This lower has a crack in the housing but at present it does not affect functionality if you examine the picture showing the crack you will see it makes a turn prior to reaching the front end of the bearing carrier, the case remains sealed. The lower unit was manufactured in 2007, and that is when I purchased it. You can verify this information by contacting SEI and providing them with the serial number seen in the photo. I removed the unit in April of this year, and it was working fine at that point with no issues; smooth shifting, no gear noise, etc. It has never had water inside the unit. The lower was used on a sterndrive with a lube reservoir and drive shower the entire time was in service on my boat.