Jun 9, 2021
Oil is one of the most important aspects of your vehicle’s engine and making sure that your car always has enough is one of the best ways to avoid the catastrophe of your car breaking down on the way home from work or day out with the family.
If you’re driving an older car, you need to make sure you’re looking after your engine because once you pass the 100k mile mark, wear on the engine can cause it to burn off oil every time you drive.
Engine oil transfers heat away from lubricated engine components such as bearings, pistons, rings, valve stems and cylinder bores during operation. As the oil travels around the motor, more and more heat is absorbed and transferred.
Before you start to check your engine oil levels, you want to ensure that the vehicle is parked on level ground with the engine off, parked in a lower gear with the handbrake on. Do not do this straight after a journey as the engine oil will be hot!
This is one of the easiest things to find under the bonnet, all you need to do is look out for the small coloured handle, typically yellow or orange, marked with an oil can symbol.
The next step is to pull the dipstick out and have a paper towel or rag ready to wipe off any excess oil on the dipstick. Once it’s cleaned, you will be able to see two lines. The lower line indicates that the engine oil is one quart low, whereas the upper line will let you know whether the tank is full.
Once it’s fully cleaned, insert the dipstick back into the tube and push it all the way down and take it back out again, you will be able to see where the oil has marked the dipstick and whether or not you need to add more oil.
Need to add some oil? Then now is the time to do it! Once you have replaced the oil, wait a few minutes and recheck the oil again. You do not have to fill the engine to the full line mark for it to run safely.
Don’t feel confident checking, changing or topping up your oil? Get quotes today from local, reputable mechanics in your area from MyCarNeedsA.com today!
