Can an engine run without oil pressure?
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 91
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From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Can an engine run without oil pressure? Just wondering if this is possible? It seems to be running sort of ok right now. I have some lifter noise at the moment too.
I found it out when the lines to the STS turbo wasn't getting any oil. There should be tons of pressure where they tapped for the turbo's oil, but nothing comes out.
The guage is faulty too, cuz it keeps showing i have normal oil pressure, but lots of things point otherwise....
I found it out when the lines to the STS turbo wasn't getting any oil. There should be tons of pressure where they tapped for the turbo's oil, but nothing comes out.
The guage is faulty too, cuz it keeps showing i have normal oil pressure, but lots of things point otherwise....
Originally Posted by 98NBM_TransAm
If you really dont have oil pressure, and you drove it any distance over a mile probably, there is some damage
drive, or even starting the car with no oil preasure will tear stuff up. what did the shop say? If the car made it 3000 km without locking up, you definately have some oil pressure going through the motor. If you truly had zero pressure the engine would have likely locked in the first mile. Running a turbo without oil pressure will likely kill your turbo. Your motor will still run even if the turbo has seazed, but you wont make any more boost till you get a new one.
Originally Posted by GuitsBoy
If the car made it 3000 km without locking up, you definately have some oil pressure going through the motor. If you truly had zero pressure the engine would have likely locked in the first mile. Running a turbo without oil pressure will likely kill your turbo. Your motor will still run even if the turbo has seazed, but you wont make any more boost till you get a new one.
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Originally Posted by natesiy
I found it out when the lines to the STS turbo wasn't getting any oil. There should be tons of pressure where they tapped for the turbo's oil, but nothing comes out.
The guage...keeps showing i have normal oil pressure
The guage...keeps showing i have normal oil pressure
The sts line is tapped at a location between the oil pump and the sending unit for the gauge.
If you are getting oil to the sending unit, but nothing out of the line, then the problem must be where they tapped that plate, or the line must be clogged.
It's unlikely that the gauge/sending unit suddenly quit working properly at the same time the STS was installed.
Something is wrong with the sending unit, or between that and the gauge, obviously... We tried running a 235 straight 6 in a 69 Chevy truck once without oil, and floored it, maybe only making it a mile, WITH coasting once it kicked a rod and kept running. Flooring it, the engine would only run at about 1000 rpm, while we could watch the rod that wasn't connected to anything, sticking out the side of the block move back and forth until finally it started screeching and eventually stuck. We pulled it apart and had to beat the pistons out of it... The bearings were GONE, the rods were more or less welded to the rods now and the scoring on the main saddles was AMAZING, let alone the debris left in the pan... DO NOT... DO NOT... DO NOT RUN AN ENGINE WITHOUT OIL PSI!
Originally Posted by 67Firebird455
Something is wrong with the sending unit, or between that and the gauge, obviously... We tried running a 235 straight 6 in a 69 Chevy truck once without oil, and floored it, maybe only making it a mile, WITH coasting once it kicked a rod and kept running. Flooring it, the engine would only run at about 1000 rpm, while we could watch the rod that wasn't connected to anything, sticking out the side of the block move back and forth until finally it started screeching and eventually stuck. We pulled it apart and had to beat the pistons out of it... The bearings were GONE, the rods were more or less welded to the rods now and the scoring on the main saddles was AMAZING, let alone the debris left in the pan... DO NOT... DO NOT... DO NOT RUN AN ENGINE WITHOUT OIL PSI!
Originally Posted by 98NBM_TransAm
If you really dont have oil pressure, and you drove it any distance over a mile probably, there is some damage
Although I drove my spun rod bearing home 50 miles knocking the whole way and it made it, the short block was trashed though.
Originally Posted by GuitsBoy
If the car made it 3000 km without locking up, you definately have some oil pressure going through the motor. If you truly had zero pressure the engine would have likely locked in the first mile. Running a turbo without oil pressure will likely kill your turbo. Your motor will still run even if the turbo has seazed, but you wont make any more boost till you get a new one.
