Broken part question. 1966 33hp Johnson RXE-14 Gearcase housing. Part number 0397186

Hi guys. Thank you all so much for answering my last question so quickly. I have now ordered the water pump kit and waiting for it to arrive. I have made a silly mistake and did not take the motor apart before ordering the parts. I have now done so and found a damaged part in the gearcase.

The housing has a small pin attached to it. As you can see in the attached image, the casing of the housing has a very small crack and the pin is loose and comes off easily. The part number is 0397186.

Is this a significant damage? Should I replace the whole part, or should I just remove the pin and put it together? Or any other suggestions to fix this?

Thanks for your help. Joe

Replace it, or JB weld the pin back in, smooth out the edges, and you're good to go.

You could drill a new hole for the pin and smooth out the damage at the old hole.------No need to rush out and spend money sometimes.

Would you know what this pin does? How tight does it need to be in it's position? How much stress does it take when the motor is running?

There is no thread at the bottom of it, so it does not screw into place, just sits there. It is also a little bent, but I am sure I can straighten it back

The thrust loads are taken by that snap ring ( only goes in the groove one way ) on this motor.---------Pin locates the seal housing and keep it from any chance of spinning.---------Not really that critical.

So you think it will be ok to remove the pin completely and put it back together without it?

Drill a new hole for the pin !!!--------The part is listed new at $115, so I would simply go to the bin and pick out a used replacement.----------Or depending on the budget and if you can not find used I would simply drill a new hole.