Your Motor Oil Color And What It Means?

 It’s not a secret that maintenancing your Orlando Toyota’s motor oil is one of the most common auto services you’ll schedule for your car. So it’s safe to say you don’t want to skip out on getting an oil change, as it’s one of the most common auto services for a reason – it’s essential. Your car’s oil does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to moving the metal pieces inside of your Orlando Toyota’s engine. By lubricating all of the moving components, it acts similarly to your body’s blood system in that your body’s blood carries necessary nutrients throughout the body. 

So, with that being said, in the scenario where your engine light turns on and alerts you it’s time to schedule an oil change, you might ask yourself, is it really though?

Keep reading, to find out how you can check to see if it really is time to schedule an oil change by just looking at the color of your motor oil!

Let's get into it!

Check your motor oil color.

First things first, go ahead and check the color of the motor oil in your car by turning off your engine, popping open the hood, and finding the dipstick. Once you find the dipstick, pull it out from the engine. Once you've done that, it’s time to investigate the color. 

What color it is? And what it means for your Toyota.

Tan to Caramel: 

You’re in the clear. This means your Orlando Toyotas motor oil is healthy! Also, fun fact this is the color it is when it’s put into your car. This indicates that your vehicle is in great shape with clean oil that's free of debris. If you want to be even safer, go ahead and make sure the oil level falls in between two tick marks on the dipstick and you’re all set. 

Dark Brown to Black. 

It looks like you got a case of the dirt mites! If your car’s oil is dark brown or black, it is usually due to exposure to, too much heat, or it’s just dirty. This is indicated your motor oil did its job, and it’s time for an oil change! If you don’t end up servicing your car when it’s in this condition, it can lead to a big bill due to engine damage. So, don’t sleep on your oil change and protect your Orlando Toyota. 

Milky-colored to Cream:

I know what you’re thinking... “What is going on with my car?” well, believe it or not, if you’re looking at a creamy or milky-looking motor oil, it’s not because you spilled your latte in your car. However, it can indicate that there’s a moisture issue (most likely due to a head gasket leak). Something else that might happen is this could lead to white smoking coming out of the exhaust, or you’re losing more coolant than usual. 

This means you should get a routine car service to ensure you don’t blow the head gasket and accumulate high repair expenses.

Milky-colored with a frothy texture. 

This is not a latte order; this is the motor oil we are talking about! Motor oil should not look like your latte order, so if you find there’s a frothy texture, it means you have moisture in your motor oil. However, if you don’t notice any signs of a head gasket leak with symptoms of white smoke coming from your car or losing coolant more than usual, then it’s the good ole water contaminating your oil. 

Ok, so after all of this motor talk…

Schedule a fast and efficient oil change at Toyota of Orlando! 

We would love to help you ensure your motor oil gets back to its healthy state. But, trust us holding off on this servicing is not worth the expensive repairs. So, if you end up wanting to schedule an oil change with us, give us a call at (407)298-0001. We’re open seven days a week, located just off I-4 near the Millenia Mall.