What's This Notch For?

[smestas]

Can someone explain what this notch in my engine case is for. It seems that it was filled up with the case sealant. Does this matter or should I avoid this when I reseal the case?

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by smestas
Can someone explain what this notch in my engine case is for. It seems that it was filled up with the case sealant. Does this matter or should I avoid this when I reseal the case?

I thought I'd seen something on this before so I did a search of the archives looking for "case". Check out this thread
-Chris

[smestas]

Thanks Chris!

I knew it was there for a reason.

[john walker's workshop]

so how in the hell do you get enough sealer on there so the case doesn't leak externally, and not get the sealer in the groove? and how do you know if any got in there? personally, i don't think it matters. that's also an area of the case which is prone to leak-thru to the outside if you don't get enough sealer between the halves. 574 might work, but there's no air in the groove with the cases bolted together, and i bet it would harden just fine.

[AFJuvat]

Nope, the 574 will not harden Only times I have seen that groove blocked is when a sealant other than 574 was used.

Also IMHO, people use entirely too much sealant on the case - just enough 574 so you see it on the surface of both case halves is plenty.

AFJuvat

[Wayne 962]

There is much discussion on this topic of case sealant. The beauty of 574 is that it will only harden in the absense of oxygen, so if you get any in these grooves, the oil will simply wash it away. At least that's the stock answer. Other sealants (like the Dow Corning) - you need to be a bit more careful, and only use a thin bead.

Check out the engine book for details on how much 574 to use...

-Wayne

[smestas]

These are a few shots of the passage from my 3.0 case. Ive picked some of the excess out already but you can still see that whatever it was that the factory used didnt wash out very well.

So do you guys recomend that when I put her back together that I put sealant on the inner surface area of the cutout or only to the outer side?

I was also wondering if the 574 is OK to use if the motor is going to sit for awhile as it wont have any oil (to wash it out) in it for a month or two after I seal the case.

[cstreit]

Simon,

I would imagine it's okay. It sits in the bottle without hardening for months...