Engine oil is the most important part of the engine to keep the engine running smoothly. Maintaining your car’s engine oil level can increase the life of your engine as well as it can provide better fuel efficiency. To keep your engine healthy you need proper care. In this article, we will increase your knowledge about the process of checking engine oil, which will help you to maintain the correct engine oil level of your car and also you will be able to decide when to change your car’s engine oil.
When to check the oil level?
It depends on your car’s engine health also you need to consider how old your car is. For a newer car or an engine having mileage less than 100000 miles you do not need to check the oil level regularly. Checking it once a month could be a reasonable choice for good or moderate health engines.
8 Steps for Checking Your Engine Oil
Following are the eight steps that can help you to check your oil quickly.
1. Park on level ground
Before checking the oil your car must be parked on a level surface, so even if the handbrake is released, the car should remain at rest. Now turn off the engine and ignition by removing the car keys and allow the car engine to cool down for at least half an hour.
2. Locate and remove the dipstick
Now open the bonnet of your car and place the bonnet stick carefully. The next step is to locate the dipstick, which is normally indicated by a dark color (yellow or orange) ring, sometimes labeled with an Engine oil tag or its icon. Pull the dipstick gently as it would be a long stick and handle it carefully.
3. Clean the dipstick and insert it again
Do not consider the current oil level reading accurate as it may be inaccurate due to several reasons. To get the correct reading you need to clean the dipstick from the bottom using a clean cloth or tissue paper. Hold the dipstick top ring from your right and use your left hand to clean it from the bottom oil strains.
4. Pull the dipstick and observe the reading
Remove the dipstick from its container. Your hand movement should be straight and upward. Do not move your hand left or right while pulling the dipstick. Now observe the bottom side of the stick to note the reading. Normally there are two levels at the bottom indicated by lines or dots or “L” and “F” levels.
5. How to read the oil level
Read from the bottom side of the stick and if it is lubricated with the engine oil up to the second mark or slightly below it then it means your oil level is perfect and no action is needed but if it is significantly below the upper mark and near or below to the low-level mark then there must be something wrong.
6. Take the reading again
Repeat steps 3-5 to get the reading again for accurate results.
7. Oil quality inspection
Inspect the color and viscosity of the oil with the level check. Light or brownish color is considered as healthy engine oil and if the color is dark or blackish then you may need to have an oil change. Always note the mileage of the car once you are done with the new oil change and follow the car’s manual for the exact mileage of the oil change.
8. You are almost done
Now place the dipstick again in its container, remove the bonnet stick, and close the bonnet carefully. Make sure the bonnet is locked properly and can not be opened without an unlock button.
Low oil level treatment
There could be several reasons for low oil levels, the most common are leakage or weak engine piston rings. If you are driving your car with low engine oil it could be dangerous and may lead to engine failure. A temporary solution is to add some oil upto the required level so that you can at least drive your car for some time. Remember that top-up oil grade and brand should be the same as the already present engine oil in the engine.
Top up Engine oil
To top up the engine oil you need to locate the car oil tank cap indicated which is normally big in size and indicated by the engine oil icon. Remove the cap and place the funnel over it to avoid any mess. Now gently add some oil through the funnel. Do not overfill the oil, just add some amount, wait for 2-3 minutes, and check the level through the dipstick. Repeat the steps until the engine oil is upto the safe level.
Conclusion
The oil level should be at least in the middle of low and high levels for a safe drive. Engine oil is the most important lubricant of your car to drive. You can not even drive a quarter mile without engine oil. Checking and maintaining your engine oil after regular intervals can increase the life of your engine.