I heard the lever hitting the cover. And there are marks on the inside where it hits.
I pulled out the vertical shaft and the gear that rotates it, and the teeth are one-for-one. I don’t think it can be meshed out of time, at least not without its being obvious.
This isn’t really interfering with the operation of the motor, but I doubt OMC designed it to hit, so I’m bugged to figure it out.
Here is the requested pic:
Funny: Yesterday I was offered one of these motors, with tank, for $50. I don’t know if it was stuck. I controlled myself and passed on it. Probably should have bought it for a winter fix-up and sale in the spring.