Ran Engine With No Oil

Asked by GuruWBGWG May 01, 2018 at 03:33 PM about the 2006 Pontiac Torrent AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

To make a long story short, my husband went 4,000
miles past the recommended mileage for an oil
change. We were on he expressway going about 70
when the engine started to make a knocking noise,
and about 5 minutes later he could no longer
accelerate. About 2 miles of coasting, the entire car
shut off. He tried to turn the key once while waiting
for the tow truck and it almost started but then it
sounded like fireworks going off in the engine. We
haven’t messed with it since, but I know that the
problem is the fact that he ran the engine dry. Is
there anything I can do to try to salvage the engine
before I junk it?

3 Answers

26,235

On your next car, make it a habit of checking the oil level every 500-1,000 miles. When you notice the level getting below the recommended minimum, add the type and viscosity of the oil the manufacturer recommends. The failure you described would have been prevented if the level was checked and corrected before the car died. Waiting until the oil needs changing per the car's sensor or the manufacturer's recommendation will not prevent this failure from happening. Do the rest of your fluids the same way. Coolant, Power Steering fluid, Transmission fluid, Battery Water (if not a sealed battery), brake fluid, etc. all need periodic checking.

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