While driving the oil light turned on and engine and power steering lost power

ROBEARP83

MEMBER
2005 AUDI A4
2.0L
TURBO
2WD
AUTOMATIC
170,000 MILES

Hi, I was driving down the motorway when an oil pressure warning light came on the dash. I started to lose power and power steering I managed to pull it over turn the engine off. When I restarted it it started fine I drove it for another half a mile slowly then the oil pressure light come back on the engine was rattling a bit and every few seconds there would be a clunk noise from the engine, this was intermittent. I managed to get home about 2 miles. The cars been to sat since it will start and turnover but with noises and the oil pressure light. Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
13,449 POSTS

With the rattling and clunking for the engine plus the oil light being on it sounds like either the oil pump failed or it has lost all of the oil in the engine or both. The reduced power and loss of power steering was the engine starting to lock up from the lack of lubricant.
The first thing I would do is check the oil level on the dipstick. However it is very likely already too late to save the engine even if it was only that it is low on oil. Running for even a short time with low or no oil pressure will damage the engine bearings and surfaces of the crankshaft and camshafts so that they would need to be replaced or reground. If one or more of the bearings locked on and spun in the block that alone would make the block unusable and could be related to the clunk you heard.

Testing wise, the easiest first thing would be to drain the oil as you would for an oil change and look at it. I suspect it will look sparkly and have a lot of bearing metal in it. In that event you will most likely need a replacement engine if the rest of the vehicle is in good enough shape to warrant engine replacement.