Refill oil in an emergency situation

The need to refill the oil in the engine of your car will probably be encountered sooner or later by every driver. TotalEnergies suggests what to do in a situation where there is no adequate supply in the trunk for the popular "top up".

Not every signal suggesting the immediate need to refill the oil level is reliable, but none should be ignored.

Example one - during a steep exit from an underground garage, the low oil level light flashed (if the vehicle is equipped with such a light). This is probably a false alarm, resulting from the steep incline of the ground.

Example two - the light came on while driving on a curve, but went out after a while. The forces acting on the oil during cornering cause it to move in the oil pan. It is likely that its level is already close to the minimum.

Example three - the light came on after starting the engine and does not go off. The oil level is rather certainly already at the minimum level, or even below.

In any of these cases, stop the vehicle as soon as possible and check the oil level with a dipstick.

How to read the readings?

We remind you that the oil level should be checked when the car is leveled. The measurement should be taken with the engine off, after waiting at least a minute - all the oil must drain into the oil pan. Otherwise, the indication on the dipstick will be unreliable.

To read the oil indication correctly, remove the dipstick, clean it, reinsert it to the end and remove it again. The oil trace relative to the markers indicates the oil level.

Most oil dipsticks have two markers - a minimum level and a maximum level. The oil trace should be between these markers. On some car models, you will still find a third marker on the dipstick - the upper maximum level. This usually applies to diesels equipped with a diesel particulate filter, where the oil level rises due to dilution with fuel. Either way, the oil level should never go below the marker indicating the minimum condition. Andrzej Husiatyński – Technical Department TotalEnergies Marketing Poland.

Is driving with minimal oil harmful to the engine?

It all depends on the circumstances. A quiet drive to the nearest garage or store, where you can buy oil cheaper than at the station - certainly will not hurt.

Driving with full use of power, dynamic, in the mountains or with a trailer will already have a negative effect on the engine, in which "oil is at a minimum". Oil also acts as a coolant, and if there is little of it - the temperature of selected areas of the engine can enter dangerously high levels. It is also dangerous to overflow in the oil sump on turns - if there is little oil, the oil sump can be temporarily exposed in a critical situation.

It is also unacceptable to knowingly continue a trip with a low oil level, as the oil level can drop below the minimum at any time

Is driving with oil levels below the minimum harmful to the engine?

Of course, although it is better to use the term "dangerous for the engine" in this case.

Even if nothing happens temporarily, operating the engine with an oil level below the minimum will shorten the life of the drive unit. This is because a number of parameters will deteriorate - such as the cooling of the engine with oil or the removal of contaminants (despite adequate dispersion, the oil will not be able to capture all the soot). Oil which is too little overheats, and this further deteriorates its parameters.

What kind of oil to add?

It's a good idea to take advantage of internet access and access an oil configurator, such as this one by TotalEnergies:
https://totalenergies.pl/dobierz-olej-0

Just enter the data of your car and the application will suggest which oil will be the best choice.

If we're in a tricky situation and don't have any information about what kind of oil we need, it's worth choosing the best product (implicitly, the most expensive one), because then there's the greatest chance that it will meet all the requirements of our engine. If there is only one oil at the station, of average grade - it can also be used in an emergency, because it is better to add anything than nothing. Andrzej Husiatyński – Technical Department TotalEnergies Marketing Poland.

How much oil to add?

On most dipsticks for measuring the oil level, the difference between the minimum and maximum mark is 1 liter. So if we have a minimum level, it is enough to add 0.5 liter of oil. In the case of a typical 4-cylinder engine of up to 2 liters, this will be about 10-20% of the volume of all the oil that is in the oil pan. Even if we miss the quality of the added oil, we will, of course, worsen the parameters of this mixture, but it will not be some kind of catastrophe, and it will be easy to get to the nearest workshop to change the oil to the manufacturer's recommendations.