You should wait at least 20 to 30 minutes after turning off your engine before measuring or changing your oil, although you can add oil to a hot engine during an oil change.
QUICK LOOK
- Adding oil while the engine’s hot won’t damage your vehicle, but the ideal temperature for performing an oil change is warm, not hot.
- Waiting will minimize your chances of being burned and give you a more accurate oil level measurement.
- Hot engine oil may be harder to obtain an accurate oil level reading from—putting you at risk of overfilling the tank.
The ideal temperature for changing your engine oil
You’ll want to add oil when the engine is warm rather than hot, as this will allow the oil to move freely without putting you at risk of an accidental burn. That said, it won’t harm your engine if you add motor oil while it’s hot—but your odds of getting burned are a lot higher.
You’ll also want a warm engine over a hot engine if you are measuring your oil level. Hot oil expands and takes up more space, meaning you may not get an accurate reading of the engine oil level with your oil dipstick.
To get to the right engine temperature before you put oil in or top up:
- With a hot engine: If you’ve had your engine running for a while, start by shutting it off. Wait 20-30 minutes to let the engine cool before draining the old oil and putting in new oil.
- With a cold engine: Start your vehicle and let it run for a few minutes to let it warm up, then shut it off before changing or topping off the oil level.
FAQ
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Can you add oil to a car when it’s hot?
Andrew Biro is an insurance writer specializing in car insurance and car ownership. Andrew’s mission is to provide informative, concise content car owners can use to save money on car-related expenses. Andrew’s nearly 300 Jerry articles span a range of topics from car maintenance how-tos to how car insurance discounts work. Prior to joining Jerry, Andrew completed a B.A. in cultural anthropology from UNC-Greensboro.
Kathryn is an insurance writer and recent graduate from Penn State University, with a Bachelor\\\’s in Women\\\’s and Gender Studies. During her time as a student, she completed a number of written projects, including her undergraduate thesis, \\\”#SUGARBABIES: Women\\\’s Negotiation of Agency and Sugar Culture on TikTok\\\” which is currently under review for publishing at the Journal of Undergraduate Research. Her first car was a green 1997 Subaru Impreza that she bought off of craigslist and named Delilah.
