OK, I just looked at your pictures again….The top picture is from marineengine.com, the bottom picture (with the ruler) is actually your water tube….Do I have it right?
If so, it doesn’t really look bent, but who knows. I don’t have a water tube handy, but will look and measure it if I find one. For now, please be sure you understand what LG said about the water tube orientation…The square cut fits up inside the exhaust housing grommet. The angular cut end fits down into the water pump grommet. The angular cut makes it a little easier to align the water tube with the impeller housing grommet.
At this point I would reinstall the water tube into the exhaust housing, then I would install the aluminum impeller housing/grommet assembly up into the exhaust housing until it engages with the copper water tube sufficiently. If the bottom of the aluminum impeller housing is roughly even with the bottom of the gearcase, then it is safe to assume you have the correct water tube and it isn’t bent/distorted excessively. There is a fit issue if the bottom of the impeller housing is up inside the exhaust housing when engaged sufficiently with the tube….
Tell us more about the history of this engine. Did you just buy it? If not, why is it that you brought it to the mechanic to begin with? Was it overheating? Did you just bring it in for a routine water pump servicing? Forgive me if I didn’t read your post carefully, will go back and reread it now…D
