No-Toil Oil Check

Of all the fluids in your vehicle, one is absolutely crucial to the survival of your engine—oil. A thin layer of oil molecules rides between every surface inside your engine. These molecules lubricate surfaces and prevent heat-producing friction from destroying your engine in short order. Keeping an eye on your engine oil level is not only important—it's easy!

The Big Why
Understanding why to check your oil begins with an understanding of the engine oiling system. Bolted to the underside of your engine is an oil pan. The oil collects in the pan after circulating through the engine and oil filter. At the very bottom of the pan there is a pickup for the oil pump.


The oil pump circulates oil through your engine. The pump picks up oil from the bottom of the engine oil pan, and constantly sends it back up to the top of the engine to maintain lubrication. Without a constant and steady supply of oil, the pump will lose pressure and engine damage will occur. This is why the correct level of oil is crucial.


While most vehicles are equipped with a low oil pressure warning light, by the time the light comes on the damage is already done. For this reason these lights have earned the unfortunate moniker of "idiot lights." Other vehicles have oil pressure gauges that constantly monitor engine oil pressure by means of a sensor peering into the engine itself.

The Simple How
To check the oil, every vehicle has a dipstick that lives up to its name and dips into the oil pan itself. On the bottom of the dipstick are two marks. The upper mark indicates full. The lower mark indicates add. Since the dipstick only reads how much oil is in the pan itself, there are a few rules to follow when checking your oil.