How long will the average automobile engine run with no oil?

[Krooser]

Back in '81 my buddy ran my 351-c for 25 laps (1/4mile dirt) without oil after knocking the oil pump pick-up off in the heat race. We didn't have an operating oil pressure gauge after blowing out two of 'em with 100 lb.s of pressure when cold. We ran Amsoil and the bearing still looked good... just a little scuffing on the piston skirts. still have those parts to show folks...

Two years ago my 275,000 mile Dodge 5.2 ran 90 miles without oil when my buddy changed the oil for me... he did the first part (drain it) but forgot the last part (refill it). Again no idiot lite was working and the op gauge never did move... I was hauling a project race car trailer that I had purchased. I heard the engine making some funny noises so I checked the oil at a roadside stop... put in the two quarts I had with me... nothing on the stick. Drove to the next gas station and put in four more... then it was full. The truck still runs today... uses a little bit of oil but not a whole lot all things considered.

This is the best one yet. And under load.

Just to be fair I only hauled the trailer during the return trip...still about 1200 lbs... I ran the interstate on the way to pick it up but took the back roads on the way back home to try to fly under the cops radar.

[gunt]

20yrs ago there was a scrappage scheme here every thing had to be crushed , my boss had about 400 car to go at dinner time some of the guys would set up different experiments , we ran engines without oil , some even left ticking over going into the crusher , some we put a block on the accelerator pedal , out of every thing we did it was amazing how the long the Toyota's ran at full throttle and you could nearly cry for the engine hearing them tighten , but on one scansion we went back and cranked her over she started and ran to full tilt just about long enough for us to run away , poor things

[hq308]

I think clearances play a big part in how long an engine will last without oil, seen quite a few late model engines start knocking after being run low on oil but older engines (with presumably more clearance) can tolerate it (low oil) a lot better.

A long time ago at a party we ran an old inline 6 at WOT with no oil or water waiting for something to break, it lasted about 5 minutes before it started slowing down and eventually stopping, the disappointing thing was no bang and no signs of any damage. It just got so hot it seized and after cooling down it fired right back up and ran like nothing happened. So for test 2 we ran a garden hose through the cooling system and again at WOT and it was still going after about 10 minutes until an impatient buddy decided he couldn't wait any longer and attacked the running engine with a sledge hammer. It stopped running pretty quickly after he smashed the intake off the side of it.

[Brian W]

Several years ago a buddy of mine had a Nissan pickup with a bunch of miles on it. He was changing the oil one evening, pulled drain plug, while draining he replaced filter. Then phone rang and went inside to answer.... Next day he went to work about 10 miles one way, worked all day and returned home. When he entered his driveway he wondered what that black thing was in his driveway in front of shop...? Yep,... drain pan with the drain plug still setting beside it! LOL He filled it with oil and as far as I know its still running today.

[peejay]

Back in '81 my buddy ran my 351-c for 25 laps (1/4mile dirt) without oil after knocking the oil pump pick-up off in the heat race. We didn't have an operating oil pressure gauge after blowing out two of 'em with 100 lb.s of pressure when cold. We ran Amsoil and the bearing still looked good... just a little scuffing on the piston skirts. still have those parts to show folks...

Makes you wonder how much power was being left on the table if it didn't really need that much oil pressure, you know?

[roc]

Back in '81 my buddy ran my 351-c for 25 laps (1/4mile dirt) without oil after knocking the oil pump pick-up off in the heat race. We didn't have an operating oil pressure gauge after blowing out two of 'em with 100 lb.s of pressure when cold. We ran Amsoil and the bearing still looked good... just a little scuffing on the piston skirts. still have those parts to show folks...

Two years ago my 275,000 mile Dodge 5.2 ran 90 miles without oil when my buddy changed the oil for me... he did the first part (drain it) but forgot the last part (refill it). Again no idiot lite was working and the op gauge never did move... I was hauling a project race car trailer that I had purchased. I heard the engine making some funny noises so I checked the oil at a roadside stop... put in the two quarts I had with me... nothing on the stick. Drove to the next gas station and put in four more... then it was full. The truck still runs today... uses a little bit of oil but not a whole lot all things considered.

Krooser, with due respect, any chance that this buddy of yours is David Copperfield?

[stealth]

And maybe recycle the old oil instead of polluting the parking lot..

Dirtbags (always one particular ethnicity...um... from that Puerto Rico area) would do this over the parking lot drainage grate at the autozone when I was a kid. There were piles of oil bottles and trash left in lot all the time right at the grates.

