Q: Cracked my oil pan, lost oil, and now wont start. Did i kill it?

If you lost all your oil, I’m afraid that by the time the oil light came on, you had already done some damage. If you continued to drive with an oil pressure warning, you may have wrecked it. Once the oil is gone, the temperature of the moving and sliding surfaces shoots up rapidly until it reaches the point where the metal starts to rip off of the surfaces.

If the engine can be coaxed into running again by fixing the leak and filling it with oil, it may probably knock and smoke and use oil until finally reaching an untimely end. You need information to make an informed decision about what to do with this car. Have a professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, evaluate the damage, determine why your car will not start, and make recommendations as to what should be your next move.