I took my hoses off my bbc bravo 1 and on the exit side of the oil cooler/pwr steering cooler the hose has a rubber reducer in it does that need to be in there and what will happen if I remove it? This is the hose that runs up to the themostat housing.

I had nothing like what your describing in either of my engines oil coolers. Go to the merc parts site and get a parts breakdown for your year motor. See if they show it in there. Post some pics also, might jog somebody's memory. Good luck!