There are some things that every person who drives a car should know how to do. Everyone who drives should know how to change a tire, which includes how to safely use the jack that comes with the car. If you know how to change your tire, the chances of being stranded if you get a flat is greatly reduced. Along with knowing how to change a tire, it is also important to know when not to change a tire. There are times when you are better off not changing a tire, such as if you are alone in the middle of the night and don’t feel safe being out of your car.
Another thing that every driver should know is something that is a lot easier to do and takes only seconds to learn. In fact, we are going to go through the process of checking your oil right now. The two things you need to know are how to check your oil and what are you looking for when you check it.
How to check your oil.
The first thing you should do is check the car’s user manual. There are actually some newer cars that have electronic oil monitors and don’t have a dipstick where you can manually check your oil. If you are able to manually check your oil, review the instructions. Your instructions may differ from what we are going to talk about. If your instructions are different, follow the user manual instructions.
Before you check your oil, make sure your vehicle is on flat ground. If your car is on an angle, such as in a pitched driveway, you are not going to get an accurate reading. In most cases, you should check your oil when the engine is cold. When the engine is cold, the oil that circulates throughout the engine will have dripped back down into the oil pan. The gauge on the dipstick is set to a level based on the oil being in the oil pan. If you check the oil while the car is running or after a long drive, the oil will be spread throughout the engine, and you may mistakenly think you are low on oil.
This is one of those things you have to double-check in your user manual. Some manufacturers recommend checking the oil after the engine has been started. If that is the case, and you check the oil while the engine is cold, you will have the opposite problem and think you have more oil than you actually do.
OK, your car is on flat ground and the engine is cold (or not, depending on the manufacturer's recommendation). Open the hood to gain access to the engine and look for the dipstick. Make sure you are checking the right one. There is a separate dipstick for the transmission fluid. The transmission dipstick is usually closer to the back of the engine by the firewall. The handle of the transmission dipstick may also be a different color.
Make sure you have an old rag with you. When you find the dipstick remove it from the engine completely. Don’t bother looking at it. Wipe it off with the rag and replace the dipstick into the engine. Be sure to put it back in all the way, as far as it will go. Once you replace it, you can remove it again right away.
Now you can check to see where the oil is on the stick. Check both sides looking for the markings on the stick itself. There will be a scale that shows the proper range of where the oil should be. Depending on the car, the marking may say something like “Low – High”, “L – H,” or “Min-Max,” or there may be an area of the stick that has crosshatching. Looking at the level to which the oil comes up to, it should be in between the two marks or within the crosshatching. If the level is below the low part of whatever scale is used on your stick, you may have to add oil to your engine. To be clear, if your car is low on oil, the oil will end closer to the tip of the dipstick. Meaning there will be less oil on the stick.
If your oil level is passed the high level, there may also be a problem. It could be as simple as you added too much oil to the engine thinking the levels were lower than you thought. It could also mean that other fluids are leaking into the oil pan, such as water or even engine coolant. If the levels are too high, you are going to want to get your engine checked right away.
What Are You Looking For?
When checking your oil, you are going to want to use 4 of your 5 basic senses. You most definitely do NOT want to taste it.
Look
Engine oil should be smooth, glossy, and somewhat transparent. If looking at the oil, you see dark brown or black oil, it is a sign that your engine oil is old and needs to be changed right away.
If your dipstick has dried crusty residue on the high end of the stick it could be a sign of a serious problem. Antifreeze or coolant may be leaking into the oil pan. Other signs of this are if the oil looks like chocolate milk, or if there are bubbles in the oil. Antifreeze leaking into the oil pan is a serious problem and should be checked out immediately.
Smell
You can also smell the oil on the dipstick. Motor oil has a distinctive smell, and that is what it should be. If your engine oil smells burnt or had a rotten cheese odor, it can be a sign that the oil is too old and should be changed, but it can also be a sign of a deeper issue. If your engine is burning oil, you should have your engine checked immediately.
Feel
As we said, oil should be smooth, light-brown, and transparent. While thicker than water, oil should flow smoothly. If you touch the oil, it should have smooth consistency to it. There should not be any clumps and it shouldn’t be too thick. If your oil has the consistency of thick maple syrup, it could be a sign that the oil is oil should be changed. You should also not be able to feel any fragments in the oil. Any sort of fragments or inconsistency to the feel of the oil should be checked out.
We already said that you should not, under any circumstances taste the oil. Motor oil can also not be heard. However, when checking your engine, your ears are another important part of making sure your car is ready to go.
After you check your oil and replace the dipstick into its receptacle, before you close the hood, start the car. With the hood open, you can hear more than you can with it closed or even from inside the car. The engine noises should be regular and consistent. All of the sounds should also be somewhat synchronized. There should be no sounds out of place. A well-running engine can sound like a symphony to the ears. If you are listening to a symphony, and the percussion is even slightly off, you are going to notice. The same goes for the sound of your engine. Any unusual sounds should be brought to our attention. It may just be a timing setting on some part of the engine, or it may be a symptom of a larger problem.
When you close the hood, your job is not yet done. Going back to your eyes, look under your car, both on the ground and on the pipes and other things you can see under your car. Look for any signs of oil leaks or other fluids that should not be there. If you are in a garage where there are a lot of stains or you are on a street where looking for drips can be difficult, get a large piece of cardboard and keep it under your car overnight. The cardboard should remain free from any fluids. If you see anything, it may mean you have a leak somewhere and it should be checked.
While this post went on longer than our usual posts, it doesn’t mean that what we are discussing is more difficult. In fact, once you know what you are looking for, the entire process can take a grand total of 10 seconds. And believe it when we say, it’s a 10-seconds well spent. When you take an active part in maintaining your vehicle, you tend to find issues earlier than you might have if you ignored your engine, and in many cases, if you catch a problem early, the cheaper it may be to fix.
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