oil leak help

[gungo]

My oil light came on yesterday.
When i checked this morning it was a little low so I have topped it up.
I decided to jack the car up and have a look, there is definitely a small oil leak somewhere around the back of the engine. I didn't remove the engine cover down there so it was hard to see where it is coming from.
Are there any problem areas that I should check on these engines.

The car drives normally, has only done 56k and has always been serviced correctly.

Any hints would be greatly appreciated.

 

[markoc]

The rocker cover is a usual suspect! Mine leaks down the back of the engine, past the exhaust manifold and then drips from the bottom of the sump. It is only a very small amount. This may be where your oil leak is from but it shouldn't be leaking enough to lose 0.5l + of oil in between services.
Check your oil level every fill of petrol just to see if it's losing much and take it from there.
Hope this helps some

 

[BenG]

Its common for the cam/ rocker cover to leak a small amount, usually it's so small that the leaking oil doesn't fall as far as the bottom of the engine and barely affects the oil level. My best advice is to remove the under-tray, clean off any excess oil and then check again after a few miles to get a better indication of where it's leaking.