How to Check the Oil in Your Car?

Follow these simple instructions to maintain your engine running smoothly and avoid spending hundreds of dollars on repairs.

The lifeblood of your vehicle’s engine is oil. The simplest method to avoid catastrophic engine failure and the astronomical repair bills that come with it is to make sure there’s always enough oil.

If you’re driving an older vehicle, this is extremely critical. When a car’s odometer passes 100,000 miles, the engine begins to wear out, causing it to consume little amounts of oil every time you drive. This loss accumulates, causing the oil level to drop excessively low between oil changes. Oil leaks are also more common in high-mileage automobiles. Both of these difficulties are reasons to check your oil on a regular basis to determine how often you should change it.

If you check your oil once a week for a month, you’ll be able to see how quickly it depletes—or if it depletes at all. Once you’ve figured it out, you can check it less frequently—once a month, for example. Here’s how to tell if your oil needs to be changed:

Step 1: Prepare to Check

Make sure your car is parked on level ground with the engine turned off, the gearbox in Park (or a lower gear if you have a manual transmission), and the parking brake engaged. Remove the hood. Consult your owner’s handbook if you’re not sure how to do it.

Most automobiles include a hood-release lever on the left side of the instrument panel. You’ll also need to unlatch a safety catch beneath the front edge of the hood before you can raise it.

Step 2: Locate the Dipstick

Most vehicles have a small colored handle—usually yellow or orange—marked with an oil-can emblem that makes it simple to detect the dipstick.

Step 3: Pull the Dipstick

Pull the dipstick completely out of the tube it’s in. Wipe any oil off of the end of the dipstick using a rag or paper towel. Two lines appear at the tip of the dipstick: the lower one shows that the oil level is one quart low. The crankcase (the car’s oil tank) is full, as indicated by the upper line. Words like “full” and “add” are also written on certain dipsticks.

Step 4: Note Oil Level

Slowly insert the dipstick into the tube and press it down all the way. Now take it out and examine the tip, which should be covered in oil. Your vehicle has enough oil if the oil level is between the two lines. It’s time to add a quart if it’s at or below the low mark.

Step 5: Wait and Re-check

Wait a few minutes for the oil to drain down into the crankcase after adding a quart of oil, then check the level again to make sure it’s between the high and low levels. Your engine doesn’t need to be lubricated to run safely, thus the oil level doesn’t have to be high.