You can look for the following signs to find out if your oil level is too low.

• Oil light comes on. If your oil light illuminates as you are driving on the road, you may not have enough oil pressure because there isn't enough fluid in the system to circulate properly. You may also be completely out of oil. All you may need to do is to add enough fluid to shut the light off. If the light remains on after you do that, you may have more serious problems.

• You smell a burning odor. When you have little oil left there is nothing to prevent engine parts from rubbing against each other, which can generate heat from the friction. What little oil is left starts burning, which is the odor that you smell even from inside the vehicle.

• The engine produces a knocking sound. If your camshafts and valve train do not have enough lubrication, the bearings produce too much friction and eventually fail, which makes the sound. You may also hear the sound when you have cracks in the flex plate of the flywheel or have an unbalanced crankshaft, which has nothing to do with the oil.

• The engine overheats. If you noticed smoke coming from under the hood of your vehicle, your engine components may be rubbing against each other without lubrication and overheating the engine.

If you experience any of the previous symptoms, you can respond as follows.

1. Find a safe place and pull over to where you can walk safely to the front of your car. If you continue to drive while any of these issues are happening, your engine may break down in the middle of heavy traffic on a busy highway. You'll then find it much more difficult to check your engine safely.

2. Turn off the engine, which will prevent any on lubricated components from rubbing against each other and generating too much friction. Let the engine cool, so that when you examine it, you won’t burn yourself.

3. Open the hood to check the oil. You'll need to locate the dipstick. (Check your Owner's Manual if you don't know where it is.) Pull the dipstick out and wipe off the end. Then insert the dipstick back into its container and pull it out one more time. The oil should be between the minimum and maximum lines.

If it is below the minimum, you can fill it up with additional oil or drive your vehicle to our Service Department for an oil change. If no oil is showing, you cannot risk turning the engine on. Instead, have your car towed to us.

Your engine can function normally as long as it has some oil left. However, that fluid will eventually run out. Formerly lubricated components are going to rub against each other, which increases friction and heat. Certain components may start breaking down from the friction while others are affected by the heat. Your engine then stops running.

Our Service Department has the automotive technicians who can repair the damage but it may cost you plenty of money and time. In the worst case, you may need to replace the entire engine.

If you need more information about how oil or the lack of it can affect your drive, please call the Service Departments at Chevrolet of Bloomsburg, PA. Our automotive technicians are factory-trained to provide solutions to your oil-related issues. To ensure that your vehicle runs like new, we use only parts that are approved by the manufacturer.

You can make an appointment by phone or online, or simply stop by if you want a quick oil change. To maximize your safety, we can also pick up your vehicle at home and then return it to you after our servicing.