The lower unit I have has a large hole in it. There is nothing leaking out of it and it is rather deep. Is there anything in this area that I should be worried about? I am thinking of filling it with JB weld and seeing if it will hold. Any other ideas?
on the other side of that hole you should see a small drain hole. That is a drain cavity that runs from the shift shaft downward . If filled with mud and water it will freeze and crack the housing.
So that just looks like an empty cavity, bet you are correct, the previous owner probably let it freeze when gunk and mud was in there and it popped. I will try to clean it out really well with a wire wheel and fill it with something I suppose.
Tonight I decided to clean the hole out and fill it with JB Weld, however what I found under the hole appears to be something hard like concrete? I can hardly chisel it with a screw driver and small hammer. I'm assuming this is abnormal? My worries is the concrete like material will stay moist and freeze in the winter. I am thinking my best bet is to leave it open to the air.