How To: Check your vehicle’s engine oil

It is important to check your car’s oil often. Many mechanics recommend checking the vehicles oil each time you fill up the gas tank.

I generally recommend checking it once a month, depending on how often the vehicle is driven. Also, in most cases, you should have a mobile oil change every three months or three thousand miles — whichever comes first.

When it is time to check you vehicle’s engine oil, start by parking the vehicle on a flat surface. Also, you may want to be sure that it has not been driven recently, because a hot engine means hot oil and will burn you if hot oil touches your skin.

Secondly, open your vehicle’s hood. Once the hood is open, find the oil dipstick. It is usually labeled “oil” or similar, and is shaped like a circle.

Third, after you have located the dipstick, pull it out of the tube, and with a rag, wipe it off. Next insert the dipstick back into the tube it was removed from and pull it out again. This time do not wipe it right away. Instead, inspect how far up on the dipstick the oil reaches. On every vehicle, there is some way of indicating the proper oil level, whether it be two pinholes, the letters ‘L’ and ‘H’ (low and high) or just a cross hatch pattern.

Often you may have to consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual if you are unable to tell which is the appropriate full line or indicator. Generally, if the top of the oil streak on the dipstick is between the two marks or in the crosshatch pattern, it is full. But once again, you may want to consult your owner’s manual or have an auto mechanic do the oil change.

Lastly, while you have the dipstick out, you may want to inspect the oil color. If the oil is either brown or black it is OK, but if it is a milky tan or similar, or has metal flakes in the oil, this indicates your vehicle may have damage and you should get the vehicle to a mechanic right away.

If all is well, the oil is full, and is either brown or black, replace the dipstick back into the tube it was removed from, be sure it is all the way seated into the dipstick tube and close the hood.