How to Visually Check Oil Levels

Checking your engine oil level is important preventive maintenance.

Maintaining safe oil levels is the single most important factor in your engine's health. While some cars today come equipped with oil level sensors, checking your own oil takes mere seconds, and can warn you not just when oil is dangerously low, but when your oil levels are dropping. While the location of the engine dipstick varies from car to car, checking your oil will require you to pull out the oil dipstick (located in the engine bay), and compare the oil on the stick to the dipstick markings.

Things You'll Need

• Clean rag

Instructions

1. Park your car on level ground and turn off the engine. It is important the vehicle not be parked at an angle, or your oil reading will be off. Open the hood of your car by releasing it from inside the cabin, then reaching underneath the hood to release the catch. Raise your hood and use the hood prop (a long metal rod) to keep the hood suspended if your vehicle requires one. Your best reading will come after the car has sat for a significant amount of time, preferably overnight. With today's thinner oils, it can be hard to get an accurate reading after the vehicle has been driven.

2. Locate your engine oil dipstick. You can check your owner's manual for the exact location, as it will vary from engine to engine. Generally you are looking for a small yellow or orange O-shaped pull tab that usually has either OIL written on it, or the symbol for oil (a little can with an oil drop suspended above it).

3. Pull this tab out. It will be attached to a long, thin metal strip. Wipe the dipstick off and examine the end. Different manufacturers use different indicators, but all dipsticks will have a low and high mark, usually indicated by a L or F, or small holes to indicate low and full. Some dipsticks will have hatch marks, but there will be a low and full line.

4. Insert the dipstick into the dipstick tube, then pull it out and examine the oil line. (The oil will stick to the dipstick.) If the oil is below the fill line, you will need to add additional oil. If it is dry (no visible oil on the dipstick) do not drive the car until you replace the oil.

Tips & Warnings

• It is a good idea to check your oil once a month.

References

• ConsumerReports: How to Check your Car's Engine Oil