Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Autowirral How to Check Your Oil

Things You’ll Need:

* 1 Quart of Motor Oil
* Paper Towels
* Rags

Step1
Check the oil when the engine is warm. Oil expands when it's hot
and contracts when it's cold. Different temperatures will give you different readings.

Step2
Park the car on a level surface.

Step3
Turn off the engine.

Step4
Pull the hood release lever under the dashboard.

Step5
Walk around the front of the car, reach under the hood, find the latch and squeeze it. As you squeeze the latch, open the hood.

Step6
Find the dipstick, a long piece of metal sticking out of the engine with a loop at one end, usually located near the spark plugs.

Step7
Pull on the loop and draw the dipstick all the way out.

Step8
Wipe the oil off the dipstick with a paper towel or shop rag.

Step9
Replace the clean dipstick, making sure to push it all the way in, then pull it back out and hold it horizontally in front of you.

Step10
Look at the pointy end of the dipstick. If the oil on the dipstick is below the line marked "full," add a small amount of oil (less than a quarter of a quart) with a funnel. Many dipsticks simply have 2 lines with a cross hatch design in between. The oil level should be halfway between these 2 lines.

Step11
Add the oil by unscrewing the oil filler cap, which is about 3 inches in diameter and located on the very top of the engine.

Step12
Check the oil level with the dipstick after adding oil. Add more if necessary. It's easier to add more oil, but fairly difficult to remove oil if you add too much.

Step13
Put the oil filler cap back on and secure it tightly.

One important thing to note:

If its a diesel, especially a Turbo Diesel, do NOT run the engine if you overfill it with oil, empty some out first; doing so can cause the engine to self destruct. The engine and turbo can start to run on its own oil and it will redline and you won't be able to stop it!!

unless you force stall it....which you cant do in an auto...


new beemer 330 and 530 diesels are prone to this...esp if you switch them off straight after a good spanking...the seals go and the engine gets lunched..not good!

Its even hard to force stall it though isnt it, from what I understand, the chances of stopping it before its done catastophic damage are very remote?

Ive heard of a couple of stories on the MG-Rover forums, if it happens he general consensus is summit along the lines of (in a split second may I add) turn off the ignition, whack it into 5th, bring the clutch up quick and most importantly pray lol.

Scary shit!!

correct me if im wrong, but reguarless of the engine i was always told to to check the oil level on a completly cold engine, as after you have started it up it get s thrown everywere and takes time to return to the sump therefore giving you a false reading

On 99% of engines thats right, though there are some that will specifiy you check the oil hot, and some that you check when they are running (Older Porsches), but the majority should be done at cold and on a flat surface

Just a copy and paste guys

i've always been told to check one a cold engine... remove the dipstick... wipe oil off it... put it back and and take it back out keeping it hold vertically in the same position it was removed then the oil should be above the minimum and below the maximum markers

replace oil as necessary

The correct way to check the oil level is from a overnight stone cold engine.

If the vehicle have a Auto Gear-Box, it has to be checked while is running hot for couple of minutes with the gear-stick moved up & down three times before taking a reading on the dip stick.

The important thing is that you do not over fill.

HTH.

I've always been told to run the engine for a few mins, then check the levels

Try take a reading from cold and then warm to see if this makes any different, usually the correct reading is from cold as the oil are at the bottom of the sump.
HTH.

If you have a run-away-diesel you can try choking it by covering the air inlet - I suppose that blocking the exhaust might be worth a try, works with petrol but I have a feeling that the exhaust won't work as well with a diesel.

Frightening when you get run-away, the last time I know of it happening there were six people running away only one had the bottle to try and stop it, he was the owner and it was a nackered turbo that caused the problem. I believe there are cases of piston flying through engine blocks, or is this an urban myth?

Putting it in a high gear with the handbrake on, and dropping the clutch will generally be the easiest way to stall a car

Sorry StuyMac, forgot to mention that I was referring to automatics mentioned above, it is the only way to stop a run-away deisel automatic without making a rather large hole in wall/garage/tree/neighbour/lampost etc...

Personnally I'd just run, lifes too short!

On speaking with works mechanics...bmw 530d..and 330d autos have been known to do this...various seals fail if the engine is pushed very hard..and then shut off...repeatedly...(much how a police car would be driven!)

and yes...there isnt anyway for force stall them...other than to cover up the air intake...scary....but then...works car..who cares if it gets fubard?