How do you put oil in a car

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If you don’t have the right amount of oil in your vehicle, you can ruin your engine, which can cost you thousands. Putting oil in is easy and can save you a lot of money, especially if you have an older vehicle that has developed leaks.

Step 1

Remove the dipstick to determine if you need to add oil. The dipstick is located near the engine, and will be marked "engine oil." Pull the dipstick out, wipe it with a paper towel or clean cloth, replace it and pull it back out again. See where the oil is on the dipstick. The dipstick will be marked "low/add" and "full," indicating the need to add oil. If the oil is below the full line, you need to add oil. If there is no oil on the dipstick, seek help from a licensed mechanic.

Step 2

Remove the oil cap located on the engine and place a clean funnel in it.

Step 3

Poor oil in. If oil was on the "add" mark, you need approximately 2 qts. of oil. If it is in between the "add" and "full" marks, add 1/2 qt. at a time and recheck the level to prevent overfilling.

Step 4

Crank the engine until the oil light goes off (or the oil pressure rises on the oil gauge, if your vehicle is equipped with one), then turn the engine off. Recheck the oil by pulling the dipstick, wiping it and then reading it to ensure it is at the proper level.

Tips

• Check your owner’s manual for suggestions on the weight of oil needed for your vehicle.
• The weight of the oil needed will depend on how many miles are on the vehicle, the age of the vehicle, the part of the country you live in, the altitude and the time of year.

Things You'll Need

• Oil in appropriate weight
• Funnel
• Vehicle
• Paper towel

Warnings

• Do not overfill.
• Do not skip the regular oil changes recommended in your owner’s manual.

Writer Bio

Tammatha R. Conerly has been writing professionally since 2004 and is a freelance writer, reporter and photographer. Conerly has worked as a correspondent for several newspapers in Louisiana, Wyoming and Idaho. Conerly is the President and CEO of The WRITE Business Solutions, which she founded in late 2004.

When checking and changing your oil, it’s important that you have the right oil for your car, that you check your dipstick correctly, and put in just enough to get your oil to the correct level. We’ll tell you how.

• Thursday 14 July 2022
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Use the dipstick to check the engine oil level

Regularly checking your engine oil is one of the most important things you can do to look after your car and is just one of the things that is checked during a service. You shouldn’t have to completely change your oil every time you check it, just a top up should be fine until the oil goes bad.

What you’ll need to check and top up your oil:

• Rubber gloves
• Kitchen towel
• Engine oil
• Funnel

Oil can stain your hands so you’ll be glad of the gloves, and the kitchen towel is great for wiping the dipstick after you’ve used it. The funnel is a lifesaver for not spilling oil everywhere.

Make sure you have the correct oil for your car. Consult your owner’s manual to confirm the oil type.

Step 1: Park your car on flat ground

To start with, make sure your car is parked in the right place, on flat ground. If the car is on a slope, the readings won’t be accurate.

Step 2: Locate the dipstick and wipe clean

Open your car’s bonnet and locate the dipstick. This is usually brightly coloured with a round or T-shaped handle.

Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Once you’ve wiped the dirty oil from the dipstick, re-insert it until it clicks back into place.

Step 3: Remove the dipstick again and check level

You should then remove the dipstick again to check the oil level. There will be two marks on the dipstick to show the optimum level that your oil should be at. Your oil level should be somewhere between the two.

If your oil level is below the bottom line, or if there isn’t any oil on the dipstick at all, you should immediately top up your engine oil.

Step 4: Fill up your oil using the funnel

To fill up your oil, you first need to locate the oil filler cap in your engine bay. This should have the word ‘oil’ marked on it, or an outline of an oil can.

Then, position your funnel at the top of the spout and pour your oil in. Make sure that you are using the correct oil for your car.

To get an idea of how much oil you need; the gap between the marks on the dipstick usually represents around 1 litre of oil, so you know that if your oil mark was at the minimum, you need around a litre to top it up. If it’s only halfway down, you probably need around half a litre.

Try not to overfill by pouring a bit at a time, and checking your dipstick using the method I just told you about.

All done…

That’s you sorted. Now you just need to pop the dipstick back in and clean your hands!

How do I know when I need to change my oil?

You’ll know when this happens if the colour of your oil is black and gritty, your engine is louder than normal, you can’t remember when you last changed your oil, or your check engine light won’t go away. Also, if you keep topping up your oil and the level keeps dropping quickly, then your oil is probably too old and needs to be changed.

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