The Honda Civic hatchback is a well known Japanese car with a reputation for operating smoothly with few hassles. It is important to always keep an eye on the status of the oil in your car to keep the engine from blowing out. If you find yourself driving down the road and the oil light comes on, you will benefit from this guide outlining how to troubleshoot a blinking oil light on a Honda Civic hatchback. These procedures should take you about a half hour to accomplish.
Take the car off the road and park it in a safe area and on a level surface. Turn the engine off.
Lift up the hood to see check the oil level. Remove the dipstick, identified by its looping orange handle. Use a rag to wipe the oil from the dipstick.
Slide the dipstick back into the tube. Wait at least five seconds, pull it out again and check the markers on the metal part of the stick to determine the oil level. Add oil if the reading is below the lowest mark or even with it.
Take off the engine oil fill cap by unscrewing it. Place it in a safe spot where you will remember it.
Place the funnel at the mouth of the fill tube. Pour Honda recommended motor oil into the funnel. Screw the oil fill cap back in place.
Check the oil level again after a couple of minutes. If the oil level is still low add more. Don't let the oil volume get above the highest mark because this can damage your engine. Too much oil will result in foam as the rotating crankshaft in the engine adds air to it. Oil that is filled with foam will be difficult to pump and can shut down the engine.
Turn on the car and pay attention to the oil pressure light read out. If it still blinks, you might have a more complicated and potentially serious problem. In this case, have your Honda Civic hatchback towed to a mechanic for his inspection.
