Soooo....how long can an engine run at 0 oil pressure..., ...without damage Options

[tornik550]

I was driving along today (about 40mph) and I looked in the rear view mirror and saw smoke. I immediately looked at the oil pressure gauge and right when I looked down, I saw the oil pressure gauge go to 0. It was not safe for me to turn off the engine and stop, I drove it at low rpm for about 1 minute until I could get in safe area. Everything was running fine when I shut down the engine. The head temps were normal. I have not started the engine since.

It turns out that one of the lines for my external oil cooler tore. I was able to get the car home on a friends trailer. I had fresh oil in the engine when the line tore.

What are the chances that I majorly screwed up my engine? How can I find out if I did?

[DBCooper]

I'm impressed you guys can drive around with no oil (for a MONTH!?!?!) without damage, but I've lost oil pressure and engines in a few seconds. Here's another one going in a 50 second autocross run, you can see the oil pressure light blink for a tenth of a second mid-run, then the engine coughing at the end: Spinning a Subaru Rod Bearing.

That engine was being beaten, which of course is a really bad time to lose oil pressure. I can understand Slick 50 commercials and engine blows too, there's no load on the motor, but in use? You didn't put any particular load on it, so maybe not much damage, but none? Maybe. There's nothing to lose by putting in oil and starting it, if no noises using it, but I'd really take Rick's suggestion and get the filter checked. That's the only way to know where you are without taking it apart, or just driving around and worrying about odd or imagined noises from now on.