- 1). Read your vehicle's owner's manual to determine if a warm or cold engine is required to check the oil. If you must have a cold engine, park your vehicle on a flat surface away from direct sunlight or heat and wait at least an hour before opening the hood and checking the oil. If you need a warm engine, park your vehicle on a flat surface, turn off the engine, wait five minutes, and open the hood.
- 2). Pull the oil dipstick, wipe it with a cloth to remove the oil, and check the location and type of oil level indicators that mark the low and normal oil levels. Types of oil level indicators include dimples, embedded marks such as letter and words, crosshatches or other grooves, and/or paint. Letters can include "A" for "Add" (add oil), "L" for "Low" (low oil) or "F" for "Full" (optimal oil level).
- 3). Push the dipstick back into the tube, wait 15 seconds, then pull the dipstick out again.
- 4). Shine a flashlight on the dipstick and use the reflection of the light on the oil to show the oil level. If you can't see the oil level on the dipstick, wipe the stick, push it back into the tube and go to Step 5.
- 5). Check the oil level with a dry piece of paper towel. Pull the dipstick and slowly slide the piece of paper towel along the stick from the "Full" mark to the tip until you see the paper absorb some of the oil. The point where the paper towel met the oil on the dipstick is the oil level.
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