Honda gearcase claw washer corrosion????

[snal]

Saw a Honda lower unit on the block at a local mechanic's shop. The claw washer had all but disintegrated and froze up. Looked bad, and the mechanic told me that it was due to being left in the water, and that Hondas were bad for this.
So...while changing my props I checked mine...port engine looked fine...but the starboard engine's claw washer had swelled from corrosion, already split into pieces, and had swelled so bad that it warped the outer gear case end nut! Looks terrible, but evidently the seal is still holding. The end nut screws into the gearcase housing (this is the piece directly behind the thrust washer and prop) and there's obviously enough damage to have really messed up the threads in the housing. I removed 2 LOOSE pieces of the broken claw washer...one roughly an inch long...the other about a half inch...about 1/5th of the washer!
The lower unit still operates fine, but this is pushing up my plans to repower with a single 90hp.
The 1994 (400 hour) twins will be used elsewhere, and I'll be keeping an eye out for a lower unit housing.

[colobear]

Claw washer??? Enlighten please, my 2006 Honda 40's (550 hours) are anxious and have no idea what you are referring to.

Thanks.

[snal]