Re: took engine apart, now what to use to clean out all t...

[zinc2u]

To remove the old gasket material,  I use a gasket scraper and a single edge razor blade.  Be careful to not gouge the aluminum.  You may need to apply a little heat (e.g. propane torch) to loosen up the gasket sealer on any material which does not come off with the razor.
The area circled in red looks like an exit passage for the oil which is pumped into the main bearing.  But this is a guess since I don't have any engine handy to look at as I type this message.  I don't see anything which looks unusual about this area.
Dale

> also I
> notice this "circled in red" part on the crankcase has been cut off or > something.. what causes this? the engine has been running > fine.

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