The perils of buying a snotter
Discussion
I went to a local car place today look at an old 02 reg Focus with a view to using it as a run around/daily commute snotter/carpark ding magnet.
I opened the bonnet and removed the oil filler cap. No mayo - excellent - good start, but it also looked absolutely spotless...too spotless.
So I pulled the dipstick to check the level and consistency of the oil.....nothing. No oil at all. Absolutely nothing. Not even the merest greasy stain to indicate that oil had even at one time been present.
How did they get it there without it seizing? It looked as though it had been run on no oil for some time. How long can a car run on no oil whatsoever? There was no oil patch under the car either - so it wasn't the sort of leak that would empty a sump. I didn't start her up to listen to the engine's sweet whispering tone as that might've been a little hard to justify after discovering the above and laughing into the salesman's face. God I wanted to though - the enchanting shriek of metal on metal - it must've sounded shocking.
You've got to laugh but I'm actually incredibly impressed that that motor had apparently has been run like that for some time and hasn't seized. I'm also glad that they didn't think to dump a saucepan of used chip fat into it ten minutes before my arrival.
I opened the bonnet and removed the oil filler cap. No mayo - excellent - good start, but it also looked absolutely spotless...too spotless.
So I pulled the dipstick to check the level and consistency of the oil.....nothing. No oil at all. Absolutely nothing. Not even the merest greasy stain to indicate that oil had even at one time been present.
How did they get it there without it seizing? It looked as though it had been run on no oil for some time. How long can a car run on no oil whatsoever? There was no oil patch under the car either - so it wasn't the sort of leak that would empty a sump. I didn't start her up to listen to the engine's sweet whispering tone as that might've been a little hard to justify after discovering the above and laughing into the salesman's face. God I wanted to though - the enchanting shriek of metal on metal - it must've sounded shocking.
You've got to laugh but I'm actually incredibly impressed that that motor had apparently has been run like that for some time and hasn't seized. I'm also glad that they didn't think to dump a saucepan of used chip fat into it ten minutes before my arrival.
Krupp Stahl said:
I went to a local car place today look at an old 02 reg Focus with a view to using it as a run around/daily commute snotter/carpark ding magnet.
I opened the bonnet and removed the oil filler cap. No mayo - excellent - good start, but it also looked absolutely spotless...too spotless.
So I pulled the dipstick to check the level and consistency of the oil.....nothing. No oil at all. Absolutely nothing. Not even the merest greasy stain to indicate that oil had even at one time been present.
How did they get it there without it seizing? It looked as though it had been run on no oil for some time. How long can a car run on no oil whatsoever? There was no oil patch under the car either - so it wasn't the sort of leak that would empty a sump. I didn't start her up to listen to the engine's sweet whispering tone as that might've been a little hard to justify after discovering the above and laughing into the salesman's face. God I wanted to though - the enchanting shriek of metal on metal - it must've sounded shocking.
You've got to laugh but I'm actually incredibly impressed that that motor had apparently has been run like that for some time and hasn't seized. I'm also glad that they didn't think to dump a saucepan of used chip fat into it ten minutes before my arrival.
Actually, it will amaze you how long an engine will run on little or no engine oil!I opened the bonnet and removed the oil filler cap. No mayo - excellent - good start, but it also looked absolutely spotless...too spotless.
So I pulled the dipstick to check the level and consistency of the oil.....nothing. No oil at all. Absolutely nothing. Not even the merest greasy stain to indicate that oil had even at one time been present.
How did they get it there without it seizing? It looked as though it had been run on no oil for some time. How long can a car run on no oil whatsoever? There was no oil patch under the car either - so it wasn't the sort of leak that would empty a sump. I didn't start her up to listen to the engine's sweet whispering tone as that might've been a little hard to justify after discovering the above and laughing into the salesman's face. God I wanted to though - the enchanting shriek of metal on metal - it must've sounded shocking.
You've got to laugh but I'm actually incredibly impressed that that motor had apparently has been run like that for some time and hasn't seized. I'm also glad that they didn't think to dump a saucepan of used chip fat into it ten minutes before my arrival.
I had the same when i bought my old T5, guy said it was serviced every year, checked oil and not even a mark on it. Asked him last time it was serviced, he said it was due in the next few weeks. Probably been driven for months with no oil, i drove it for another few weeks before i changed the oil 
Probably would have run with no fluids at all
Probably would have run with no fluids at all
ts those Ford dieselsMonkeylegend said:
How long then? I want to be amazed.
7 minutes apparently http://youtu.be/3WLOccckJ5o
Mitsubishi Lancer drained of oil, sump and rocker cover removed, 3,500rpm, and 7 minutes later it grinds to a halt. Literally.
Monkeylegend said:
How long then? I want to be amazed.
Someone was telling me about an experiment they tried, they drained the oil and thrashed the hell out of it. Inevitably it stopped working when it seized. However, when it un-seized it freed itself off, oil was added and it ran again. How long it would last afterwards is anyone's guess. Thinking about it, it's entirely plausible.From memory it was something like the old Pinto engine in a Cortina or maybe a Crossflow, how a modern, chocolate style engine would cope is anyone's guess.
750turbo said:
Actually, it will amaze you how long an engine will run on little or no engine oil!
Quite right. In the absence of severe temperatures the low quantity of oil matters very little. It's only when oil pressure is lost that things start to get out of hand.It isn't for nothing that engineers put the oil pickup at the bottom of the sump. Amongst other things, the oil sloshes about when the car is cornering and you don't want to be sucking air.
98elise said:
drdino said:
No oil on dipstick =/= no oil in engine
Having said that, obviously hadn't paid attention to that "detail".
Agreed. It will go a fair way below the dipstick before its actually "dry". If it does run with no oil then the engine will be buggered very quickly.Having said that, obviously hadn't paid attention to that "detail".
Pretty poor show from a dealer - would definitely expect preparation for sale to include checking the oil!! Was the car parked on level ground?
Many years ago, I went to look at a Fiat Uno - probably around 3 years old and a private sale. Had the same thing - no evidence of oil on the dipstick. I wasn't going to start the car but my BIL who had come with me for moral support started it up. It rattled nastily for about ten seconds before the oil got round, so there was still some in there!
Strangely enough, I didn't buy the car!!
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