Check your Oil Yourself - Be A Handy Man And Save On Maintenance Expenses
With the American economy growing more and more unstable, people are looking for the smallest ways to save up on their expenses. While having a car is essential for most to get to their jobs and run other errands, car maintenance can cause a large dent in your cash box. Instead of running to the service center every time you spot car trouble, why don’t you be a smarter vehicle owner and learn a few ways to take care of your automobile on your own?
For instance, your oil engine is one of the most important parts of your car. Knowing how to troubleshoot when oil engine problems presents themselves can be a good start to automotive smarts that can help you cut maintenance and repair costs.
How do you respond if the engine oil light indicator on your dashboard lights up?
The engine oil lubricates, cools and cleans the engine, which is the primary component why your car is running. If the engine oil indicator lights up, there are only two causes; the oil is low, or your oil pump has stopped working altogether. If this happens to you when you are away from home or far from any gas station or service station, what will you do?
First, you will need to stop driving. If your oil runs out and you keep on driving, your engine will be damaged and the repairs will be expensive as hell, or the engine can be ruined irreparably and you will need an engine overhaul. Find a safe place to stop, hopefully not too far from where the light went on.
You will need to turn off the engine. Do not forget to turn on your hazard lights to avoid getting hit by another vehicle especially at night. Pop your hood open and check your oil with the dipstick. If you are lucky, you will have motor oil in the trunk, add oil if the level is low, carefully following the indicators on the dipstick. Restart your engine and check if the light is off. If it is, then you can continue on your way. Keep on checking the oil if you have a long way to drive every couple of hours and over the next few weeks. If the oil keeps on going down, you may have a leak so you will now need to see a mechanic.
Checking your oil regularly could have prevented this type of situation. If you only know how to check your engine oil and not be dependent on the gas servicemen every time you get gas, you might have not gone through this. If you do not know how to see if your engine oil is at the right level, then you should start learning now.
Open your car’s hood and locate the oil dipstick; it would normally be near the spark plugs. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with a rag. You will see two markings at the end indicating the lowest and highest levels of oil allowable. Dip it again and check if the oil marks in between the two levels. If it did, then your engine oil is sufficient.
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