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I ran my car when the oil was empty and now it won’t start. What’s wrong with it?
My car has a slight oil leak. It’s had it for a while now, and I’m usually really good at topping off the oil in time. But I forgot for a few days in a row and was driving with no/low oil. Now the engine won’t start. What’s wrong with the engine and how can I fix it?
Patrick Price · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Oh no! That sounds like a pretty serious problem! Motor oil is a vital component in keeping your car running properly. Driving without oil for any period of time will cause severe damage to your engine—possibly even totaling it. The best thing to do now is to have your car towed to a mechanic and see if it can be salvaged.
Engine oil cools and lubricates your engine’s components to keep the engine from seizing. Without that lubrication, the components will grind together. The resulting heat will eventually cause the metal to fuse and the engine to seize. If that happens, the entire engine will need to be replaced.
Before paying for the necessary repairs, double-check the terms of your
car insurance
policy—you might be able to get them paid for by your provider. If your policy doesn’t provide adequate coverage to pay for your repairs, it might be time to review your
car insurance
policy—which is easy to do when you use Jerry
.Most Jerry users are able to find equal or better coverage in just a few minutes—and they save an average of $800+ a year!
View full answer
- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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