How to Check Your Car’s Oil Level

Oil plays the role of lifeblood in your vehicle. Proper level and high quality oil prolongs the life of the engine and its parts. However, many fuel pumps, garages and auto repair shops offer oil checks for free, but you can do it on your own. This will not only keep you up to date with the condition of the oil but also save your time. For better performance and long life of your car engine, it is essential to check the oil level and quality regularly.

Level of Oil

A proper oil level is not only essential for the better performance of your car engine but it is also important for the safety. Well lubricated parts perform more effectively than poorly lubricated parts. Poor lubrication might cause severe damage to your engine and its different components. Oil keeps the different parts of the engine safe from friction and wear and tear those results due to friction. A proper oil level is necessary for smooth working of the engine and its different parts.

Quality of Oil

Besides oil level quality of oil is also very important for the proper working of the engine and its parts. At working condition the oil flows into the engine and absorbs a lot of heat and contaminates by other impurities which are present there. This heat and contaminants reduce the performance of the oil. The oil becomes thin and dirty, unable to lubricate different parts and hence may damage them. It is important to check the quality of the oil as well while checking the level.

Instructions

Observing the oil level and quality is not a difficult task. You can do it with ease at your parking lot. Some instructions are given with the help of which you can perform this task with ease and comfort.

• Make sure that you have parked a car on flat surface.

• Switch the engine off and let it cool. Do not try to cool the engine by splashing water over it. This will damage the parts of your engine. Let the engine cool on normal temperature. Once the engine is cool, you can get accurate reading and level.

• Once the engine is cooled, open the hood and look for the dipstick, which is probably located near the spark plugs having ring or a loop at the end of it. Dipstick is basically a long metal stick help to check the level of the oil.

• Pull the dipstick out of the engine and clean it with a rag.

• Push the dipstick back into the oil reservoir and pull it back again.

• Now check the level of the oil with the help of the marks given on the dipstick. If the oil is below than the “Full” mark sign, add more oil to the reservoir until it reaches the “Full” level mark. Do not over fill the oil; this can be harmful for the engine and for its different components.

• Besides checking the level of the oil it is necessary to check the quality also. For this pull the dipstick out and wipe it off with paper towel.

• Examine the oil on the paper towel for any contaminants and also examine the odor of the oil. If you find any dirt or any other contaminants and the odor like burnt oil, you need to replace the oil.

• Once you are done with checking the oil level and oil quality, adjust the dipstick back into the reservoir and close the front hood. Start the car and feel the difference.

Checking oil at home not only saves a lot of cost but also save your time. It is not difficult to check the oil then why to spend heave amounts on mechanics.