How to check your car’s oil level?

Talleres Santa Eulalia teaches you how to check it.

Checking oil levels is usually a task assigned to mechanical workshops, especially when we have to do the vehicles’ annual review.

However, this simple check can avoid possible future damage since the correct lubrication of the engine oil is responsible for avoiding friction between the parts or temperature increases that could damage the block. In addition, the engine oil allows the parts to slide easily and therefore the combustion process is satisfactory.

What is the function of engine oil?

  1. Lubricate by forming a film between the moving parts reducing friction, preventing wear out of the parts.
  2. Cools the engine by removing heat from the pistons.
  3. Seal the space between the pistons and rings to maintain compression.
  4. Clean the engine by removing carbon residues that may form inside it.

What happens if there is not enough oil?

The engine can grip (internal parts break and stop working immediately) or suffer serious breakdowns that can cause the end of the life of the vehicle

How to check it?

  1. First of all, the vehicle must be in a horizontal position, in a space without slopes, with the engine stopped and cold.
  2. Generally, we will always find in the engine, a rod to be able to measure the oil level.
  3. Then, if we stretch the rod, we can check that it is impregnated with oil with two notches that inform us of the minimum and maximum level allowed. As this measurement is not real; we have to proceed to clean the rod with a paper and reinsert it to the bottom for a few seconds.

     

4. Finally, remove the rod and check that the oil level is between the two notch levels (minimum and maximum level); which indicates that everything is correct and we should not do anything else
If the oil level is below the minimum, what we must do is refill it with the same oil and measure it again. If, on the other hand, the oil level is above the maximum, we must go to our mechanic workshop so that a professional can check the condition of the engine and drain some of the oil.

Finally, from Talleres Santa Eulalia, we recommend that you check the oil level every month or before a long trip.

As you can see, it is a quick and simple verification that can extend the life of the vehicle and avoid possible damage.