To understand how driving with a low oil level in your vehicle can be dangerous for its engine, you first need to understand the role that oil serves in your vehicle's engine. Oil's primary role in an engine is to lubricate the many moving components of the engine. As an engine runs, oil continually cycles through the engine, passing over various parts of the engine. Oil forms a thin film layer over these parts that prevents the parts from producing unnecessary friction with one another.

As oil cycles in an engine, it also absorbs the heat of the engine. Through a process that is known as convection, oil then dissipates this heat throughout the engine, allowing the engine to expel the heat quicker. Oil prevents heat from concentrating in specific parts of an engine.

The parts of an engine collect debris over time. However, oil collects this debris as it passes over the engine's parts and has the debris filtered out when it flows through the engine's oil filter. This is one of oil's many benefits for an engine; it continually cleans the engine as it cycles around the engine.

Excessive Wear

Driving with a low oil level in your vehicle's engine can allow the engine to wear out much quicker. The excessive wear is a result of excess friction, heat, and debris in the engine. Friction will cause the components of the engine to grind against one another, reducing the amount of material on the parts. Heat can cause warping in the engine, eventually causing the engine's parts to lose alignment with one another. Excess debris in an engine can begin to grind against the engine's components. The wear will eventually cause the engine to fail prematurely.

An engine with a low oil level is more prone to overheating than an engine that has a sufficient amount of oil. Overheating can be caused by excessive friction in an engine and the normal heat that the engine produces as it runs. Without an adequate amount of oil, heat cannot be absorbed by the engine's oil. The engine can then be further damaged from heat soak and the warping of its components.

Checking the oil level of your vehicle is simple and is a routine habit that you should develop. If your vehicle is not equipped with a physical dipstick, then the vehicle will most likely provide a digital oil level reading, which you can conveniently access from inside of the cabin of your vehicle. To determine which menus to navigate through to find your vehicle's digital oil level reading, refer to the owner's manual for the vehicle, where you will also find a variety of information about the oil that your vehicle needs.

If your vehicle has a dipstick, then you can check its oil level by parking the vehicle on a flat surface and removing the dipstick from its tube. Once you have removed the vehicle's dipstick, you will need to take a rag and wipe the existing oil off of the dipstick.

Place the dipstick back in its tube and remove it once again. The dipstick will now provide a reading of your vehicle's oil level. If the top of the oil line is in between the markings that are on the dipstick, then your vehicle has enough oil in its engine. However, if the top of the oil line is below the bottom marking, then your vehicle's oil level is too low, and you will need to add oil to the vehicle's engine.

Oil is a crucial fluid for a vehicle, which is why manufacturers recommend that drivers change the oil in their vehicles so frequently. Driving with a low oil level in your vehicle can decrease the lifespan of your vehicle's engine and can ultimately destroy the engine completely. At Leachman Buick GMC, we want to help you to keep your vehicle in excellent running condition. Contact us if you would like to learn more about the important role that oil plays in your vehicle or if you would like to learn more about the services that we have to offer at our dealership.