I noticed drip marks from the oil on the ground. does anyone think there is something wrong with motor? btw it is only a year old and i havent used it much and have never noticed anything that would cause me to be concerned. i never lay it on its side.

Post is a little vague on details. Where exactly is the leak coming from? Is this a 2 stroke or 4 stroke motor? What is the color of the oil that is leaking?

i dont know where leak is from. i just noticed a lot of oil on the prop and lower unit area. it is a four stroke and the oil looks new.

More the likley the motor was laid on it's improperly, causing oil to come out of the exhuast. Or the motor was over filled will oil, causing the excess to come out of the muffler.

Clean off all the excess oil. Check your oil lvl and fill or drain if needed. Then hook up to hose and run the motor. It may smoke for awhile, but should reduce in volume slowly over time. Shouldn't take longer then 5-8 min. Once it stops smoking, turn off. Let it stay upright overnight and see in the morning if it is still leaking. If not then no worries. If it is, the you have a leak somewhere.

i never lay it down but ill try what you said. thank you for your help.