yeah, it's the top oil transfer nipple. it is metal, but has what looks like a plastic ball in it. i'll take it off tonight & see if it's a ball valve. if it's just plastic stuck in there i'll remove it. i don't want to blow air in it incase i blow a piece of plastic that isn't supposed to be there into the shaft case.

i'll be using sticky back tape that i use to repair sails on my boat to seal up the radio box. it's strong & water proof. i use it on my model yachts to seal the hatches on them, it works very well & is very light.

i think i know what to do now.

thanks for the reply.