How to Inspect Your Oil

The oil in your vehicle’s engine is one of the most important components in the entire system. Engine oil is needed to keep everything lubed up and working properly, and that oil will only work for so long before it needs to be replaced. As a car owner, tracking the condition of your oil is an important step to stay on track over the long run.

If you need an oil change or any other kind of service or repair, turn to Taylor & Sons Chevrolet right away for assistance. We have a talented team of technicians and always offer fair pricing on our services. Give us a call or stop by today to schedule your appointment.

Why Check Your Oil?

There are two good reasons to check on the oil in your vehicle. First, checking the oil will reveal how much is left in the reservoir, which is important to make sure there is enough oil to keep everything properly lubricated during operation. If the oil is low, you can add a quart or two to bring it up to the right level and avoid any trouble related to this issue.

Also, checking your oil will show you what condition the oil is in and how much it has broken down as the miles have added up. You shouldn’t expect the oil to look as it did when it was new, but oil that has badly degraded should be replaced promptly – and it might be indicative of a bigger issue that needs to be addressed.

A Basic Process

It’s not complicated to check on the oil in your vehicle, but there are some common mistakes that you need to avoid. First, we’ll walk through the steps of the process, so you understand how to go about viewing the status of your oil. In the next section, we’ll touch on the key mistakes you don’t want to make.

• With the engine off, find a safe place to park and open the hood of your vehicle. If you drive a large vehicle like a pickup truck, you might need a stepstool to get up high enough to access the right spot in the engine bay.
• Look for the end of the dipstick, which is what needs to be removed so you can review the oil. Typically, the end of the dipstick will have a plastic coating and it will feature a bright color – often yellow – that makes it easy to spot. While the precise location of the dipstick will vary from vehicle to vehicle, it is measuring the engine oil so it will not be too far from the center of the space under the hood.
• While it might seem silly, the first thing you are going to do when reviewing the dipstick is to wipe it off and put it right back into the engine. You want to get a fresh reading, so cleaning off the stick and then dipping it back in is the best way to do just that. You can wipe it off with a rag or a paper towel. When the stick is clean, you’ll notice that there is are minimum and maximum markings on the stick. This is the range where the oil level should come to when filled to an appropriate level.
• After dipping the stick back in the engine, pull it out and see how far up the oil goes. If it is within that range, you saw earlier, you are all set for quantity. If it’s below the minimum mark, some oil needs to be added. Also, look at the color of the oil during this check. If it’s very dark – dark brown or even black – consider having the oil changed right away.

All in all, it will only take a few moments to check the oil in your engine. As always when working with your vehicle, be careful to take safety precautions and don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with. If necessary, take your vehicle to an auto shop to have the oil checked and any service performed.

Don’t Make These Errors

As you can see, inspecting your oil is fairly easy. As mentioned earlier, however, you can make some mistakes that will either give you incorrect results or put you in danger. Review the points below to avoid these missteps.

• Hot engine. If you have just been driving around for a while, it’s best to let your engine cool off before taking a reading. For one thing, everything under the hood is quite hot after you’ve been driving, so it’s easy to burn yourself when trying to check the oil. Also, you might not get an accurate reading until things settle down and cool off. With that said, check your owner’s manual to see if it is recommended that the oil should be checked when the engine is cold or warm.
• Parking on a hill. You want to be on a flat surface when checking your oil. Parking on a slope can tilt the oil either toward or away from you, leading to an incorrect reading. Also, it can be more dangerous to work under the hood while the vehicle isn’t on flat ground.
• Adding too much. If your oil reading comes back low, it’s a good idea to add some oil – but you don’t want to pour in too much. After you add a quart, give it some time before you take another reading and see where you are at. The oil won’t get all the way down to the bottom immediately, so checking quickly could cause you to add more than is required.

You can make a habit of checking the condition of your oil on your own, or you can simply get on a schedule of regular oil changes with Taylor & Sons Chevrolet. By coming in periodically for an oil change, you’ll be able to stay ahead of the game and avoid letting your oil degrade too far. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and we hope to serve you soon!

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