1998 Honda Accord

Thats a tough question to answer since I can't look the car over like the brakes tires where the oil is leaking etc.

A minor oil leak is hardly a safety concern. Half the cars on the road have oil leaks. Just look at all the dark spots on the highway right after a dip in the road. That's where much of the oil drips off. Not to mention all the black spots in parking lots where I was just parked!

The first thing is to get a better diagnosis than, "it's leaking oil". Valve cover gaskets and camshaft seals are going to leak on every car sooner or later. Those are not major repairs. Leaking oil pressure sending units are common on any car.

This might be a good time to teach your young person the importance of checking the oil level regularly, and to be sure to do it with the engine not running. Also explain to stop the engine right away if the low oil pressure warning light flashes on. Failure to do that can lead to major engine damage real fast.

Also consider adding a small bottle of dark purple dye to the oil, then search a day later with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow back to the source. Auto parts stores will have the dye, and those that rent or borrow tools should have the black light. If the dye is all over the engine, wash it with an engine degreaser, then try again after driving a few miles.

On that car I would be looking at the crankshaft seal thats behind the bottom pulley where the belt goes on in your timing cover. Or your cam shaft seal that leak would come out the same place as your crankshaft seal behind the bottom pulley. Or the valve cover gasket or oil pan I haven't seen the oil pressure sending unit leak very often on those cars but its possible. Have seen the crankshaft seal and cam seals leak pretty often on those cars.