How To Check Your Car’s Oil Level?

When there’s no engine oil, serious damage can occur to various parts of your carengine. Hence, it is immensely important to stay informed of your car’s engine oil level. Want to know how much oil there is in your car’s engine? Here’s everything you need to know!

When the car runs, the various parts in the car’s enginemove also. Engine oil works as the barrier between the closely moving parts. When there is no oil in the car’s engine, the various parts in the car’s engine start coming in contact with one another at a high speed and if lubrication is lost, within a short time the car’s engine will come to rest experiencing huge damage.

Therefore, car experts highly recommendchecking the car’s engine oil level frequently. Not limited to this, you will also need to keep a check on whether the car’s oil is of good or bad quality.This can usually be done visually. For example, if the oil appears to have a “milky” appearance, then engine coolant is getting into the oil indicating and internal engine leak. Other problems could be the oil appearing very dark or black which means it is old and contaminated and damage will result if it isn’t changed soon.

Don’t know how to check your car’s engine oil level? Here’s how you can!

Line-Of-Action To Check The Car’s Engine Oil Level:

Step 1: Turn off the car

Never check your car engine’s oil level when the car’s engine is hot or running as this will give inaccurate readings. Suppose you have been driving and the car’s engine is still hot. Thenbefore checking the oil levelwait for 10-15 minutes to let the engine cool. Also, when checking the car’s oil level ensure that it rests on an even ground. Otherwise as inaccurate reading will result.

Step 2: Find the oil dipstick

After placing your car on a flat surface, open the hood and find the location of the engine’s dipstick. In most car models, the dipstick is placed on the left side of the car’s engine, but on some it may be on the right or even in the center of some 4 cylinders. It usually has a yellow or orange circular handle that can be seen easily. Once the handle is pulled out, a long piece of metal will come out of the car’s engine.

Step 3: Gauge the oil level

Once the dipstick is pulled out, use a rag to wipe it off since there will be oil all over the end of it due to the engine internal parts causing turbulence and splashing oil around. Failure to do so can give you a wrong reading. Then re-insert the stick all the way in and remove it again, and look at the end which will show you how high the oil-level is on the stick. There will usually be a cross-hatch or similar pattern near the end of the stick with an “F” for “Full” and an “L” for “Low” marking the “Full” and “Low” (1 Qt low in most cases) points on the stick. Sometimes there may be two small holes in the stick which are also for the purpose of identifying the “Full” and “1 Qt Low” levels (see the accompanying image).   Besides telling about your car’s oil level, the dipstick says about a lot of other things that include whether or not to change the oil, the temperature of the oil, the quality of the oil, and more. Some of the signs that the dipstick reflects about car’s engine oil include:

• Black colored oil sticks to the end of the dipstick

It reflects that the car’s engine oil has become old, contaminatedand needs to be changed.

• Orange-Yellow oil sticks at a certain level on the dipstick

It reflects that your car’s engine has a good amount of engine oil if between the “Full” and “Low” marks.

• Brown oil sticks to the end of the dipstick

It reflects that the level of your car’s engine oil has gone down and it needs to get refilled.

• Black substance sticks to the dipstick to a certain level

This reflects the car’s engine oil is too hot, and so is the car’s engine. This will cause the oil to break-down, lose is lubricating properties and cause engine damage if not changed soon.

• Checking oil when there’s no dip-stick

On many late-model and especially high-end European vehicles, no dip stick has been provided and checking the oil level is done through a dash-controlled app which is part of the vehicle operating-system software. This is usually accessible through either the large “Infotainment” screen in the middle of the dash, or through the gauge and readouts available on the driver’s-side dashboard. Accessing this function is dependent on the year, make and model of vehicle  and there are too many menu-options to list here.  In any case, the system works by using oil-level sensors in the oil pan to read the level and then gives an  “Oil Level OK” , “Oil Level Low” or similar reading depending on the manufacturer. The problem with these systems is although the level may be okay, the oil’s condition isn’t being reported, so its condition is unknown.

Step 4: Do the needful

Depending on the results of the dipstick, take the required action. If the black-colored oil sticks to the end of the dipstick, change the oil completely. If the brown oil sticks just to the end of the dipstick add an amount of oil to it. If the black substance sticks to the dipstick to a certain level, then let the engine cool and check the readings after a few minutes.

Final Words

So, this is how you can determine the car engine oil level. If you have any doubts regarding the car’s engine oil, you can consult with the car inspection expert at Car Inspectors. For better information, or to know more about our services, visit our website today.

Disclaimer– The information provided in this content is just for educational purposes and is written by a professional writer. Consult us today to know more about how to check the car’s engine oil levels.

Also Read: How To Deal With Cars That Do Not Start On Cold Mornings