My car leaks oil from underneath the car, what is wrong?

i have a 98 oldsmobile alero, and my whole driveway is ruined because its leaks oil, what is wrong? how much could it cost to fix?My car leaks oil from underneath the car, what is wrong?
The Alero is front-wheel drive, so that narrows things down a bit. To troubleshoot this problem, first make sure all fluid levels are full to their respective marks. Each night, place newspaper under the engine between the wheels and from the front bumper to behind the front wheels. Make a note of where you see oil spots, then open the hood and follow the spots upward.





If by chance this is the 3.4L GM corporate engine, and the oil spots appear just right of center of the vehicle and about 10-12 inches behind the bumper, then you may well have the dreaded ( but repairable) Intake manifold gasket leak, or the head gaskets are leaking. I have a 2002 Pontiac Montana van with the 3.4L engine, leaked oil regularly, and it had to have both head gaskets and intake manifold gaskets replaced. And now it doesn't leak. And GM covered all but $300 for the head machining.





Once you have identified the point of the most leaky spot, take a plastic pan (get a cheap pan from the local Target, Walmart or k-Mart) and put it in the path of the leak. Once you have a sample, you should be able to identify the type of fluid. Then go back and check the fluid levels everywhere and you should be able to nail the culprit.





Good luck and happy hunting !My car leaks oil from underneath the car, what is wrong?
Its a bad gasket or seal, crawl under and look up from where the leak on the ground is, then you will be able to find the leak, then take it to a garage and have them look at it.
your whole driveway is not ruined. it can be cleaned but your engine might have someissues if you run to loww on oil. you have a leak nobody here knows where because you dont either, we cant see it , we have no crystal ball so got to a shop and get an idea from an auto tech.
Heres some possibilities: It could be a valve cover leaking, oil cooling line, oil filter, head gasket, oil pan, rear main seal, or on some, the dipstick tube, but unlikely.
What is wrong depends on where the leak is. Park over a large piece of cardboard on a day when it's not going to rain and you won't have to leave in a hurry. Let the car sit there for at least a few hours (overnight would be better), and then look on the cardboard to see where the oil is coming from on the car (your car is front wheel drive, so the leak is almost definitely from somewhere in or around the engine compartment. First this will help you identify what part of the car is leaking, like the engine(front or rear main seal, any number of gaskets, oil drain plug, filter), the transmission(pan gasket, shaft seals or hoses), the power steering (rack, pump, or hoses), etc. Even if you already know what system (brakes, engine, transmission, etc.) of the car is leaking, this can also help you find the location of the actual leak. Basically, wherever the oil is dripping onto the driveway will tell you where to look under or in the car. Be careful that the oil isn't leaking from higher up and just running along other parts before dripping onto the ground, because that can make it look like the leak is somewhere it isn't. Once you know where the leak is, then it will be a lot easier to get an answer on how much it'll be to fix it. Who knows, it may be something as simple as the last time you got the oil changed they forgot to completely tighten the drain plug in the oil pan, or the oil filter wasn't put on tight enough. Unfortunately, you might find instead that the leak is because something major is going wrong and you need to either invest a lot in repairs or get a different car, but hopefully that's not the reason. In any case, the first step is locating the actual leak. Check the level of all the fluids in the car (or think about what you've had to fill recently), like the engine oil, the transmission fluid, the power steering fluid, the brake fluid, etc. This can help you rule out what could be leaking, because it probably isn't leaking if it's full. Good luck!
the oil is finding it way out of the engine and on to the ground that is the problem. might be a loose oil filter or it could be anything
It could be allot of things. Power steering, valve covers. oil pan, transmission, rear main seal, rack and pinion, etc. Have it checked out by an honest mechanic or friend whos mechanical.