Check your engine oil with the dipstick
Checking the oil takes a paper towel and a minute. Do it before a long drive, not after a warning light.
- Park on level ground, turn the engine off and wait 5–10 minutes.
- Pull out the dipstick (usually a brightly coloured handle) and wipe it clean.
- Push it all the way back in, then pull it out again.
- Read where the oil line sits. It should be between the min and max marks.
Tip: If it's low, add the oil grade your handbook specifies, a little at a time, and recheck. Overfilling harms the engine too. Some newer cars have no dipstick: check the manual.
Try it now: Next time you're by the car, find the dipstick and the oil filler cap so you know where they are.
Next crumbs
- 🔧 Home & carCheck tire pressure against the door stickerThe number on your tire's sidewall is the maximum, not the target. The right one is inside the driver's door.
- 🔧 Home & carConnect jumper cables in the right orderThe order isn't superstition: the last clamp sparks, so it goes away from the battery and its gas.
- 🔧 Home & carFind a wall stud without a stud finderHang heavy things on wood, not just drywall. Studs follow a predictable pattern.