What the heck is this stuff???
 

Pulling my 2.9 apart to diagnose and fix an oil leak. Came across this epoxy behind the flywheel. Any idea what this stuff is for?

I chipped a bunch of it away. No cracks, visible oil seepage etc. I can't think of a reason this stuff would be on here in this location...

http://s22.postimg.org/aauf59iip/img_3031.jpg


http://s24.postimg.org/rbxe44jh1/img_3032.jpg
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Porous block?

Looks like someone got a little carried away with the JB Weld. From the look of the Seal at 1 o'clock area, must have had a small leak and did a poor job prying out the old one to install new one. Most likely whoever did this tried to stop leak thinking it was engine case problem before realizing it was the seal causing leaks. There are a couple of spots that should have JB Weld, but not where it is used there.

Thanks folks. I scraped nearly all of it off. Didn't think it was a worthwhile exercise to put any back on. I don't see any cracks or anything in the case. It appears to be perfectly fine. I'll fix the leak on the RMS. I already have a new seal.

That vertical tube in the first picture is known to produce leakage. It's because there's a metal tube that is cast into the case and the overlying metal around it tends to be thin. This usually rears its head the most inside the bottom of the recess where the oil cooler mounts to the engine.

I think it'd be wise to put a new layer of epoxy on there. Nothing more annoying than an oil leak from your freshly rebuilt engine. Plus you can't even see the goop because the flywheel/transmission covers it up.

OK, will put more epoxy on there. Thanks Kevin!