How to Check Your Vehicle's Engine Oil

We're back with another vehicle maintenance lesson! This one is about as simple as it gets when it comes to vehicle maintenance - but many people have no idea how to do this. Today we will cover how to check your vehicle's engine oil; including the step-by-step process, what to look out for, and why this is important for vehicle maintenance.

First, we are going to teach you how to check your vehicle's engine oil level and oil quality. Step #1 is to make sure your vehicle is on level ground and hasn't been running in the last 15 minutes. If your vehicle has been running, please allow at least 15 minutes of cool down time. Please have a paper towel or light colored towel on hand to use for checking the oil. To get started, locate the dipstick in your engine. To do this, you will need to open your vehicles hood and find the yellow handle of the dipstick.

Next, you will pull the dipstick from the engine. You should be able to see oil on the bottom of the dipstick.

Using a paper towel or towel, you can wipe the oil off of the dipstick. Re-insert the clean dipstick and remove it again. This will give you the best chance of evaluating the quality and amount of engine oil in your vehicle.

So what are we looking for? First, you want to check the color of your oil. This tells you the quality of the engine oil in your vehicle. If the oil is dark black, gritty, or smells of a burning smell - it's time to change your oil. Next you will want to check the oil level. At the bottom end of the dipstick, there will be indicators marking the recommended oil levels. Please see the clean dipstick photo below, where you can clearly see the oil indicator level markers.

If the oil in your vehicle is below the upper indicator, your oil level is approaching a low level and you will need to add oil. If your oil level is below the lower indicator, there may be an oil leak or some other issue that needs addressed. It's important to not run your vehicle if there isn't sufficient oil. On the other side, you must also check that you don't have too much oil in your vehicle. This would be if the oil is above the upper indicator.

Once you are done evaluating the quality and level of your engine oil. Replace the dipstick, close the hood, and you are done!

Congratulations, you now know how to check your vehicle's engine oil. But you may be wondering, why is this important? Engine oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle's engine. Without engine oil, a vehicle's engine will not continue to run. Checking your engine oil is a great way to maintain your vehicle because you can catch leaks before they become a huge problem. Older vehicles (10 years or 100,000 miles) tend to burn a small amount of engine oil. That's why it's recommended you check your engine oil monthly.