After putting a hole in the oil pan I drove a few miles then the car shut off

Tiny
JEANNETTE PALMATIER
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 CHEVROLET HHR
  • 4 CYL
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 160,000 MILES
Drove on a back road (all roads up here are back roads) and put a hole, yes a hole in the oil pan.I didn't know till the next day? After I drove 6 miles then stopped for a hour then while driving again about a mile the oil light came on. I was yards away from my destination so I thought "won't really hurt" famous last words? Please tell me this car has some safety shut off switch? It just lost power. No smoke, no loud noises. Just lost power then shut itself off. Like the power shut off. No lights. Just off. Please tell me it's savable! Oh yea finals start tomorrow rofl. When it rains. Thank you for any advice.
Sunday, December 8th, 2019 AT 9:48 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no automatic shutdown for low oil pressure on your vehicle. In the diagrams down below I have included a full description of the oil lubrication system for your vehicle. Please go through this guide and get back to us with how everything turns out. Sorry.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, December 9th, 2019 AT 3:11 AM
Tiny
JEANNETTE PALMATIER
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Thank you for the diagrams. Does that mean you think the reason the car turned off was because the engine seized? I have driven a car to the point it seized before. In my defense I bought the car for $200.00 and it was a long time ago. My car now did not act like that. My husband is thinking to put some JB weld on the hole, let it set, put some oil in and see if it holds enough to turn over. We don't have money to buy a new pan for an engine that is trashed. I am so grateful for your quick response!
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Monday, December 9th, 2019 AT 8:33 AM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

That was exactly what I was thinking. But even though it has a kind of bad name, JB Weld is an excellent product that works quite well. It should have no problem repairing the hole in the oil pan and then we will see with oil put back in the engine. Like they say the proof is in the pudding. Please let us know how it turns out.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, December 9th, 2019 AT 3:02 PM
Tiny
JEANNETTE PALMATIER
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
So, the dealer is putting in a new engine. It has less miles than mine did so that's good. $1,500.00.
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Saturday, January 25th, 2020 AT 1:32 PM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

Hey, that's not bad. In 1999, I had the Ford dealership install a new 3.0L factory rebuilt engine in my 1996 Ranger and it cost $5,000.00, in 1999, so it sounds like you got a great deal. Remember, oil is the life blood of an engine. If you even suspect that there might be a problem with the oil level or oil pressure, stop and shut the engine down immediately. Then you can go from there, but an engine will seize without oil.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Saturday, January 25th, 2020 AT 8:18 PM

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