Ran low on oil

diezelraccoon · Oct 18, 2024

So I discovered my rear main seal needed to be replaced. It had plenty of oil the other week but today when I got home, the engine was chugging like it was going to die, almost like if it was running out of fuel, and I could smell a slight burning smell. I looked under it and saw oil dripping from under it, and then checked the oil level and discovered the oil level was right on the last mark on the dipstick.

My question is this what caused it to chug and want to die and did I f*ck up something internally? It still has normal oil pressure.

strutaeng · Oct 18, 2024

I think you still had oil on the sump, but definitely low. Unless the truck was operated on very steep inclines, it's highly unlikely you ran it dry on oil.

I've actually ran engines before where the oil doesn't even register on the dipstick w/o running it dry on oil. Doh!

I would still address that rear main seal ASAP.

diezelraccoon · Oct 18, 2024

strutaeng said:
I think you still had oil on the sump, but definitely low. Unless the truck was operated on very steep inclines, it's highly unlikely you ran it dry on oil.

I've actually ran engines before where the oil doesn't even register on the dipstick w/o running it dry on oil. Doh!

I would still address that rear main seal ASAP.

It’s my next project. It’s going to sit until I can get started on it in a week or two.

Would this explain why it was running rough at idle like it wanted to stall out?

Pressureangle · Oct 18, 2024

Ooo, sad face. I haven't finished coffee yet so my spidey sense isn't under control yet.

The only times (2) I've seen sudden rear main seal 'explosions'- that is, going from not concerning to flood- is when a piston got holed and overpressurizes the crankcase. Pull your plugs, maybe.

With oil on the stick at all, that should not be a concern.

drdave81 · Oct 18, 2024

Let's start with the basics.....
Check engine light on?
When was the last time you replaced spark plugs?
What's the overall maintenance history?

strutaeng · Oct 18, 2024

diezelraccoon said:
It’s my next project. It’s going to sit until I can get started on it in a week or two.

Would this explain why it was running rough at idle like it wanted to stall out?

Not really. Now that you have at home fill it up with cheap oil and see how it runs.

It may be unrelated. Filling with oil and running it would reveal any oil pressure issues. BTW, did you check your oil pressure when it acted up? If that didn't show low oil pressure, then it should be fine.

Ran low on oil

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