parts such as valves and pistons will need a clean coat of oil on them each time the engine turns.

With a good supply of oil it does not get so hot, and will run for 100-140,000 miles easily.

Now there may be an underlying problem with your Astra, which has caused it to have this lack of oil in the first place.

One, of two things have happened here.

Oil leaked out onto the road and the driveway, or 'oil burning' has taken place gradually, (because the engine is badly worn or high mileage) or not serviced enough.

The oil burns and usually creates a black smoke behind the car, because it burns with the petrol inside the chambers of the engine it gradually disappears with the exhaust fumes.

Checking oil levels should be done every 2 weeks at least, some say every day! But most modern engines are much better these days.

I'm sure your car will be repaired with a new cam or valves or something, or just some good oil may quieten it down for a while. Dont drive it at all without any oil!

It is worth around £2,500-£3,500 when it is working well, so its worth repairing.

Firstly I would pour about 3 litres in, and continue to check the dipstick for levels over 10 minutes, do not overfill your engine!!! This is just as bad as no oil, get the oil level correct. Use some cheap stuff, then get it changed professionaly as soon as you can, to remove all the dirt or soot in the oil..

When there is no oil the engine will wear out very very quickly. Life expectancy 10 minutes! As opposed to 10 years!

Answer 2

Running an engine with no oil can cause no end of problems from seasing up all together to a range of small problems,
The tic tic noise is most likly to be the small end bearing of the piston rod to pistons, it sounds like you need a lot of work to put that right, it may be cheaper to get a good secondhand engine fitted, you may even know a relative or friend who can do this very cheaply.
If you have a tendancy to let your car run out of oil it would be a good idea to go to Halfords or a car parts shop and get a tin of the best protection you can find, there are a few, they can help in the event that you run out of oil by putting a protective shield over the moving parts, but that does not mean that you should neglect your normal checks and service that even you can do. if your engine leaks oil you need to check more often if it leaks a lot get it fixed, if no leak best to check once a week if you do this at the same time on the same day you are less likely to miss, and while you have the bonet up check your water levels in your engine and window washer, just have a lok around to see if anything looks lose or worn out etc, regular checking can save you a fortune, and make your car more reliable. Get some one to show you how and what to do. If you dont know anyone ask your friends and or family if they can recomend some one, do not go to a back street cowboy or a garage where you are likly to be ripped off just because you are a young girl, it would be better to get a man to take it in for you as you will get a better job done at a fairer price, and I know this isnt fair on the female sex but it is how it works in too many cases. My sister gets me to do it for her for that very reason.
Good luck.

Answer 3

If you have been running the engine with NO oil, you have definitely damaged the engine. No telling how much. The piston rings may have been so badly damaged that they cannot maintain compression any more. That would explain the slow speed and lack of power.

Every one who drives a car should know how an engine runs and what the commons failures are. You have just explained why. Damage could have been avoided by knowing that low oil is a risk and watching for that possibility.

Your engine is most probably a lost cause. Replace it or the car if you can.
And for goodness sake, take a car maintenance class at your local community college.


Good Luck!

Answer 4

If the car was running on low oil it could have caused serious engine damage, if it had none at all the engine would have seized completely, but it is likely that some damage has been caused, as moving parts would rub against eachother where the oil would normally lubricate them. I doubt if the alloys being too heavy are causing your accelaration problems, there are several problems which can cause loss of accelaration, I would take the car back to a mechanic to find out what is really wrong.

Answer 5

Oil reduces the friction on moving parts.
No oil in your engine would have resulted in very high temperatures where moving parts rub together.
This can in severe cases cause the parts to weld themselves together (cease up). The engine is then a right off.
If your problems are because of the lack of oil then all kinds of problems may have occured. the remedy would be to strip the engine down and replace or service the worn or damages parts.
Even if not affected to this extent a temporary lack or reduction in oil can cause severe premature ageing of the engine - not good at all.

Best advice would be to ask around your friend to see if they know someone, such as a mechanic, that can give you a trustworthy assessment of the problems.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
if your car had no oil init, what damage can be caused?
my car had no oil in it, until my service last week..
its not driving smoothly, infact when i go on journey`s about 40 mins drives it gets hot from inside but doesnt overheat i watch the sensor. Speed is slower and for some reason it doesnt pick up speed properly. I also think it could be due to...

Answer 7

you willdamege all sorts of thing when you run your engine with no oil, you can burn up bearings crankshaft cam and cam bearings lifters etc; It sounds to me as though you have already caused some damage of sorts. you could be looking at an expensive rebuild or just a complete engine swap. You should have someone show you how to check your cars fluids and do this on a regular basis at least once a week or every other week, good luck

Answer 8

If there was no oil at all, the engine would sieze up. That means parts of it would melt and weld together and you'd need a new engine. I suspect there was some oil in the engine, just not enough to reach the dipstick.

If you've got the wrong sized wheels on the car, it will drive erratically and it's dangerous. Get it sorted out by someone who knows what they're doing.

Answer 9

id say trade it in ASAP, your engine is cooked. The ticking is the cam slapping the lifters, they wore out from not having enough oil to reach them. The acceleration problem is probaly because the cylander walls are scored and you have compression loss, or the main bearings are scored. Eventually it will start to knock. Either way its a big (read expensive) job. Engine Restore (from any auto parts store) may help temporarly but get rid of the compression loss, but your engine is fried. In the future check the oil regulary (once a week or when you fill up) and turn off the radio and the heat/ A/C once in a while and listen to the engine. If you heard it tapping a long time ago when the oil level started to get low you may have avoided this situation completely!!

Answer 10

No Oil In Car