Oil pressure warning light and drivetrain malfunction lights turned on, engine lost power and will not start?

2013 BMW 328
120,000 MILES • 4 CYL • TURBO • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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BHAMDOC1973
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A friend of mine was driving his car listed above, he had the oil pressure light come on, it slowed down lost power and the drivetrain malfunction message also appeared, so he pulled over. Added a quart of oil in case the reason was no oil, and car would not start. He towed it to me. It turns over, I removed the oil cap and I see the chain moving, also crank shaft moving. I can't measure the oil level because these have no dip stick, not until the car is on and warm. Tried starter fluid, not sure if it works on these inside the throttle body. codes were underboss and just things that have nothing to do with starting at all. Sometimes it would want to start I believe for milli second. Didn't have any fuel related codes at all.
Jul 21, 2022 at 1:16 PM
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BHAMDOC1973
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Here is what i had after he towed it to me:
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Jul 21, 2022 at 1:36 PM
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STRAILER
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I am wondering if the engine got damaged due to the oil level or if the computer shut it off due to low oil which can happen. How does the engine sound when it is cranking over? If you can take a short video of the engine while it is cranking, I can tell if it's damaged or not. You can upload it in your response. If not, let's do a compression test and while you are removing the spark plugs take note of what they look like, and see if any are damaged. Here is a guide to help:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-engine-compression

Let us know what happens and please upload pictures or videos of the problem.
Jul 22, 2022 at 9:21 AM
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BHAMDOC1973
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Measured one cylinder and it was 80PSI. And guessing engine is gone. Car has spark and fuel.
Jul 22, 2022 at 1:14 PM
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STRAILER
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It could be the timing chain has let go, I would check the rest and if they are the same remove the valve covers and check the timing chain tension, if loose then I can give you instructions on how to change it out.
Jul 22, 2022 at 6:03 PM
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BHAMDOC1973
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I would need to drain the oil first once i have space for it. Do you know if a used engine must be programmed by the dealer for it to work once installed?
Jul 23, 2022 at 3:08 PM
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STRAILER
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You should be okay, just change all of the sensors over to the new engine.
Jul 24, 2022 at 11:49 AM