Hi guys,

Big problem. My car is in the shop, and they're can't figure out what's wrong with it. Im hoping one of you guys have seen this problem before.

What caused the problem, i think, is mainly due to the oil leak. Without the sensor coming on i didn't know and it basically leaked the oil completely dry from my car. During this dryspell i drove about a mile before the car itself felt like it was about to seize. I can hear it struggling to move the gears, and when i put it in gear it doesn't feel right. Luckily when i got to my house parked it before it died out. At this point the car doesn't want to start. The engine WANTS to start, and i hear nothing wrong, but after the initial "start up" somehow the engine doesn't get what it needs or is not reading something right and shuts off. Similar to no batteries, but you can feel the engine wants to start.

First my mechanic said it was a bad cam sensor, because he read it the error code through the computer and says that the engine can't communicate with something, but now he's saying it's still not starting.... He found no metal chips anywhere in the car so the gears are fine. The engine doesn't make weird noises like an engine that's seized up. So i'm assuming the engine is fine, but something else is wrong.

Could the fact that the zero oil heated up our already hot engine so hot that it fried some sensors/wiring? If so what needs to be replaced?

If anyone recognizes this please let me know, I'll be very grateful.

Regards

 

Ummmmm..... First off if you drove it on no oil and now it won't start it's prett bad, second do you hear the starter spinning only or does it sound like it is building compression or when u try to crank it sounds abnormally slow cranking or abnormally fast... Did the mechanic do a leakdown and/or compression test... Air, fuel, spark, the three things needed to make a combustible engine start and run.... Sounds like I should get a new mechanic

 

^^ What he said ....

 

To the OP, clarify exactly what caused the oil leak, where it leaked out from, was it a slow leak over time, or did it all gush out at once?

I'm not sure what sensor you're referring to in your 2nd paragraph. I think one of the dummy lights is an oil pressure light. It comes on when first starting to the car to indicate it's working, and then again if the oil pressure falls below a certain level. Unfortunately our cars don't have an oil pressure gauge.

What year is it, still under warranty? Depending on the cause of the failure, it may still be covered under powertrain. Need more info..

With the info provided, better start counting your nickels for a new engine.

 

It really had no oil at all when you checked? Because as far as I know, if you drive a car with no oil for any period of time, there will be metal-to-metal contact, and this means that there will certainly be damage to the engine, and not just a sensor or some wiring.

I really hope that the leak was not caused by a DIY oil change gone wrong or something. In that case, you would definitely have to pay for a new engine out of your own pocket.

 

My mechanic said something about the oil can being loose so he had to torque it, and it was that same place where I had my oil changed a couple weeks ago.

And the sensor that my mechanic replaced was the camshaft sensor I believe, and the sensor I mentioned was the one that measures oil levels. If my car had no oil shouldn't it light up? I might of knocked something lose last week when I fish tailed on ice and steered into a curb. But that wasn't a big impact and barely left a mark on my rims.

I did drive the car on zero oil, but it was for about a mile... How bad is that? The car worked perfectly fine the night before, and he morning after when I took it to the city hall, at this point the cars gears started struggling and the car died out. No weird sounds, no metal scraping or clanking, no signs of anything prior to that. It just suddenly went dead.

There is also one occasion that I kept trying to start it, and it eventually turned on then died again.... No weird sounds that I know off while it ran for like 10 secs

The car is a 2008 G37s 6 mt

 

Searching my owner's manual for the words "oil level", I found one single reference.

From page 2-14 of my 2012 owners manual...

The proper name for the oil can you're referring to is the oil filter. Why was it loose? I've seen oil filters get double gasketed, which, I suppose depending on how much it was tightened down might leak slowly or quickly.

No oil pressure is not the same as having no oil, but I see your point. You won't have oil pressure if you have no oil. This of course assuming your oil pressure light actually works.

Given the length of time, you'll be up a ****'s creek trying to prove anything.

If it was really a faulty cam sensor, the car would fire right up after the new one was installed. Unless it's a bad sensor. OTOH, if the engine is not turning over, the crank won't be able to turn the cams and no cam signal will be present, even with a good cam sensor.

Sounds like its time to take it to a real mechanic, and not one who just changes parts based on DTC's, but one who actually performs diagnostics to confirm a fault.

 

Doesn't sound good. My wife drove a car a mile or so with no oil and it nuked the engine. If the oil leaked out, you should have gotten an oil pressure warning light. Monday morning quarterback, but you should have pulled over and turned if off immediately. You would have saved the engine. Regarding the loose oil filter, you will have a difficult time proving the oil change place did it. You could try small claims court, but they usually have a low limit on the amount of damage. It varies state by state. Probably not enough to cover a new engine. If you do get them into small claims court, I am sure they will not admit that they did not use a torque wrench. Sorry for your problem. Keep us informed.

 

Please take it to a mechanic who knows what he is doing ..... oil is the life blood of your car. Letting it run for ANY amount of time dry is like slashing the jugular. You will probably need to have the engine rebuilt or just get a new one.

 

I know it's gonna cost u an arm and a leg but I would take it to the Infiniti dealer to figure out the issue since they know the car inside and out!!!

 

if you drove your car with no oil in it then the engine is ruined, plain and simple. An engine can run SAFELY for 20-40s without oil but with NO LOAD ON IT which means you dont press the gas...in your case you drove it for 1 mile which would suggest you ruined your engine. Go to a real mechanic.

PS: the "gears" you're referring to are called BEARINGS which are most likely TOAST if you drove it for 1 mile...you sir will need a new engine or a full rebuild including new crank/rods/bearings and possibly block unless you can rehone the bores...

 

Early on in the thread the OP mentions the engine still cranks but won't fire. If the mains were seized, the engine would not crank. I wonder if the vvel has not sustained significant enough damage to prevent the valves from operating.

 

He never said it cranks, he said it wants to start but doesnt, that could mean he hears the starter engaging the flywheel and just clicking not really spinning the flywheel and to the untrained ear that may sound like the engine wants to start but to those that know the difference will know right off the bat its seized so its a little unclear.

EITHER WAY if the car was driven for 1 mile with no oil the engine is trashed.

"cars gears started struggling and the car died out. No weird sounds, no metal scraping or clanking, no signs of anything prior to that. It just suddenly went dead. "

I interpreted the above comment as the engine seizing.

 

If the mechanic himself said the oil filter was loose, then the leak could have been caused by that (and you could try to prove it was their negligence that caused the damage). Even so, I am not sure why the oil pressure light did not turn on a mile after the oil was drained. Either way, the engine is sure to have some serious damage if you drove a mile without oil. Good luck.

By the way, it really seems like the mechanic is playing dumb knowing that they could have caused the damage. There is no way an honest mechanic would be able to tell you that there could be a sensor issue after you told them you drove a mile without oil.

 

Perhaps. I interpreted that as it does crank but doesn't fire. Given the context of this thread, I suppose it could mean anything. I would think the starter would make a very different sound if it attempts to turn a seized engine/crank.

Valuable lesson here. Regardless who changes your oil, check the level at least a few times shortly after the change. Also make sure your dash oil pressure indicator actually works.