Brother was driving down interstate and somehow his oil filter had almost worked its way all the way off. Truck shut off added oil and now when try to press button to start radio resets and all but no attempt to turn over. Worried it may be compression locked as I’m assuming it lost all oil pressure as loose as his oil filter had gotten. Not sure where to start to try and get this thing back on the road as we’re 12 hours from home on a job in Minnesota. TIA
Typically the low oil pressure light will come on before the engine is toast. If he didn't notice or didn't stop driving and pull over, then the the engine is likely a goner. An engine that runs out of oil pressure doesn't compression lock. If not shut down immediately, the main and rod journals overheat, swell and friction weld themselves to the bearings, which then spin. I'm sure you've heard the term "spun a bearing" before. The engine seizes and is destroyed internally. He should try a socket/breaker bar on the harmonic balancer bolt and see if the engine will turn. If not, it is seized and he will need an engine.
If it does turn over, well, then it'll probably rattle and clatter horribly when it does start and he will still need a new engine. I'd be very surprised if an engine that was run out of oil and seized, survived the ordeal. I've heard of it happenning, but not on a modern engine.
I'd look at whoever did the last oil change as the person to blame.
Once of my coworkers recently had a similar experience.
Several of us at work noticed a really big, new oil trail in the parking lot and followed it around a couple laps to where it ended, under a brand new black Z71 Silverado. We fetched the owner, who had no idea. The oil filter was only threaded about halfway on from the Jiffy Lube oil change he had just got in Bellingham, WA the day before.
