It's used during manufacturing to hold the engine case in a jig during machining.
That 'ear' has a hollow void. Long ago, a forum member cut the ear off to clean things up... and had a massive oil leak that required the case to be welded up.
True, which is a really good reason not to buy that skid plate. : They didn't do their research, just used a handy hole they though would be strong enough, in an ALUMINUM engine case. Skid plates should never, ever, be mounted to cast anything. Especially not cast aluminum.
True, which is a really good reason not to buy that skid plate. : They didn't do their research, just used a handy hole they though would be strong enough, in an ALUMINUM engine case. Skid plates should never, ever, be mounted to cast anything. Especially not cast aluminum.