I encountered a problem with my Octy(Skoda Octavia Mk1 2004 1.9TDI) when my sump was damaged due to bad road conditions. I stopped for a while and then continued for a mile to reach my residence. On the way oil pressure lamp lit (Red Oil Sign). After arriving at my destination I patched the whole in the sump temporarily with a Car patch and then filled engine oil after letting it cool down for a while. My query is even though I poured around 4 litres of oil, the dipstick is still dry as it can be. The engine is still running with a little bit noise than it usually does. 

 

When trying to analyse the issue, the oil pressure sign again lit. 

I checked for the leakage but couldn't find any. Checked Coolant reservoir tank for oil and couldn't find any presence of oil.

 

Please elaborate whats going on if you know what are the probable causes. What kind of a damage I am looking at when driving the car for a mile after the engine oil pressure lamp lit?

Hi @Burhan

you need to drop the sump and check the oil pick up pipe strainer, which may be blocked. if it dumped a load of oil out its proabaly pulled a load of gunk and crap out of the bottom of the sump.

 

as to why the dipstick is dry after 4litres going in.. i really cant say.

@Wino may have insight on the routing the stick takes which may also have been damaged?

On 18/06/2021 at 18:32, Burhan said:

 I stopped for a while and then continued for a mile to reach my residence. On the way oil pressure lamp lit (Red Oil Sign). After arriving at my destination I patched the whole in the sump temporarily with a Car patch and then filled engine oil after letting it cool down for a while.

 

By driving for a mile with no oil pressure you've probably damaged the engine - first part of self destruction usually the big end and main bearings. The red oil light means STOP - NOW!

 

Patching a sump doesn't usually work as not much will adhere to it with oily surfaces etc.  Don't keep running the engine until you know the state of play and what damage has been done to the sump,  dipstick, oil strainer/pipe/pump. Probably first job is to drop the sump - you just might get lucky.

 

If big end / mains are damaged then even when oil / feed restored you may loose oil pressure out of the side of the cream crackered bearings. Years ago I had this with a Ford 2.0 that had failed due to the oil pump hex drive shaft of doom(went round). Even when oil pump sorted it sort of ran OK cold but when the engine/oil warmed up you got the horrible bottom end death rattle.  

 

 

 

Edited 19 June, 20214 yr by bigjohn

I will be opening the sump and analysing the damage today but is there a do tell sign which clearly says that Big end and mains bearings have gone.

 

Because I started the engine one more time for few minutes at idling after filling oil and I couldn't hear anything unusual other than normal engine noise and vibrations. Just a little louder like the engine does in the morning start when its ripped of oil for few seconds.

 

Please guide me if you know anyway to analyse the Big/Main bearings.

Finally the issue resolved. 

 

The sump was replaced with a new one and the reason why dipstick was dry is because it was pushed upside as the puncture was right below the  dipstick area. Broken parts of the sump prevented dipstick to go down to its full depth. For reference I am attaching a pic of punctured sump. 

 

Once the sump was replaced and oil was filled, dipstick showed the reading as it was supposed to.

Hopefully the bottom end of your engine survived the loss of oil pressure or are you going to replace the big end etc? 

Yes it did survived. A mile did no damage to it. Plus the oil was still coming out of the sump when I arrived at my residence. So probably there was still oil in the system which kept it going till I made it. 

 

Thank you all for your valuable input.

39 minutes ago, Burhan said:

Broken parts of the sump prevented dipstick to go down to its full depth.

No-one who does not have direct access to the car is going to spot a problem like that; a regular driver or any competent mechanic should do so.

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

No-one who does not have direct access to the car is going to spot a problem like that; a regular driver or any competent mechanic should do so.

 

I agree.