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Hello everyone, to start off i don't have much knowledge on engine failures as this could potentially be the first time(hoping its not)
i have a 2015 corvette z51
Last night i was on the highway and on one of those round/loop exits going maybe 30-40mph when suddenly almost towards the end of it heading into the straight lane i heard what sounded like quick tapping or rattling noise (cant be sure since i had music on and didn't give me time to turn radio off). I thought maybe a wheel issue tapping my fender flares since the car is a bit lower than other c7s. Not even 5 seconds later i noticed i couldnt accelerate, tried switching gears and still nothing so thought it had something to do with the transmission. Had to pull over, the car dead but lit up. Radio, dash everything on but it seemed like engine was shut off. I thought at that moment it just somehow shut off so i tried turning it on and it winded like it normally does to turn on and heard it rev for a second before it shut off and rev again and shut off so naturally i did not try to turn it on again thinking it my engine had a problem. While the quick rev it also made a deep sounding rattling noise. I then checked oil and the dip stick showed nothing, which made me have a mini heart attack cuz wtf. I checked for leaks under the car and on the road behind and nothing, not a drop anywhere. No visible damage or oil stains on the engine from what could be seen in engine bay or under car. Again, i couldnt see much under yet since its low to ground. Oil filter is visible and in place, no signs of damage or oil leak. I did my oil change myself as i always do to all my cars, went to autozone and they confirmed me the oil qrt requirement and even brought it to me to the counter. I cant for the life of me remember if it was 7qrts or 9qrts. Im pretty sure i checked online myself too to make sure beforehand. I even checked dipsticks while cool and even after running for a bit to warm it up, all checked out. I also watched tutorials to make sure i didnt miss any funky steps this specific car may have and did it step by step. Either way, its showing not a drop of oil on the dip stick last night and even this morning that i just checked.
i dont think the engine is seized since it was whining and even tried to turn on a couple times. Does anyone know what it could possibly be?
in addition, it was driving so perfectly. One of the few chilly nights here in FL so i was loving how smoothly it was driving and how responsive it was. No alerts of low oil pressure/lvl which i know the vette gives, temperature was good too, even a little below the regular im assuming due to the weather. I had driven about an hour already before this happened so i can only assume this happened in the last 5 minutes of it stalling. Ive read when cars have no oil they dont drive far at all, so i perhaps it does have oil just its low on it due to an incorrect oil refill? Or perhaps it leaked out during drive and caused this? No idea
ive been told to add some oil and see if it turns on but im afraid of damaging the engine further if it is the issue.
battery, alternator are good. Could it be fuel issue?(its not low on fuel) could it be a sensor not allowing it to turn on? If it is an engine issue, what are your thoughts of what it could be based on it trying to turn on and the rattling?
So... do you have oil? If the dip stick is not working, like, maybe not the correct length, broken tip, etc., can you confirm if there is oil in the engine? Even trying to remove the oil to see if it is there?
9 1/2 quarts is for a z51 with dry sump
Last edited by PicaVette; Dec 29, 2025 at 11:12 AM.
So... do you have oil? If the dip stick is not working, like, maybe not the correct length, broken tip, etc., can you confirm if there is oil in the engine? Even trying to remove the oil to see if it is there?
9 1/2 quarts is for a z51 with dry sump
Could be serious. You already did the right thing by stopping. Do not crank it again until oil level and pressure are confirmed. Even brief cranking with no oil pressure can finish off an otherwise repairable engine.
Hello everyone, to start off i don't have much knowledge on engine failures as this could potentially be the first time(hoping its not)
i have a 2015 corvette z51
Last night i was on the highway and on one of those round/loop exits going maybe 30-40mph when suddenly almost towards the end of it heading into the straight lane i heard what sounded like quick tapping or rattling noise (cant be sure since i had music on and didn't give me time to turn radio off). I thought maybe a wheel issue tapping my fender flares since the car is a bit lower than other c7s. Not even 5 seconds later i noticed i couldnt accelerate, tried switching gears and still nothing so thought it had something to do with the transmission. Had to pull over, the car dead but lit up. Radio, dash everything on but it seemed like engine was shut off. I thought at that moment it just somehow shut off so i tried turning it on and it winded like it normally does to turn on and heard it rev for a second before it shut off and rev again and shut off so naturally i did not try to turn it on again thinking it my engine had a problem. While the quick rev it also made a deep sounding rattling noise. I then checked oil and the dip stick showed nothing, which made me have a mini heart attack cuz wtf. I checked for leaks under the car and on the road behind and nothing, not a drop anywhere. No visible damage or oil stains on the engine from what could be seen in engine bay or under car. Again, i couldnt see much under yet since its low to ground. Oil filter is visible and in place, no signs of damage or oil leak. I did my oil change myself as i always do to all my cars, went to autozone and they confirmed me the oil qrt requirement and even brought it to me to the counter. I cant for the life of me remember if it was 7qrts or 9qrts. Im pretty sure i checked online myself too to make sure beforehand. I even checked dipsticks while cool and even after running for a bit to warm it up, all checked out. I also watched tutorials to make sure i didnt miss any funky steps this specific car may have and did it step by step. Either way, its showing not a drop of oil on the dip stick last night and even this morning that i just checked.
