Lost all my oil while driving on highway

**Toofastgs** · 10-22-2008

Well i was on way to work adn i say a small white cloud. Did not really think of it for 2 reasons:

*Old ass truck next to me
*Front valve cover is leaking (recall)

So i continue on my way with no idiot lights. So i get to work and while pulling in i could hear a puff puff puff sound due to the echo off the side of building.

Park car engine still running smooth but now i can hear a small lifter tick. So i shut car off still not idiot lights. Check oil. Still on stick wipe clean and check again.

O **** BONE DRY. Put back in and checked again still bone dry. Check water. Fine no oil in it. Get under car where i see the damage. Oil all under the undercarriage Still dripping from firewall back.

Go to work get off work and start to look at it more at 12pm. Start taking car apart in parking lot. Found the smoking gun..

Oil pressure switch is cracked and leaking. 2 Friends are with me working on it. Start it up for 3 seconds to see where the oil is really coming from. Starts rushing out the switch.

Now Only thing that sucks. No 24hr auto parts store

Part i need is only 12 buxs + new oil

**QwikGT** · 10-22-2008

white smoke would be coolant, oil burning is blue....but you found the problem, maybe theres another problem?? good luck!

**SyntheticShield** · 10-22-2008

Well at least you lost yours somewhere that was populated. A few cars ago, chasing a storm and short story long, I went over a hump or something that caused me to bottom out. Bounced off the oil filter, dropped all the oil. 10 miles from the nearest house, no cell phone coverage and a severe storm bearing down on me. Yeah, that was fun.

**Reptile** · 10-22-2008

Boy that sucks. kind of a freak deal there, I don't think I've ever heard of oil gushing out of the sensor before. Dripping sure, but I hope nothing bad has happened to your engine.

Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

Well at least you lost yours somewhere that was populated. A few cars ago, chasing a storm and short story long, I went over a hump or something that caused me to bottom out. Bounced off the oil filter, dropped all the oil. 10 miles from the nearest house, no cell phone coverage and a severe storm bearing down on me. Yeah, that was fun.

Now that's an adventure!

**SyntheticShield** · 10-22-2008

Originally Posted by Reptile

Boy that sucks. kind of a freak deal there, I don't think I've ever heard of oil gushing out of the sensor before. Dripping sure, but I hope nothing bad has happened to your engine.

My wifes Grand Am developed a good leak from the oil pressure sending unit. Ive heard of it happening before but had never experienced it until then.

**Zef_66** · 10-22-2008

Hope you got everything fixed. I never heard of a 24hr part store. I know there is nothing like that around here for many, many miles.

But I would imagine that everything is okay. Maybe a little damage to the bearings, but should be okay to drive.

For my similar story, a couple years ago, before I owned my truck, I was driving up through the mountains. I had driven there before, but the snow melt and rain had caused some big ruts. I was doing fine until I caught a rock. Oil pan was fine, but it broke the oil filter housing clean off. Got a ride home. Next day my dad and I stop at the junk yard to get a new housing and head up into the mountain to fix my car. When we get up there, we realized that we didn't have a gasket. We tried to reuse the old one, but it leaked all over. No good. So my dad pulls a note pad out of the glove box of his truck and tears the cardboard off the back. He then takes about 10 minutes to carefully trace and cut the pattern from the cardboard. Put it all back together and it sealed fine! I drove it like that for another 3 years and it never leaked. That was an 87 3.8L engine.

**SyntheticShield** · 10-22-2008

Now thats some ingenuity there.

**Reptile** · 10-22-2008

I actually work at a 24hr parts store.

**Sabrewings** · 10-22-2008

Originally Posted by Zef_66

I never heard of a 24hr part store.

Half the Auto Zones in Memphis are 24hr. I hate being here in Shreveport and there are none. Got used to it.

**beastin1** · 10-22-2008

Originally Posted by Zef_66

Hope you got everything fixed. I never heard of a 24hr part store. I know there is nothing like that around here for many, many miles.

But I would imagine that everything is okay. Maybe a little damage to the bearings, but should be okay to drive.

For my similar story, a couple years ago, before I owned my truck, I was driving up through the mountains. I had driven there before, but the snow melt and rain had caused some big ruts. I was doing fine until I caught a rock. Oil pan was fine, but it broke the oil filter housing clean off. Got a ride home. Next day my dad and I stop at the junk yard to get a new housing and head up into the mountain to fix my car. When we get up there, we realized that we didn't have a gasket. We tried to reuse the old one, but it leaked all over. No good. So my dad pulls a note pad out of the glove box of his truck and tears the cardboard off the back. He then takes about 10 minutes to carefully trace and cut the pattern from the cardboard. Put it all back together and it sealed fine! I drove it like that for another 3 years and it never leaked. That was an 87 3.8L engine.

that sounds like something my pops would do....he never ceases to amaze me when it comes to rigging stuff up.....

**UR LOSN** · 10-23-2008

just be happy you didnt loose all oil in one moment..it took time ot bleed out. your motor will be fine. BE HAPPY ABOUT THAT!!!!

well, look at the bright side... you dont have to rust proof the bottom of your car anymore!! LOL!!!

**Toofastgs** · 10-23-2008

UPDATE:

Got the pressure switch replace with help of a friend(a pita to get out). Added oil started right up with NO engine noise. (42° out) Took a full gallon of oil!

Again this was all done at work in the parking lot. LOL. Crap loads of light 24 hr security patrol (car).

We used to have a 24hr autozone. It was a shock to me to find out they now close at midnight.

Total cost of repair.
New pressure switch $12
Oil $15

**UR LOSN** · 10-23-2008

Time working on the car: Priceless!

**Iron Indian** · 10-23-2008

Wow that sucks Chris! Glad you got it fixed up. I better check the black car this weekend and make sure that fitting is good...

**Zef_66** · 10-24-2008

Originally Posted by beastin1

that sounds like something my pops would do....he never ceases to amaze me when it comes to rigging stuff up.....

This comes from years of my dad and his brothers working on cars. When they were growing up and buying cars for $25, they didn't have the cash to buy gaskets, let alone try and find them for some of the old Studebakers they had. So a lot of times, they said they would cut them out of cereal boxes.