Shamus,
The lower end of the water tube is supposed to be cut off at an angle and it fits into the rubber bushing in the water pump housing. The tube is cut of at that angle for a purpose (venting the housing, sealing the shaft – I forget ) but anyway it does matter for proper pump operating and I just wanted to give a heads up in case the tube was moved. See Antique Outboarder July 2018 article “OMC Water Pumps”.