i dont think the engine is seized since it was whining and even tried to turn on a couple times. Does anyone know what it could possibly be?
in addition, it was driving so perfectly. One of the few chilly nights here in FL so i was loving how smoothly it was driving and how responsive it was. No alerts of low oil pressure/lvl which i know the vette gives, temperature was good too, even a little below the regular im assuming due to the weather. I had driven about an hour already before this happened so i can only assume this happened in the last 5 minutes of it stalling. Ive read when cars have no oil they dont drive far at all, so i perhaps it does have oil just its low on it due to an incorrect oil refill? Or perhaps it leaked out during drive and caused this? No idea
ive been told to add some oil and see if it turns on but im afraid of damaging the engine further if it is the issue.
battery, alternator are good. Could it be fuel issue?(its not low on fuel) could it be a sensor not allowing it to turn on? If it is an engine issue, what are your thoughts of what it could be based on it trying to turn on and the rattling?
If you can recover any of the oil that was in the engine when this event occurred I would definitely get an oil analysis done. The wear metals will tell you what damage may have been done.
Did you change oil yourself? I let a Honda dealership change oil in a brand new Honda and they overfilled the four cylinder engine by more than a quart. I have a relative who worked at a dealership as a teen. He changed all fluids in a vehicle and cranked the engine and it made a terrible sound. A senior mechanic casually walked by and said: You might want to put oil in the engine.
Your case might be an oil starvation event due to low oil level or an oil system issue during cornering.
Best case: Oil pressure dropped, ECU shut it down in time with minimal damage.
Worst case: Bearing damage has already occurred, but the engine is still salvageable if you stopped early enough.
Not a fuel issue. Sounds like you lost most of your oil and you have a wet sump oil system. The long sweeping turn combined with a low oil level uncovered the oil pick-up tube and oil pressure became compromised. Hence the rattling and knocking. Drain the oil to see how much you lost and refill to the correct amount. Did you change the oil yourself and how long after the oil change did this problem develop? Did you tow the car home? Do you have a code reader? Reading the codes might give some insight to the problem.
Honestly, and people will disagree here, but these engines are stronger than you think. As a comparison, my oil pump seized up on my C6. Effectively pulling pressure. I was not aware it was a pump issue, thought it was a sensor. Drove it gingerly home from the bar (5 miles), then when I replaced the sensor cranked it again, when that still had near zero pressure I had it towed to a shop.
They tore down my whole engine, and replaced the pump. That was IT. Some of the main journals and crank journals had minor marks on them, nothing other than a surface scratch. The shop said if I planned to add power or modify the engine I should replace but for street driving, they were fine. No damage occurred to any part other of the engine.
Now I didn't lose any oil, so that might make the story moot. But these engines are built like tanks. It might not be as bad as you think. Shockingly engines can (and people do) run them with poor oiling for thousands of miles before they seize or explode.
If you checked the oil right after it ran and it didn't show any oil, that's a serious problem on a dry sump. Checking hours later doesn't tell us much on a dry sump as the oil drains back into the reservoir. It will read low if any at all. You should check anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes after you stop the engine. If you check immediately it will likely read a little high (I've never actually done it, I always checked after 5 minutes on GS's and Z06's). Draining it and measuring what's in the engine is a good idea. So is sending it for analysis (that'll take a while).
So... do you have oil? If the dip stick is not working, like, maybe not the correct length, broken tip, etc., can you confirm if there is oil in the engine? Even trying to remove the oil to see if it is there?
