No, I don't think that is your problem, although if the wear is that bad I think I would replace the needle cage while in there. Not too terribly expensive. I was lucky and found a new oem one that was old stock for $8. One thing I never buy aftermarket from China is bearings. Others may feel differently.
On mine, the part of the cage in your fingers that is black was completely gone (as in not to be found). All that was left were the silver bearings with nothing to hold them properly spaced apart. When the shaft spun they would bunch up and not spin properly causing the drum to spin. Before I went in there though, the drum still spun freely with the fingers and I would not have known anything witout removing the C-clip and washer exposing the problem.
I can't really tell you how good a deal you got. But, once you get it running well (almost no matter what you spend) I'll bet I can tell you an MS461 story that will make you feel "comparatively" very happy.
