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Problems/Service/RepairsIf you have a problem with your HHR, want a tip on repairing or performing a particular service to you HHR here is the place to post!
Just discovered this oil leak from a strange location. Any idea what this may be? Is this common for 160k mi HHR. Very recently, I replaced valve cover gasket and motor mount. I don't think I could have messed anything up by slightly lifting the engine.
Fixed your video link for you. Deleted your duplicate thread.
You need to clean it as best you can, then monitor carefully for leaks while the engine is running. Hard to tell anything from the video, looks like there's oil everywhere.
How did you lift the engine, exactly? Kinda looks like the oil pan might be damaged.
What did you place between your floor jack and the oil pan? That area just in front of the drain plug looks damaged.
The crankshaft oil seal to the harmonic balancer will sling a lot of oil out , that’s an easy fix .
Clean the area and keep an eye on your oil level and where it gets wet from oil first!
It has been around 6,000 miles since motor mount replacement, so the leak is not that bad. I check oil every week, and so far oil consumption was under 32oz for every 2k miles.
4/4/20 153,500 Oil change
4/22/20 155,100 Replaced motor mount
6/4/20 161,300 Oil change
) by placing 2x4 on top of the jack and lifting the engine underneath the oil pan. The original motor mount had 150k miles on it, so the engine was sagging. To level the engine with the new motor mount I had to lift it up a bit higher.
Oldblue, the area in front of the drain plug was damaged for a long time. It is nothing serious. Thanks for pointing out crankshaft oil seal. It certainly does look like the oil is coming out somewhere from that area and is spreading further down. It is mostly around the gasket that is close to the crankshaft pulley.
I cleaned it out as much as I could and will monitor daily for any signs of oil leaks. I usually do around 200 miles a day. Hopefully in about a week I should be able to figure out where the problem is.
Crankshaft oil seal, it slings out oil and it appears to be the gasket, but you’ll see the source of that oil when you remove the harmonic balancer. Get the AC Delco one, the first one I installed from Felpro leaked with in a year.
). The car is 2011 HHR, and this type of repair will be way too costly.
In the first case I will get AC Delco crankshaft seal and replace it. In the second case I can try Lucas Engine Oil Stop Leak. If that doesn't work then I will just keep feeding it oil, since the leak is not that bad.
Is there a sealant that I can use externally for these type of situation, if I find exact location of the leak?
The seal is under $10.00, you have to remove the serpentine belt , then the tensioner, one bolt. Then the crankshaft bolt, the balancer slides off easy, the seal comes out easy , I used a screw driver to pop it out. The new seal comes with a green plastic protector to tap on the set the seal , then a 1 1/2 plumbing pipe fitting to tap it all the way in, slide the balancer back on and reassemble. No need to disturb the front cover. Aside from the plastic inner splash shields it about 1/2 to 1 hour job.
Oldblue, the process sounds pretty straight forward. It looks like I won't even need to use a puller to get crankshaft pulley off.
I have a few hours now to go and check if that is where the leak originates. From your pictures in the other thread it seems like I don't even have to remove the balancer to see if the seal is leaking.
RJ_RS_SS_350, I looked around the valve cover and the rest of the engine. The origin of the leak is somewhere where the crankshaft balancer is located, and then it spreads downward.
No sense guessing
Get yourself some Formula 88 degreser. Best I have found, especially for $5.50/gal.
Apply full strength and rinse with water, just for fun keep away from electrical connections.
Dry with leaf blower or wait until dry, then spray area with spray foot powder.
Best way to accurately find an oil leak.
