"Ree-Yees" wrote
I sure wonder what is behind the outboard peice of the motor.

You should be able to see that area from the outside if you turn the drive
hard starboard (I love using these nautical terms) and look in between the
gimbal ring and the gimbal housing. It should be near the top of the u-joint
bellows. The water hose goes over top of the bellows from left to right, er,
I mean port to starboard, so you might need to try to wrestle it out of the
way to see the housing. Also, if your bellows is old and has been stored in
the trailer position a lot, it will probably tend to bunch up toward the top
and block your view.