Step 18 in the RAVE says to trim the excess material from the crucifix gaskets, I presume this means the area in the red circles but want to confirm. When I took the pan off the old gaskets were proud of the block by about 1mm or more and there was evidence of a considerable leak there. Also want to confirm step 13, "Apply a 3mm wide bead of sealant on the cap mating surface". This is the area indicated in the green circles? Any other watchouts? It's ok to undo the rear cap bolts only to replace the crucifix seals without disturbing any of the other caps? I'm doing the oil pump because I have the timing cover off, at 178k are the timing gears and chain worth doing as well?

TIA



Edit: Here's an excellent thread answering some of my questions. I had seen this before but there were no pics at the time. Still interested in thoughts on the timing kit.

 

definitely timing chain since you have it all apart. it's a pretty cheap item and they do tend to stretch. no sure about sprockets since i don't know anything about their wear rate.

 

Yeah, good point. The chain will prob wear quicker than the sprockets. I'll give them a visual to make sure they're not obviously worn out but the chain seem like a smart move.