small hole in the side of NP 242...

so i noticed a small hole in the side of my NP242 t case the other day and finally got a chance to take pics of it (no rain today)

it is on the drivers side, it was hard to get a picture of it because of my warn t case skid but i was able to take a pic through the warn logo lol.

so is this supposed to be there? it is where the case can split in half for service.
how should i fix it? JB weld?
im worried some fluid maybe leaked out or can leak out of there so i want to patch it.

thanks




these last two are the best pics

Since it's not pressurized I would clean it up and use RTV if you're worried about it.

ah RTV good idea, i was thinking JB weld, but then was worried of what would happen if some got into the case. but RTV will just get chewed up by the chain and gears and not matter.
ill use some cleaner and then seal it up.

Looks like either a minor casting defect or its supposed to be there as a pry point to separate the halves. It's below the oil fill line, so if the xfer case has fluid then its not leaking. It wouldn't bother with it myself, but you could clean it up and squeeze some rtv or silicon in there for peace of mind.

You're good...it's not leaking. I believe I stuck a bigass screwdriver in there when I split my case (NP242) to change the chain last winter.

That is clearly a cast-in feature and should be there. Its probably a place to split the cases.