I haven't had any issues with the engine of this car since I purchased it used a year ago. Driving down the highway today, I noticed that the engine light came on. I immediately pulled over to the nearest, safest area to assess the problem. I discovered that my oil is nearly empty. I refilled it with motor oil and kept driving.
My question is - have I damaged something after driving the car for at least 15 minutes with little to no oil in the engine? Also, I found it odd that the oil light didn't come on, just the engine light. I drove for another hour until I reached my destination.
My car has 180000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Hello. Typically low engine oil will not cause the check engine light to come on in your vehicle. Unless the oil level is low enough to cause a drop in engine oil pressure, the oil light will not even come on. I am glad that you checked the oil though before it caused any issues. Since the check engine light is on the computer needs to be scanned for codes. With the codes I would be able to diagnose what is going on with the car. It may be as simple as a loose gas cap or it may be something more serious. If you are going to have this fixed, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to you to [diagnose why the check engine light is on] https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/check-engine-light-is-on-inspection
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