It is common knowledge that oil is a key ingredient for the smooth running of the internal combustion engine! Circumstances are, however, not always in our control, so what happens if a situation arises and there is no longer any oil in your motor and how long will a dirt bike run without oil?
Controlled tests have shown that a motor can run between 15 to 30 minutes with no oil, but in reality, this is seldom the case. It is usually a much shorter duration due to many variable factors that will cause damage to occur at a faster rate, particularly if you are riding the bike at the time.
So the short answer to this question is not very long. The length of time depends on many circumstances and variables, some of which we will discuss below, and to begin answering this question lets first take a look at a quick overview of the role that oil plays in the modern engine.
What Function Does Oil Play in The Engine?
Two major enemies of an engine are heat and friction. Oil is the component that helps to lessen friction, and to a lesser extent, heat. Modern oils are designed with performance specifications to combat the effects of these two factors.
Oils are designed to coat the moving parts of the engine to provide a protective layer. This layer lubricates the parts during their movement, which reduces the friction and subsequently the heat generated in the engine.
Developments in the quality of oil and the production of synthetic oils have increased the adhesion capacity of the oil, its lubrication properties, and heat reduction capability.
Oil not only reduces friction and heat but also functions to remove dirt and debris from the engine to prevent these contaminants from damaging the smooth surfaces of the moving parts.
The amount of research that goes into constant improvement of oils in mitigating the effects of heat and friction is an indication of the importance of the role oil plays in the modern motor. Many high-performance engines are engineered with very fine tolerances and therefore any minor fluctuation in the requirements for their smooth running has potentially catastrophic effects.
That’s enough about the oil let’s get onto the topic at hand!
Running An Engine Without Oil
Even if you don’t intentionally run your engine without oil, or on low oil, there are some situations which may arise which result in no oil in your dirt bike engine. The following list is some of those scenarios that may result in a lack of oil.
- The sump plug not closed correctly. This will result in oil slowly escaping from the sump, in effect a leak.
- The sump plug falling out completely. Rough terrain may jostle the sump plug loose, particularly if it was not tightened properly to start with. This results in a sudden drain of the majority of the oil in the engine.
- An oil pump failure. The oil pump sends oil into the engine under pressure so that it can get to all the places where it needs to work. A failure of the oil pump can result in a restricted flow of oil to the engine or no supply of oil to the engine.
- Rough terrain could crack the sump of your dirt bike engine. This may cause a slow leak of the oil, or if the crack is significant, a sudden drain of all the oil.
A partial reduction in oil supply, although less dramatic than a sudden loss, can be just as devastating on the internal components of an engine.
A sudden drain of the oil still leaves a coating of oil on the moving parts in the engine. The heat buildup in the engine, however, quickly burns up this thin layer of oil, exposing the parts to its old enemies!
The severity of damage from oil depletion depends largely on how quickly you notice the problem and switch the engine off.
A reduction of oil or oil pressure will result in the engine suffering excessive wear on the engine parts, especially cylinders, pistons, rings, valves, crankshaft, and bearings. While this damage can be severe, the engine may still be salvageable, but will require a lot of expensive work to rectify the damage!
It the low oil situation is not remedied, it will eventually result in the same finality of an engine with no oil!
No oil results in faster wear of the engine parts than mentioned above, and if the engine is not cut in time, the result will be a catastrophic failure of the motor. This could be the pistons seizing in the cylinders, or throwing a rod, in which case the piston and rod are forced out the bottom of the crankcase or the side of the motor. In any of these cases, the engine is beyond repair and will need to be replaced.
How Long Will A Dirt Bike Run Without Oil?
As you can see from the previous section, the consequences of lack of oil in your dirt bike engine is a potentially devastating event that can result in the motor being damaged beyond recovery. The situation, therefore, should be avoided at all costs! The question of how long your dirt bike will run without oil is determined by several factors.
- How hot the engine is at the time the oil leaves the engine. If the engine is hot, the parts have expanded due to the heat generated in the motor, and the tolerances or gaps, between parts, is much smaller. This reduction in the gap results in friction and heat increasing at a much faster rate than in an engine that is not as hot.
- How hard you are pushing the engine at the time. If the oil drains out during a race, it goes without saying that the engine is being pushed to its maximum capacity and the moving parts are working hard. One again, this results in friction and heat becoming an issue faster than if the engine is idling.
- Whether the oil drain is slow or fast. Your bike may run for longer on a slowly diminishing oil supply than a sudden total drain.
Controlled tests have shown that a motor can run between 15 to 30 minutes with no oil, but in reality, this is seldom the case. It is usually a much shorter duration. The variable factors mentioned above will cause the damage to occur at a faster rate, particularly if you are riding the bike at the time. You may be distracted by the excitement and concentration of the race or the trail you are riding. This distraction may cause you to not notice the problem until it is too late and will end in a seized engine!
The truth of the matter is that you probably have less than a minute to shut off the engine before significant, costly damage occurs.
So don’t tempt fate and your wallet by ignoring the warning signs of low oil in your engine and trying to push through to the end of the trail or race with a dry sump!
Conclusion
Whether it is possible to ride your dirt bike without oil for a long or short period of time, it is strongly advised to take action immediately when you become aware of a situation where you are riding your dirt bike without any oil.
This immediate action could make the difference between your dirt bike being slightly damaged, but easily repairable, or severely damaged with significant costs in repairing it.
Happy dirt biking!
