The crankshaft oil seal is an easy job, as are the LCA’s, if you’re handy and have some tools, nothing really special.
I experienced such an oil leak, took about 1/2 an hour to change that seal. Try that first.

 

Do you add oil? Then that plus disappears?
Only 3 places for oil to go; ground air and coolant. That much should be evident in any of those cases.

 

Unless it’s being slung out that front harmonic balancer/crankshaft seal, mine wasn’t showing signs of puddles or drips, I think it has to do with RPM, around town lower RPM’s no slinging, on highway faster speeds and higher RPM’s the oil slings out past the seal onto the roadway.

 

donbrew, I have not noticed the coolant getting oily. Disappearing? I was beginning to wonder about the heat level in the car; so I poured some coolant in the overflow bucket, but not much, in case I really needed room for the coolant in the radiator to overflow. Can't tell that it made an appreciable difference in the output of the heater.

 

Oldblue: The car sat in the garage for something like three days while the roads around here were unsafe to travel. When I finally got back on the road, the missus noticed a relatively large puddle of oil on the floor underneath the passenger side of the engine compartment. (Doesn't help that the garage is most definitely out of level; but that's another case altogether, which the landlord is supposed to be addressing in about 10 days.) So it was leaking oil nicely while it sat there doing nothing. I'd like to find some place around here to steam-clean the engine compartment so I can look at that hose you mentioned; right now, that whole side of the compartment is so covered in oil that I wouldn't be able to pinpoint a source to save my wallet. I can't even change the headlight on shotgun without elbow-length oil-resistant gloves.

 

??? Headlight ? Shotgun ?

 

So, suddenly we know where the oil is going!
I ask about coolant because some things can cause coolant to get into the oil sump. Like a leaking head gasket.
Checking the coolant level in the recovery bottle is not good enough, check under the pressure cap (when cold).

Setting the timer to 30 days now. I'll come back then.

 

FMG: Headlight. You know, you have to pull down the wheel well cover to some extent to get to the headlight on the HHR, either on the driver's side or the passenger side, or shotgun (specifically, the front passenger seat). Am I dating myself by calling the passenger side "shotgun"?

 

Oh. OK.
"Shotgun" refers to riding in the front passenger seat. I've never heard "shotgun" used to describe everything else on the passenger side of a car.
Not dating yourself (I'm 61) Just a different use of the term.

 

Front “shotgun” side , oil on floor, clues, to look at the harmonic balancer and front cover seal, the oil pressure sender, a leak at the oil drain plug. I wouldn’t be wasting time steam or pressure washer cleaning, you can determine the location pretty easily



Crankshaft front cover seal , oil leak.



The oil pressure sender is above the starter, but the oil can run along the block and down to the floor , if the shotgun side is lower.