check engine light

[okniceguy]

qhile driving, my check engine light came on i am at about 45,500 miles. i purchased my car about 1.5 years ago at 26k miles, and its been pretty good to me since. i have VERY limited knowledge on cars, so as soon as it came on, i pulled over less than 2 minutes later and checked the engine oil, trans and power steering fluids... about 15 minutes later when i got home, i checked out the bottom of the vehicle and noticed (what might have been there for a long time) a decent of gunky thick oil.. maybe its been there for a while? who knows.. i know that al vehicles after a while build up nasty stuff ander and all over, but maybe this is related to my problem? please hit me with your opinions..

[KimMG]

The check engine light will come on for a variety of reasons. You need to have the codes read. Places like autozone will read them for free. Just call ahead and ask when is a good time to bring the car in.
After you have had the codes read, post the problem.