oil leak

hi. iv noticed when the engines running, small drops of oil are appearing on the road/drive. could someone tell me the parts i need to be looking at to crack down on this oily situation. thanks guys

First step would be to clean up the engine and then see where the leak is coming from. There are several possible areas.

what would be the best substance to remove oil from my engine... another thing if i could just pick your brains...when i start the ignition a strong smell of petrol comes out the exhaust...is their a problem with the mixture of fuel and air?? thanks for the quick response

the petrol smell will be it running on choke, if it still smells when hot then its running right - for a quick idea pull the plugs out after a good run - mind they will be hot - and see what colour they are, black its running rich, white its too lean and a bronw its spot on.

for cleaning the block a good thing is Jizz    (stop lauhing at the back) or Gunk, both can be found at halfords etc,

I personally use Brake & Clutch cleaning fluid, bought in 5l tins, in a degreaser gun driven by an air compressor. But for thick stuff its slow going, so to help it start I normally scrape away dirt build up with a screwdriver, or use a pressure washer, or hot water from the kettle in the degrease gun (better if its mud, rather than oil/grease), or WD40. I've used specific degreaser products before too, though never seem to have it to hand, or tried it compared to the other techniques listed. The brake & clutch cleaning stuff pretty much gets everything off, though its quite pricey.

Steam cleaner used carefully is the fastest way ive found to get the gunge off....mind you if its used indiscreetly its the fastest way to make your car a none runner too!