Brass fitting at end of starter drive pinion

After I installed a replacement 12v starter I found a small brass
fitting in the box, and decided it must have come off the end of the
drive pinion. Damn. I also noticed that the starter I removed did not
have this part.

So can someone advise me as to how important is this fitting? Should
I pull the starter and install the part?

Thanks.

This is the bushing for the starter motor nose. It is installed into the
trans housing. You may be luck. If the original bushing is OK, all will be
fine. But you really should have pulled the old one and installed the new
one ou received. If the starter turns slow (sounds like a dead battery), you
can assume that the old bushing is defective and you will need to take the
starter out again.

Jim
SR Racing