2.5 case half gasket

[mitsuklypse84]

Im currently in the process of reassembling a 2004 mercury 2.5l xr6. in the manual i have it says to install the case half gasket strips and trim to fit. im sure im missing something obvious, but for the life of me i dont see a groove for the gasket strip, nor do i remember pulling them when i split the case.any help is appreciated!thanks all for their time!

[CircleHook]

They should be there
Cork strips
They do sit nearly flush but cork against aluminum will be very obvious

[mach351]

Later model 2.5’s didn’t use the cork strips, just the gel seal.

[mitsuklypse84]

I think I've made sense of it then?will it be a groove like on a 2.4 block?if so that's fairly obvious and this block is definitely lacking that grove.must be sealant only.thanks all!