9 1/2 quarts is for a z51 with dry sump
i have yet to remove the oil plug or filter to check if any oil comes out. That happened last night on my way home around 1am so had no time to check it thoroughly and today i had to work. Soon as i get home i will be doing a deeper check up. The dip stick is in good shape and no oil shows up, not a drop. Comes out dry like it went in after i clean it. And yes i see its 9 1/2, i just cant remember exactly how many qrts i put in since it was a couple months ago that i did the oil change. At autozone i gave the cars info and specified it needed to be for the z51, im worried they ignored it and gave me only 7 qrts like the base model. I just cant see me not having checked that myself in the manual beforehand plus i checked the dip stick on separate occasions after the oil change and it was fine. Once i can raise it and check if it has oil, ill come back to this
thank you for your response
If you can recover any of the oil that was in the engine when this event occurred I would definitely get an oil analysis done. The wear metals will tell you what damage may have been done.
Did you change oil yourself? I let a Honda dealership change oil in a brand new Honda and they overfilled the four cylinder engine by more than a quart. I have a relative who worked at a dealership as a teen. He changed all fluids in a vehicle and cranked the engine and it made a terrible sound. A senior mechanic casually walked by and said: You might want to put oil in the engine.
Your case might be an oil starvation event due to low oil level or an oil system issue during cornering.
Best case: Oil pressure dropped, ECU shut it down in time with minimal damage.
Worst case: Bearing damage has already occurred, but the engine is still salvageable if you stopped early enough.
Good luck. Hope you have a good outcome.
thank you for your responde. I really do hope the ecu shut it off for me. Its just so strange it never alerted me of low oil pressure or anything else
Honestly, and people will disagree here, but these engines are stronger than you think. As a comparison, my oil pump seized up on my C6. Effectively pulling pressure. I was not aware it was a pump issue, thought it was a sensor. Drove it gingerly home from the bar (5 miles), then when I replaced the sensor cranked it again, when that still had near zero pressure I had it towed to a shop.
They tore down my whole engine, and replaced the pump. That was IT. Some of the main journals and crank journals had minor marks on them, nothing other than a surface scratch. The shop said if I planned to add power or modify the engine I should replace but for street driving, they were fine. No damage occurred to any part other of the engine.
Now I didn't lose any oil, so that might make the story moot. But these engines are built like tanks. It might not be as bad as you think. Shockingly engines can (and people do) run them with poor oiling for thousands of miles before they seize or explode.
Hoping nothing crazy happened. Im mentally prepared for the worse.
Ive been told it could also be the fuel pump or sensors so ill know more once i get home. The worst part is i have no idea of any good trusted mechanics that could work an engine. Almost everyone i know that takes it to one ends up hating the experience.
Thank you for your response
If you checked the oil right after it ran and it didn't show any oil, that's a serious problem on a dry sump. Checking hours later doesn't tell us much on a dry sump as the oil drains back into the reservoir. It will read low if any at all. You should check anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes after you stop the engine. If you check immediately it will likely read a little high (I've never actually done it, I always checked after 5 minutes on GS's and Z06's). Draining it and measuring what's in the engine is a good idea. So is sending it for analysis (that'll take a while).
yes i pulled over and checked oil right after i tried to turn it on and it made the noise. No oil. I didn't even consider an engine issue due to how everything happened and no warning lights or anything.
Could be serious. You already did the right thing by stopping. Do not crank it again until oil level and pressure are confirmed. Even brief cranking with no oil pressure can finish off an otherwise repairable engine.
i was told to fill it up to level and try to turn it on. But before that, how can i confirm it will have oil pressure? Dont want to turn it on if it will cause it to worsen
i was told to fill it up to level and try to turn it on. But before that, how can i confirm it will have oil pressure? Dont want to turn it on if it will cause it to worsen
the display can show oil pressure once started. (See picture below, not mine)
But first do the oil level thing, draining it all and refilling to the correct amount. It should show in your dip stick before trying to start. Don't forget to save some of it to send for testing .
the display can show oil pressure once started. (See picture below, not mine)
But first do the oil level thing, draining it all and refilling to the correct amount. It should show in your dip stick before trying to start. Don't forget to save some of it to send for testing .
yeah just i cant start mine. I could swear i saw it in its regular psi place while driving yesterday. And every other time i looked at it before it was perfect. Who knows. Im home now and will start taking a deeper look at it. Will update you guys soon.
thanks again for your imput
Corvette c7 possible engine damaged, no idea yet
