Why Should You Monitor Your Oil Level?
It’s easy to forget things.
That’s a given.
Keeping track of a lot of things can get tiring after some time.
But we have to understand that we monitor things for a reason. For doctors, they monitor their patient’s vitals to know if they are getting better or worse. For koi breeders, they monitor the conditions of the pond and weather so they come up with healthy fishes.
For car owners, you should monitor a number of things to ensure you have a safe travel and to keep your car healthy. This includes monitoring your oil level.
Why is Oil Important?
Before we talk about why one should regularly monitor their car’s oil levels, we should first try to realize just how important oil is on your car and why you need it.
Now, oil is a lubricant. By lubricant, this means that it reduces friction between two moving solid objects. Inside your car engine, metal to metal friction causes heat and wear. The oil you put in your engine serves as some sort of “shield” that lessens the impact of each hit to reduce wear. It also absorbs the heat produced to ensure your car engine is well within the safe temperature levels.
Without oil, your car won’t last a couple of minutes. The engine will overheat and the engine block might crack due to the heat and pressure.
Why Should You Monitor Your Oil Level?
Let’s say you regularly follow the 3-month rule on your oil change. Normally, you wouldn’t care much about the oil level. While this is acceptable, not all cars can keep the oil level for a long time. This could be due to any of these 3 reasons:
- You have leak.
- Your car is burning oil.
- You have an older car.
Anybody with an older car can at remember one time they checked their oil level and saw that it was way below the minimum level. Older cars tend to be prone to leaks and older engines sometimes do burn oil.
But wait? What does burning oil mean?
Your car is burning oil when the engine loses oil even without a leak. This happens when oil gets burnt when it bypasses the piston rings or when there is a leak in the valve seals. Aside from the constant decrease in your oil level, you would know your engine is burning oil when you see bluish smoke when you are starting your vehicle or when you are accelerating from a stop.
How Often Should You Check Your Oil?
Monitoring your oil levels is not necessarily a daily routine unless you have a pretty old car. For new cars, you can check your oil levels once a month or every other week if you have time. When your car is a bit old, doing it weekly can help you keep track of your engine’s health. A small leak can cause significant decrease in your oil levels within a week.
If you see that your oil level is lower than usual, top it off if you have any spare oil lying around. It’s also best if you go and have your car checked by a mechanic. They can help you pinpoint the reason why your oil levels are going down.