Posted on 1/30/2026
Oil seems simple until it starts disappearing. Maybe you spot a small stain where you park, or the dipstick drops faster than it used to. Sometimes you notice a faint burnt smell after a drive, or a little smoke when you pull away from a light. The tricky part is that oil loss can come from two very different paths, and the next steps are not the same for each one. Early Signs Your Engine Is Losing Oil Most drivers first notice the oil light flicker on turns, a low-oil message, or the dipstick reading lower than expected between changes. You might also notice the engine smells hot after a longer drive, especially if oil is landing on a warm surface. A small leak can leave a stain that comes and goes, since wind and road spray can spread it around before it drips to the ground. There is often a timeline to this. Early on, it feels occasional, like you top it off once and move on. If the underlying cause persists, the top-offs get closer together, and that is when th ... read more