Ok, so I went to remove the pinion bearing and the fight I anticipated failed to materialize. Popped right out with the first gentle stroke of the bearing puller! I liked that. I examined the bearing seat and found no debris or foreign objects. What I did discover that I had not anticipated was that my upper and lower pinion thrust washers are exactly the same thickness. I suspect one of these washers is wrong and that I have two of the thicker ones, causing the pinion to ride too high and bind against the forward and reverse gears. The reason I say this is because the parts schematic shows two distinct part numbers for the upper and lower pinion thrust washers.
I don’t know where to look to find the specs on these washers. They are kind of pricey for what they are. If anyone has these parts on hand and could put a caliper to them so I know which one is the thinner one the beer’s on me.
