Oil Light comes on, Then Engine seizes... what does this mean?

If the engine SEIZES (meaning the pistons can no longer travel up and down within the cylinders), the engine is shot.

HI sorry to say but best take it to a shop. to find out why it stopped.. could be a timing belt.. The Check engine light and the oil well always come on when the motor is not running... every time you turn the key on before the motor starts those two light should come on and go off when it is running.. sorry good luck tim

YOu did not SEIZE the engine because it would NOT turn at all. I am a REAL SAAB technician with factory training. You do NOT have a bad OIL PUMP either, they are driven from the front of the CRANKSHAFT> There are THINGS you should know about these cars. FIRST OF ALL they were GREAT till GM got involved with them. As the ORIGINAL SAAB corp, they were one of the best out there. They REQUIRE a few things you need to know. FIRST OF ALL the ORANGE DEXCOOL coolant will RUIN the engine gaskets. The genuine SAAB coolant is BLUE not ORANGE. Get a full FLUSH AND FILL and use either genuine SAAB (if you can find it) BLUE< or use AUDI ROSE/VIOLET in there. EVEN MERCEDES YELLOW coolant. This will PROTECT the gaskets that WILL soften and dissolve after LONG exposure to the chemicals in DEXCOOL!>>>NEXT you simply CANNOT USE VAVOLOINE or cheaper engine oils in that engine. IT WILL ruin the TURBO with time. The Original oil was PENTOSIN from GERMANY< wwhichis a full SYNTHETIC that meets EUROPEAN specifications MOBIL ONE 0W-40 is a good REPLACEMENT< and so is TOTAL ENERGYOIL from FRANCE> also AMSOIL makes a SAAB specific engine oil. >>>NOW HERE IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING TO YOU!!! The TURBO charger has an OIL feedand RETURN line. This obviously feeds fresh engine oil DIRECTLY to the bearings on the TURBO CHARGER! The use of INFERIOR OIL will cause the oil to form COKE and Sludge around the bearings. BAD oil CANNOT handle heat, and just disintegrates It will CLOG up these oil feed/return PIPES. They can be REMOVED< and CLEANED or just replaced, but have them INSPECTED> they are very EASY to remove. Once they CLOG U, the back pressure will get PAST the turbo bearings (too much pressure) and will START this downward spiral. Remove those PIPES and check for clogging up, HAND TOOLS will get it done!!! You can try a B-G engine sludge removal treatment, but HAND cleaning is still the best way, following a thorough INSPECTION. <<<MORE>>> remove the top ENGINE cover and inspect the THROTTLE BODY and the VACUUM HOSES attached to it. They MUST NOT be collapsed. This will RUIN the air/fuel mixture,, waste gas, and caue the OIL to separate and clog up even MORE!. USe GUMOUT and a tooth brush to celan the THROTTLE BODY and locate the adjacent IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE> ! They BOTH must be SHOWROOM clean to do what they are SUPPOSED to do, which is to REGULATE and ADJUST the air/fuel mixture. They do so from O2 sensor signals. A bad or clogged up IAC will RUIN your converter and trash out the O2 sensors, as well as contribute to CLOGGING Up the oil feeds to your TURBO!!! I have seen TURBOS last for 300k+ miles. and others go bad at less than 90K miles.l It depends on YOU And your willingneess to understand HOW THINGS WORK< and the use of PROPER engine oils. A collapsed VACUUM Neaer the thtottle body can be LETHAL for these engines. They are VERY sturdy and long lived, but will DIE inside form WRONG OIL CHOICES!. READ the label on OIL and look for the SAAB approval codes. Oil that meets the VW/AUDI specs 502/505 are the closest you will find. I ALSO RECOMMEND the use of AMSOIL crankcase cleaners, and POWER FOAM for upper cylinder cleaning. They work the ABSOLUTE BEST. Try to remove the INTAKE HOSES that lead to thelblades on the TURBO! Once removed, you can CHECK that the turbo blades turn FREELY by hand pressure. You can see if the BEARINGS are leaking. The GOOD Thing about the AMSOIL POWER FOAM is that you can use it to free up the COKE build-up in the OIL FEED and return lines to the turbo. They will ALSO clean up the T body and IAC valve as well. SAAB engiens do NOT have a P)CV vavl;e per se, but a small series of counter pressure HOSES and VAVLES> They ALS Omust be SHOWROOM to work right. Once the top ENGINE COVER is removed, POWER WASH the entire ENGINE BAY with gunk orange. You wil SEE better and the engine will emain COOLER Under use, as NO road salt or street grunge will be sticking to the sides of the block. THese are VERY formidable engines, and before GM got ahold of them, EXCELLENT runners. Another thing GM did is to use the CHEAPER "OPEL" water pumps to save money.THEY WILL go bad sooner, and make unusual ENGINE noises as they do. Try to get e genuine HEPU Pump from an aftermarket supplier. HEPU is the NUMBER ONE european water pump maker. They make them for BENZ, BMW AUDI PORSCHE VW and more. I know these engines as though I engineered them MYSELF If you have ANY more questions or concerns, PLEASE E-mail me BACK! MOSt SAAB engine issues are purely intuitive and preventable.NEVER EVER use an OIL CHANGE SPECIAL BARGAIN and NO VALVOLINE EVER! IT WILL ruin the turbo with time, as VALVOLINE is made by the CHEAPEST means, the WAX REDUCTION METHOD (or used to be, it is IMPOSSIBLE to stay current) either way, they do NOT carry the official EUROPEAN TUV acceptance ratings, and the SAAB approval numbers are NOT on any of their public use engine oils.

Well it is kind of hard to follow your description but if the order is correct the light came on after the car died that is normal. The oil light will come on if the engine stop running and stops pumping oil. Not sure what kind of oil problems you may have had. The smoke can be two things that jump to mind, bad rings and you are burning oil or head gasket has failed and it is coolant. This smells sweet sometimes, the oil burning would seem to be more dark. the coolant is usually describe as white it is mostly steam.

It is a problem for sure. You would have to do a compression test to see if one of a couple cylinders are lower then the rest. If they are it is a head gasket.

Does it have oil on the dip stick? if none it could be you are burning oil.

GL

the oil light means that oil pressure is not where it is designed to be. you could have a failing pump or a bad sensor or may other issues. the whitish blue smoke means that you are burning oil. it can be by the rings or the valve guides and seals. another possibility is a pcv valve but i am not sure if that engine has one. since the oil light is coming on while you are making a turn, id say check the oil level. its low. add enough to bring it back into the safe range.

Not gonna sugar coat it, sounds like bad news, pal.

Its almost certainly oil related. Could be caused by a bad oil pump, or simply a low oil level. When was the last time you changed the oil? Or checked the oil level?

At this point you need to have the car checked out by a professional. IF it was running without lubrication there is a good chance your engine is done and thats not the type of issue you can address with a driveway diagnosis.

If the engine is seized due to lack of lubrication, you may have destroyed the engine.

What did you think? That the low oil pressure light would come on really really bright when you thought it was time to turn off the engine? You must have thought as it was losing power while the low oil pressure light was on that it was OK to step a little harder on the throttle because the engine was losing power.

There is no need to be stumped by this. Bring the car to your favorite reputable independent mechanic and be prepared to write a very large check. Or just bring the car to the closest auto salvage yard and sell it by the pound.