We were always disgusted when she saw these people pulling typical sht like this....

[stealth]

Back in '81 my buddy ran my 351-c for 25 laps (1/4mile dirt) without oil after knocking the oil pump pick-up off in the heat race. We didn't have an operating oil pressure gauge after blowing out two of 'em with 100 lb.s of pressure when cold. We ran Amsoil and the bearing still looked good... just a little scuffing on the piston skirts. still have those parts to show folks...

Two years ago my 275,000 mile Dodge 5.2 ran 90 miles without oil when my buddy changed the oil for me... he did the first part (drain it) but forgot the last part (refill it). Again no idiot lite was working and the op gauge never did move... I was hauling a project race car trailer that I had purchased. I heard the engine making some funny noises so I checked the oil at a roadside stop... put in the two quarts I had with me... nothing on the stick. Drove to the next gas station and put in four more... then it was full. The truck still runs today... uses a little bit of oil but not a whole lot all things considered.

Krooser, with due respect, any chance that this buddy of yours is David Copperfield?

Funny the hydraulic lifters still worked without oil....that amsoil must be awesome stuff...

[peejay]

Engines with hydraulic lifters will run just fine with no oil pressure. Well, just fine relatively speaking. How do you think they are able to start after an oil change, or after installing a torque converter and slowly rolling the engine around twice, bleeding all the lifters down?

The lifters with the longest stroke I'm aware of still have less than .100" travel, that is nowhere near lobe lift on even the weeniest of camshafts.

[Fireonthemountain]

Of course then there was the Bardahl commercial, with its no oil run

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnYrSU9a3fg

[stealth]

Engines with hydraulic lifters will run just fine with no oil pressure. Well, just fine relatively speaking. How do you think they are able to start after an oil change, or after installing a torque converter and slowly rolling the engine around twice, bleeding all the lifters down?

The lifters with the longest stroke I'm aware of still have less than .100" travel, that is nowhere near lobe lift on even the weeniest of camshafts.

That's fine...I would notice just a slight tap with .100" lash.....just me probably...

Also, my oil pressure comes up pretty quickly after oil change when started, so I can't speak to sustained zero oil pressure...

[Truckedup]

Several years ago a buddy of mine had a Nissan pickup with a bunch of miles on it. He was changing the oil one evening, pulled drain plug, while draining he replaced filter. Then phone rang and went inside to answer.... Next day he went to work about 10 miles one way, worked all day and returned home. When he entered his driveway he wondered what that black thing was in his driveway in front of shop...? Yep,... drain pan with the drain plug still setting beside it! LOL He filled it with oil and as far as I know its still running today.

So Nissan has no oil pressure warning light or gauge? So the forget to put oil in the engine stories all have no warning light or gauges ? Or no one looks at them?
Did anyone ever own a vehicle that knocks a for a few seconds when started before the oil pressure builds up? I have heard many do that ....And what happens if there is no oil pressure, ignore the knock? Due to my experiences I have a hard time believing these types of stories...

[Carnut1]

I have friends that did this kind of destruction. One was a Dart 225 slant six and the other was a Camaro 230 six. No water, no oil refused to die. Might have something to do with not making enough power to kill themselves.

[peejay]

So Nissan has no oil pressure warning light or gauge? So the forget to put oil in the engine stories all have no warning light or gauges ? Or no one looks at them?

My 1980 Mazda did not have an oil pressure warning light or gauge, and the engine wasn't even tapped for the sender. All it had was a low oil level warning light.

Some modern cars will not turn on the oil light right away! It's an artifact of in car networks and polling times and how the code is written and probably some damping algorithms. I had a car that didn't turn the oil light on for 15 seconds when it was started without oil in it. After cleaning my shorts, and adding oil, I went off to find who worked on it for a good talking-to.

There's also the strange occurence where a lot of work trucks have pictures of kids and shit stuck over all of the instrument panel so you can't actually see any warning lights. I guess people forget they have families unless they have a constant reminder?

[Schurkey]

So Nissan has no oil pressure warning light or gauge? So the forget to put oil in the engine stories all have no warning light or gauges ? Or no one looks at them?

My 1980 Mazda did not have an oil pressure warning light or gauge, and the engine wasn't even tapped for the sender. All it had was a low oil level warning light.

I bought a new-to-me motorcycle a few weeks ago. Learned while looking through the manual that there's no oil pressure gauge or light. There is an oil-level warning light.

Crazy.