I've been trying to troubleshoot a suction side air leak for quite some time (bubbles in water). I just created some smoke near various parts to see if I could identify where air might be getting sucked in. I found a definite area, but I'm not 100% sure if this is "normal" or not. Could you look at the following shared photos? I drew a red arrow exactly where the air is getting sucked in. Normal (for cooling the motor)? Or a sign of a shaft or other seal leak?
air suction photos
air suction photos