My wife was driving Saturday, the oil light came on, followed by check engine light. The needle in the gauge dropped to low in a matter of seconds. She exited the first exit, pulled into a Chevron and added 2 quarts of oil. When she restarted, the oil gauge moved up but engine was knocking a little. She turned it off. Sat for a bit and tried again, this time the oil gauge read L again and engine still knocking. There was no leak under the vehicle. Is the engine blown?
Quite possibly the engine is toast–do not attempt to start it again. Have it towed to a mechanic who can attempt to resuscitate.
Did 2 quarts return the oil level to “full”? If so, I would suspect the oil pump or related electronics may be the culprit.
Sounds like the engine is now scrap. I could ask how often the hood is raised to check oil and other fluid levels; other than the current after the fact inspection.
The oil came on, the oil presure gauge went to zero, and she “exited at the first exit”. Driving to the next exit is likely what finished it off.
Sorry for your car troubles.
I’d just like to reiterate, though, that the oil “needle on the gauge” does NOT represent how much oil is in the engine. It represents how much oil pressure is in the engine.
The “gauge” for quantity of engine oil is located under the hood and must be check by the driver regularly.
Good luck to you.
She added two quarts? Did she ever check the oil level?
Yeah, the knocking is a bad sign. Someone needs to look at this.