First off, big thanks to all for the comments, suggestions, and diagrams.
OK I pulled the power-head and here is what I found:
1. 304720 (376564) no slop. Stainless screw in good shape.
2. A bit of looseness where the shift shaft was passing through the housing. Probably where i got my initial looseness when I did the Frank plier access cover test. Got better when it hit the o-ring. Maybe
add a second o-ring on the shift shaft closer to the inside of the housing to minimize movement?
3. Upper brass shift rod was bent. When i first disassembled the motor I thought that was the way that the factory made them, when all of this happen, i checked online and the rod should be straight as an arrow. Could this be the smoking gun, throwing off the geometry of the shift mechanism?
4. The hole in the middle of the exhaust housing that the shift shaft passes through looks good, no slop or elongation.
At this point I’m thinking I should try:
1. Straighten out the upper brass shift rod.
2. Add another o-ring on the shift rod that passes through the housing.
3. Add the spring clip that comes in the shift rod lever 376564 kit.
Any other ideas are welcomed while its all apart.
Thanks,
Bob D
