Why does my car have an oil pressure gauge?

Oil filter for motor oil in an automobile.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Your car’s engine, like nearly every other engine build on the principles of the internal combustion engines needs motor oil to lubricate, cool and clean the engine’s internal mechanisms. Motor oil is so critical to the workings of the engine that without it you would very quickly have a piece of scrap on your hands, good for nothing except being melted down. In a nutshell it’s the job of the oil warning light, or the oil pressure gauge as you will find in some cars, to let the driver know when the pressure of the motor oil is getting too low to allow it to do its job. It should be noted that it is a warning about oil pressure not about the amount of oil in your engine but because the oil pressure will fall when the volume of oil falls too they can be considered the same for our purposes. Some cars have an oil pressure gauge specifically to let the drive see the actual pressure. These are fitted mostly to high performance cars and are not needed to 99.9% of motorist who only need to know when the oil pressure is too low.

 

To stop the warning light from coming on check the level of motor oil on a monthly basis. If you drive a lot of miles or have a car that burns through oil quickly you should check it more frequently. You should not just keep driving until the light comes on and then check the oil level. The warning light is controlled by an engine oil pressure sensor and if this switch is faulty the light might not even come on. It’s a very bad idea to drive a car on low oil levels even if they are not quite low enough to trigger the warning light. The best thing to do is keep the oil near the full mark as indicated by the dipstick, and keep your oil change equipment handy if you are the type to change the oil your self.

 

 

 

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Changing Your Oil Safely

With the current economic problems everyone is trying to save money any way they can and one area that is gaining a lot of attention is car maintenance.  It used to be that most everyone new how to do tune-ups and oil changes on their cars but that has changed in the last few decades as we have had enough money to pay people to do these tasks.  Most car owners are strapped for cash now so not only are they buying junkyard parts when they can but they are getting back into doing their own oil changes and brake jobs.  Most tune-ups and engine repairs are no longer possible to do at home due to all the electronics on the new cars.

Brakes and oil changes are still fairly easily done in your driveway or garage.  Both of them can be learned but they also pose a possible risk of harm.  In particular, the car can fall on you and smash your hand, foot, or even something worse.  For this reason, always use car axle stands when lifting your car for any reason.  These are adjustable axle stands that have a wide base which means they won’t tip over even if the car gets off balance.

When changing your oil first get your oil change equipment together, the correct oil filter and the needed amount of oil.  Check with your car’s manufacturer for the proper weight and grade.  Also, you will have the best luck if you buy a pan to drain the oil into.

If you haven’t driven the car today, run the engine for 5 minutes or so to warm the oil, it will flow out much easier.  Lift the car up and install the jack stand.  The oil pan will have a plug which lets the oil out.  Place your drain pan under the engine and unscrew the plug.  Drain the oil.  Reinstall the plug and move the oil pan under the oil filter. It is best to remove the oil filter using a filter wrench.  Be sure to catch any oil that leaks out.

Next, apply a film of new oil to the filter rubber sealing ring and screw the filter on till it just touches the seat and then turn one third turn more.  Lower the car and fill it with the recommended amount of oil.  Start the engine and look for leaks then shut it off and after a couple of minutes check the level.  Top off if needed.

For more car care tips visit Available Car Sales.