How long can you drive without engine oil before cylinder scoring occurs?

[DeDelaney]

If a car lacks engine oil lubrication, it will cause severe friction among engine components and ineffective cooling. Driving in this condition for just a few minutes can lead to bearing seizure and cylinder scoring due to excessive temperatures. Prolonged operation without engine oil will cause irreversible damage to the engine and may even result in complete engine failure. Below is an introduction to automotive engines: 1. An engine is a machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy, including internal combustion engines (reciprocating piston engines), external combustion engines (Stirling engines, steam engines, etc.), jet engines, and electric motors. 2. Internal combustion engines typically convert chemical energy into mechanical energy. The term 'engine' can refer to either the power generation device or the entire machine including the power unit (e.g., gasoline engines, aircraft engines). 3. In external combustion engines, fuel burns outside the engine. The engine converts this thermal energy into kinetic energy, where high pressure drives mechanical work to complete the transformation from thermal to kinetic energy.