You don’t want to ruin your vehicle’s engine just because of the low engine oil level. The oil top up might cost a few hundreds to thousands, but once the engine seizes due to low oil, the repairing cost will jump to 150-200%. So it’s better to change or top up oil at the right time and don’t ignore the low oil symptoms.
Here we’ll explain every symptom of low oil in the engine and we’ll tell you which symptom occurs why.
All these symptoms have been experienced by our team members in their cars when their vehicle’s engine oil was critically low:
Hard Gears
This is not applicable for cars, because car engines have dedicated transmission oils, but only applicable on motorcycles as their engine oil is also used to lubricate transmission, hence you see 4T written on motorcycle engine oils.
The engine and oil is designed so that the oil creates a film of lubrication on the gear sprockets. Due to this, you experience smooth gear shifting and noiseless gears during the ride. However, if the oil level is low, a good lubrication film will not be applied on the gears which will create a friction between the gear sprockets. Hence, you might experience grinding, hesitation, or resistance in gear shifting in your bike.
Unusual Engine Sound
There are microscopic gaps between the cylinder walls and the piston. Engine oil forms a thin lubricating film in these gaps, reducing friction and sealing the cylinder to maintain proper compression. This lubrication helps the engine produce its characteristic smooth and bassy sound while running.
When the oil level is low, the lubrication film cannot form on the cylinder walls. As a result, the engine’s sound changes—losing its smoothness and becoming rough or uneven—because the pressure dynamics inside the cylinders are changed. The lack of lubrication also causes the engine to operate noisily and bassy sound disappears from the exhaust.
Oil on the Floor
Park the vehicle for a few hours, come back and check the floor just below the engine side, if there’s oil on the floor, your engine’s oil is leaking. Depending on the leakage size, you should either top-it-up or fix the leakage permanently. If you don’t, sooner or later the engine will go below the minimum threshold level of oil and you’ll start experiencing all these issues.
Burning Oil Smell
A noticeable smell of burning oil inside or around your vehicle indicates that oil may be leaking onto hot engine components. This happens when the oil level is low, it starts overheating inside the engine and hence you listen to that burning smell of oil. Especially on motorcycles, it’s easier to catch that smell. You ride your motorcycle 20-30 Kms and when you park it, you can smell the overheated oil from your engine.
In cars, open the hood after riding the car for 30-50 Kms and if you smell the burnt oil, it probably means the oil is low and it’s overheating inside the engine.
Low Acceleration of Vehicle
Insufficient oil can hinder the engine’s ability to operate efficiently. You may notice sluggish acceleration, reduced power, or difficulty maintaining speed. This is because the engine isn’t properly lubricated, causing increased friction and strain on components.
Low Oil Level on Dipstick
If the dipstick indicates a level below the minimum mark, your vehicle is running low on oil and needs a top-up immediately. But not always, some cars and bikes dipsticks only indicate the change in level when the oil is too low, like too low, about 20-30% level. So the dipstick method is not always accurate.
