When an oil light comes on, one must stop immediately.
But since the total capacity is 3.7 quarts, and you said it needed 2.5 quarts to bring it up to full, then it only has 1.2 quarts in it.
So you must also accept responsibility for not checking is as well.
As to how reliable it is now, is hard to say.
With so little oil left, it will get hotter and therefore thinner, causing the light to come on even before there is no oil in the pump at all.
This means the bearing might not have been harmed?
It probably did take some life out of it, but if it lasts a week after this episode, then it was not likely fatal.
You usually know in a week or so.
One thing you can do is switch to thicker oil, like Castrol 20w-50.
Your brother didn't kill your engine, he may have brought it closer to the brink but that engine has 275 k on it and it has been burning and leaking oil for awhile now. If you're in love with the car you should stop buying expensive oil and see if you can find a decent used engine to put in but honestly I doubt the car is worth it. The transmission probably is on it's way out as well. Just keep feeding it cheap oil until you can afford to squish it and get something newer.
30 miles is a lot to drive without oil . Honda can run forever if taken care of .But this definitely screwed up engine and now maybe only thicker oil might help a bit but not by much .
This is an evil thing to say but your very non-mechanical brothers home-owners insurance would would have payed for the damage he did to your car's engine if he had stopped after any damage was done before oil was dumped in to the engine.
Might be time for a new used engine.
I'd make him pay for it and make him help put it in.
Who goes on a road trip in someone else's 23 year old vehicle and doesn't check the fluids? Who doesn't stop when an oil pressure light comes on? All preventable and basic knowledge (at least in my upbringing).
Long story short, my brother and his family took my 91 accord on a road trip and did not check the engine oil level. They did not add any oil until the low oil pressure light came on.
told me they drove it approx. 30 miles with the low oil pressure light on to the nearest stop and then added some oil. They said it took 1 1/2 quarts to bring it to the low mark on the oil dipstick.
Now the car burns oil excessively, I'd say about 1/2 quart ever 1000 miles.
My question is, is this excessive oil burning a sign that the engine is going to die soon? I plan on keeping this car for another 5-7 years. It already has 275 K miles, and I plan on driving it to 320 K or so. I just want to do everything possible to make sure the car is able to last that long.
The car drives fine and gets the same gas mileage as it did earlier.
