Your engine’s oil is one of the most important aspects of vehicle maintenance. Even the most powerful, high-end engine can be brought low by a lack of oil. Motor oil keeps the hardest working parts of your engine lubricated, so they can continue working without cracking, melting down or overheating. It’s essential; without oil you wouldn’t make it ten miles.
How Do I Check My Engine Oil?
Checking your car’s oil level is surprisingly easy to do. Make sure your car is parked on level ground and in a spot with enough light to allow you to see clearly. Turn off the engine. For the best, most accurate reading, allow a few minutes for the oil to settle in the oil pan reservoir.
First, you have to find the dipstick. This is a long, skinny rod that you can pull out of the engine. You can refer to the car’s manual for help in finding its exact location, but it’s usually pretty obvious. There should be a small tube sticking out somewhere near the engine block; there should also be a handle sticking out of the end of the tube. The handle might be red, yellow or orange, or it may just be a simple metal loop. It may say “Oil” on it, too, but then again it may not. Every car is different.
Once you’ve found the dipstick, pull it out. You should now see a long, flat stick with brown or black motor oil coating the tip. The end of it will have markers of some sort, usually in the form of a crosshatched area. It may just have two lines or holes, but you’re interested in the space between them.
Make sure that you hold the dipstick in the same position. If you turn it upside down while moving it, you can end up with an inaccurate reading. The markers on the dipstick, or the boundaries of the crosshatched area, correspond to minimum and maximum levels. Ideally, the oil should be somewhere in between the two without being too close to either.
What if My Oil Is Too Low?
You’re far more likely to be low on oil than to have too much. Many things can contribute to a low oil level. A leak is possible if you’re unlucky, and if the car is leaking you should let a mechanic look at it, but many cars burn their oil away at a slow rate.
If the oil level is below the minimum marker, open the cap on top of the crankcase and add some. Don’t add more than a quart; you may need even less for a small engine. Run the engine for a bit and check it again before adding more, because adding too much oil can result in a messy situation.
How Often Should I Check My Oil?
This depends heavily on your specific vehicle. You should at least check it every couple of weeks, but if you have an older car you might need to check it more frequently. It’s not unheard of for a car to go through a quart of oil or more in a single week. When you first get your car, especially if you bought it used, you should check the engine oil frequently. This will give you a good idea of the vehicle’s oil consumption.
- How to Check Oil?
- How to Check Oil in Car?
- How to Change the Oil in a Car?
- How to Check a Used Car?
- What Happens if You Don’t Change Your Oil?
