Can a car run upside down

The engine can run upside down.

But:

It will starve for oil, as the oil pump doesn't get any oil to flow through the oil oil lines. This will make it hot & start tearing apart the moving metal parts. Be hard on it at least.

It will have the oil splaching around on the underside of the pistons, which causes a lot of unbalanced, smoking, and foaming of the oil, all kinda just generally not good.

All of that can go on for some time - a half hour at idle would not be unheard of. Sure not good for it, but it can run.

It is surprising it got fuel tho. The tank must have been sloped in such a way and full enough the fuel got to the fuel pump still. This is the part that surprises me - how it got fuel. It shouldn't have worked.....

--->Paul

I was the car right behind a roll over accident a few years ago. Pulled over, helped the guys out...and they promptly went running off into the woods. In shock, I waited for the police to arrive, probably 20 minutes. The car ran the whole time (with the wheels spinning to boot).

__________________
Sand Holler Farm Blog

Check us out on Facebook!

I think they work upside down in Australia (they are on the bottom of the world).

__________________
We surround them!!! not the other way around
Click here to find out more!
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/art...cle/198/21018/

I am surprised to hear that the vehicle kept running for the reasons Rambler stated. But it doesn't matter if i'm surprised or not or even if I think it's possible or not. It sounds like it happens regardless of what I think.

I'm thinking ALL of the following conditions must be present for a car to run upside down:
The fuel pickup in the tank must still be submerged in fuel
I'd think there would have to be some slick 50/PTFE type additive must be adhered to metal surfaces to allow the moving parts to continue moving without building up frictional heat and seizing in what just has to be a contition of zero oil pressure.
I guess the oil could collect in the valve covers and plug up the PCV valve so none of the oil was aspirated into the intake manifold.

Either that or the car is in Australia where they ONLY run upside down (like jtsummie said) and only run right side up under the conditions listed above. Man... living there must be just crazy, having to learn to do everything upside down.