Checking your oil without the car running is not only safe and easy, but it also lets you know how much oil you’re using. Well, it’s hard to tell exactly why people get confused about this, but it could be because they think that checking their oil with the car running will give them an accurate reading. The truth is that even if your car is off, the oil level in your engine will still rise and fall based on how much oil you’ve used over time.
Why check the oil with the car running?
When you check your oil with the car running, it’s important to make sure that there aren’t any leaks in your engine. If there are, you may end up with too much oil in your engine, which can cause problems like sludge build-up or even premature wear on certain parts of your engine.
If there aren’t any leaks, then checking with the car running is okay because it means that all that extra pressure won’t be pushing any excess oil out of the system and onto your driveway.
When to check the oil with the car running?
There are two different ways that you can check your car’s oil level. The first is to do it with the engine off. This is probably what most people do because it’s easier and less time-consuming, but there are some cases where checking it with the engine running is better.
If your car has a low idle, or if you’re driving up a hill or accelerating quickly, this would be a good time to check because these conditions can cause your oil level to drop more quickly than usual.
If you’re driving up a steep hill and you notice that your oil light is on, this could mean that either your engine needs more oil or that there’s something wrong with it but checking while driving will tell you which one before getting into trouble further down the road.
How to check the oil with the car running?
Most modern cars have an oil dipstick that’s located under the hood, so you’ll need to pop the hood and get access to it before checking your oil levels. Make sure that all the car’s accessories are off before doing this you don’t want to risk starting a fire.
Once you’ve got the dipstick in place, turn on the car and wait for it to warm up a bit before checking its temperature with an infrared thermometer. You’ll want to wait until at least two minutes have elapsed since starting up your vehicle before taking any readings from its engine block or radiator fluid.
If you’re using a traditional dipstick for checking oil levels, make sure it has been cleaned thoroughly before using it again by wiping down both ends of the stick with a dry rag soaked in rubbing alcohol.
If you don’t clean out your dipstick regularly, chances are good that some dirt will get stuck inside it during use which could affect readings significantly when taking them down later on during time.
Why do I need to check the oil?
The engine needs to be cool before you check the oil, so it’s best to do this when your car is cool. That said, it’s also important that you don’t let your engine idle for long periods of time this can damage your engine. If you’re going to check the oil, turn off the ignition and run out of gas while you’re doing it.
How often should I check the oil?
If you’re not sure how often to check the oil, start by checking it every time you get gas. You’ll want to keep a log of when you do this so that you can see how often it needs to be done.
Conclusion
You can check your oil with the car running. All you have to do is wait for the engine to reach a normal operating temperature and pour in a little bit of oil. The car will run for about fifteen minutes, so make sure that your trip isn’t longer than that.
