Been a couple years since I've been on the forums, glad to be back. 4,000 miles ago I picked up a '97 Chevy C3500 crew cab with only 99,XXX miles, great truck all around.

Driving to the bank late tonight and suddenly realized I had ZERO oil pressure. I got stopped quickly and saw I was dripping oil heavily. The oil was coming from a large plug, about 1-1/2" diameter on the driver's side of the motor, just forward (toward radiator) of the oil filter. I have no idea what this 'plug' is that was hanging part way out the side of the motor. It had on it what looked like a small bent tube; there was a second identical plug adjacent to the one that was out.

I pushed the plug back into the motor and it seemed to snap back in place. After checking the oil level and seeing none on the dipstick I began to add and check. I ended up adding about 6 quarts (yes, 6 quarts!) to get back into operating range. I started the truck again and still no oil pressure, only ran it for about 10 seconds and it didn't seem to be running smoothly. After calling my wife for a ride I had to restart the truck for about 30 second to get it moved to an area I could leave it, the truck had low power and didn't want to move easily (feeling like the parking brake was on).

So, as I sit here about to puke thinking about the destruction that may have just happened to my sweetheart, I'm hoping someone can help with some questions.

1. What is the plug that pushed out from the motor and what may cause it to push out?
2. After refilling with oil and seeing no pressure, what is the most likely cause, the pump itself?
3. How can I check to see if no pressure is OPS or something other?
4. What type of engine damage do I need to be most worried about with this low of oil and seemingly no pressure (I may have driven a 2-4 miles before I saw I had no pressure, saw lots of oil on the road I had just driven on, none in my drive though - happened after I left home)?


Thanks for the help, hoping for the best.

James