Car started with no oil in tank

Son bought Chrysler 300 a week ago. Ran fine. Took it to Walmart (why there I don’t know) to get an oil change. Started ticking loudly afterward. Took it back to Walmart worker said not their problem they just changed oil. Car dealer looked it over and said that it was started when no oil was in car. Told him they will write report and he should take it back to Walmart. What damage has been done? What is the fix?

Hmm…gotta wonder if they drained the oil and forgot to refill it.

What sort of noises does it make now when it’s run with the proper amount of oil in there? Does this ticking still happen? It could be many things.

Something is being lost in the translation here.
If there was really no oil in the “tank” (actually, the crankcase), the engine would have run for…maybe…a minute or two before it self-destructed.

If I am interpreting your post correctly, your son drove the car away from Wal-Mart, then back to Wal-Mart, and then to a Chrysler dealership–and this driving was all done with no oil in the crankcase. I am sorry, but this scenario is just not possible. But, if I am misinterpreting the information that you provided, I would appreciate being corrected regarding my interpretation.

Please bear in mind that I am not attempting to defend Wal-Mart or their employees. However, I would suggest that you wait until you have the report from the dealership in front of you, and that you then post back (in this same thread) with the exact wording of what the dealership reported.

Right now, it is not possible to evaluate the situation, based on the information that you have provided.

The damage can be pretty bad. The bearings and rings inside the engine are designed to run on a thin film of oil supported by oil pressure. The valves are also kept in proper adjustment using oil pressure. That was the cause of the loud ticking, no oil pressure to keep the valve-train in proper adjustment.

Running the bearings and rings dry causes super-excessive wear. Picture metal on metal at high velocity. This has been known to destroy an engine within minutes. Even if the engine still runs with oil now added, the damage is there. If it does run, listen for odd sounds from the engine. The bearings and cylinder walls have all been scored and gouged. The damage will only get worse.

Everybody is guessing what happened, if anything…Sounds like a collapsed lifter, which can happen for many reasons.

How LONG after the oil change did did it take before it started “ticking”? If lack of oil was the cause, it would have been ticking right from the get-go and the crankcase would have been empty. But from the sound of it, that’s not the case. The car was full of oil when it left Wally World, so you will have to blame something else…Perhaps over-reving the engine?

Update: Took car back to dealer - got a report that states collapsed lifters, possible cause cheap oil or started car with no oil; took back to Walmart and filed a claim; their insurance will investigate and let us know. Taking car to Chyrsler today to get unbiased diagnostic and quote - most likely will have them fix it and see what happens with Walmart. Will update as I know more. Thanks for all your input!

Could have been a “universal” or wrong oil filter installed at Walmart that left the engine starved for oil or let excessive air in with the oil flow.

Cheap oil excuse is bogus. Walmart’s cheapest oil, SuperTech bulk, meets or exceeds API Classification SL and SM requirements. All the bulk oil I know of meets these requirements today. I would be more likely to believe engine sludge build up from the previous owner’s neglect, first.

Questions I would be asking the dealer/inspectors:
–Was the car full of oil in the proper amounts when the car was inspected by the dealer?
–If not what was the oil level shown on the dipstick?
–Oil filter correctly cross refeenced and used for engine?

For your son: Was there a red oil light showing when you left Walmart, or when did it come on?

For Walmart to pay, you are going to have to show that the wrong amount (zero to not enough) oil or the oil filter was at fault. So far, unfortunately, the facts you present don’t allow me to conclude that, at this time.