86 Mercury 35HP outboard small water leak behind starter

[Commerce Steve]

While successfully(finally) diagnosing and replacing the rectifier, I was running the engine to check charging voltage and forgot to turn the water on to the muffs.
Engine ran for a couple minutes until it self shut down.
Does this engine have thermal protection?
No water in cylinders, engine runs great now but there is a small leak coming out of the engine housing, looks like from behind the starter.
Are there any pop it valves I should be looking for?
Any thoughts before I take the starter out and investigate further?

Thanks for any advice!