How to Read Your Oil Level

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Mark Sullivan for Expert Village and today we're going to teach you how to change the oil in a standard internal combustion automobile engine. So to check the oil level in your vehicle the first thing you do is remove the dipstick. There are markings on your dipstick; this checkered area. That is the permissible zone and you want it to be at the top of this checkered area. Anything below that indicates you're low on oil. This is the indicator of the oil level in your motor while at risk. You should not have the engine running when you are checking the oil. Okay, we're going to place the dipstick back into the oil dipstick tube and insert it fully being careful not to jam it. Put it in all the way and then pull it directly out to achieve a good reading. This indicates a proper oil level in the engine. You can see that our old oil is black or it's dark brown and it is thin and how it will drip off of the dipstick easily. This oil is becoming worn out and dark with contaminates. Okay, we're going to put the dipstick back in and then we will proceed with our oil change on the motor."