Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi all, I just bought the Sno-Tek 28" S/B from snowblowersdirect.com (2010 model year), and opened the box and put everything together.  When doing an inspection of the auger gearcase before startup, I noticed there is this red grease almost all around the seam of the the case.  I removed the filler plug to try and see if the amount of oil was adequate, but honestly could not easily tell if there was enough in there (not sure what the color of the lube should be, but I've heard red color), and if the red stuff on the outside was the L3 lube that they recommend or Loctite 518 gasket replacement that I believe I saw on some really old posts.  I want to start the S/B to ensure everything works OK but I'm fearful to start anything until I know whether or not the gearcase is leaking fluid, and what it should look like.  I need to wait till tomorrow before I can go to a local Ariens dealer to get the L3 lube.  Is it OK to start, and is the red grease simply Loctite?  Any help would be appreciated!! Thanks!

If the red substance your seeing feels like grease when you get some on your finger. Then it is grease/oil.  If it is some type of case sealer then it's not going to feel oily.  It could possibly feel a little sticky.
If you can't see in the gear case fill hole.  Just take a straw, piece of wire anything and slide it into the gear case
a little pull it out and see if there is anything on it.  Or slowly slid it into case as vertical as possible until you think it might be resting on the bottom of the case. 
Pull it out and see what the level is like a car dipstick.   As long as you have some lubricant in the gear case you'd be fine to start it up and run it.  It's not going to hurt anything. 
It's a gear case, not an engine crankcase.