Is it better to check the oil in a car before you start it or after it has been running, like at a gas station

Hot or cold, makes no difference but for accuracy the engine should be turned off.





When you check the transmission fluid, the vehicle's engine should be running.Is it better to check the oil in a car before you start it or after it has been running, like at a gas station
If you're checking to see if you have enough, it's best to check while the engine is cool. Otherwise, you'll have oil through the engine and it may show low when in fact you have plenty.Is it better to check the oil in a car before you start it or after it has been running, like at a gas station
It is better to check your oil in your car before you start it.
The best way to check you oil is with the engine warm, but turned off.
If your oil is of concern to you, you should check it before you start the engine.
always check it before you satr it because if you are low and dont find out until you get to the gas station you could do severe engine damage
1. Check the oil when the engine is warm. Oil expands when it's hot and contracts when it's cold; different temperatures will give you different readings.





2. Park the car on a level surface.





3. Turn off the engine.





4. Pull the hood release lever under the dashboard.





5. Walk around the front of the car, reach under the hood, find the latch and squeeze it. As you squeeze the latch, open the hood. (Image 1)





6. Find the dipstick, a long piece of metal sticking out of the engine with a loop at one end, usually located near the spark plugs. (Image 2)





7. Pull on the loop and draw the dipstick all the way out.





8. Wipe the oil off the dipstick with a paper towel or shop rag. (Image 3)





9. Replace the clean dipstick, making sure to push it all the way in, then pull it back out and hold it horizontally in front of you. (Image 4)





10. Look at the pointy end of the dipstick. If the oil on the dipstick is below the line marked ';full,'; add a small amount of oil (less than a quarter of a quart) with a funnel. Many dipsticks simply have two lines with a cross hatch design in between. The oil level should be halfway between these two lines. (Image 5)





11. Add the oil by unscrewing the oil filler cap, which is about 3 inches in diameter and located on the very top of the engine. (Image 6)





12. Check the oil level with the dipstick after adding oil. Add more if necessary. It's easier to add more oil but fairly difficult to remove oil if you add too much.





13. Put the oil filler cap back on and secure it tightly.
if the car has been sitting a while, that is the best time to check because it will give you the total volume in the crankcase. You never want to overfill the crankcase...it can damage your engine or blow the pcv
before you start it but either way will work..
First thing in the morning is the ideal ..... when its all in the pan.
before you start it. Transmission fluid is checked after you start it.
Better to check it five minutes after you've shut it off-- provided there's no reason to assume that there is no oil, in which case you should not start the engine at all.
Before
check it both ways to be sure