Seems like I just keep finding problems....

My girlfriend said I left some "oil" in her driveway yesterday. I looked under my car a few minutes ago to see how bad it was, and there is "oil" on the oil filter and on the pan near the drain plug. As of right now, it'* too dark to do anything, and I'm still not sure if it'* really oil or something else (PS fluid, trans fluid, etc) but chances are it is engine oil.

It wasn't dripping when I looked (w/ engine cold), but it had little drops on the filter/oil pan like it had been dripping. This makes me think that it only leaks when the engine is running and/or warm. Now that I think about it, I can sometimes smell oil burning while the car is running, especially with the windows open.

I'm planning on getting under there tomorrow to figure this out, I'm just wondering if anyone has any ideas of what the problem might be so I have an idea of what to look for.

Thanks

Is your oil pressure gauge acting funny at all? The sender seals can blow out and cause leaks. But then so can an oil pan gasket and all sorts of other gaskets.

The best time to look for the leak is after the car is warmed up. The viscosity of the oil gets thinner and it'* easier to see. Wipe everything down with a rag, warm up the car and then get back under it to have a look.

I haven't noticed anything obviously weird with it. It goes up to about 42 or so at idle and increases a bit while moving. No severe fluctuating or anything like that.

Just ran the car for ~15 minutes in the driveway, checked all the fluids and looked for dripping. The only thing I saw was some water dripping out by the muffler. Everything looks fine so I'm gonna drive it to class and check it again when I get home.

Have you done an oil change lately or have had it done?

I changed it a few weeks ago, and I made sure everything was tight and not leaking.

Also, my gf told me this morning that she only found a few drops of oil, not a puddle or anything. I went crazy all night thinking there was something terribly wrong. I just checked everything out down there and couldn't find anything leaking...

I just changed my PCV and MAP the same day I had the "leak". If my old PCV was bad, could it have caused a small leak?