My 16 yr. old daughter was driving her 95 Protege on the frwy. She said smoke came out from under the hood, then it died. I had it towed home. When I started it up it made a loud knocking noise. I don't know much about cars, but, I'm thinking she was probably out of oil and now needs another engine...does that seem right or (hopefully) can there be something (less costly) that it might be? Any advise is appreciated! Thank you. []

 

smoke could be overheating/leaking coolant. knocking could be oil starvation. a blown head gasket could provide a combination of the two. that's just a guess, but check the oil level on the dipstick. if you get nothing, your assessment is likely true.

 

Thank you for responding.
There wasn't any oil when I checked that's why I thought she probably ran out of oil when she was on the frwy. and blew the engine. I had just gotten it out of the shop though and the mechanic told me there was oil in some of the things under the hood and they were fixed or replaced. He didn't say it had been leaking though and I assumed he checked the oil when he worked on it so I was just wondering if maybe it was something else. Well, no such luck hoping it would be something a little cheaper. Thank you again.