Help!

[sea-ray steve]

I have a 1976 25hp evinrude that has been overheating,Now I have a bigger problem.While disconnecting the shift rod to remove the lower unit I dropped a washer from the coupling into the housing.After removing lower unit I tipped the motor upside down to check the water tube for a restriction,not thinking about the washer,i am afraid it fell into the exaust tube because it is not in the housing.What should I do?If I remove the exaust cover on the side of the motor,will that get me where I want to be to look for washer?