When Mr. Asa says "remove" that means take completely out. The bolt in the shift rod connector goes through a notch in the shift rod. ( It helps to have a magnet in your socket.) It is OK to drop it on disassembly because it is easy to fish out of the lower unit. Not so on reassembly. On reassembly the hole in the connector MUST be EXACTLY aligned with the notch in the shift rod. If there is any misalignment, the bolt threads will be dammaged and tear out the threads in the connector making it impossible to tighten. Then in use the bolt falls out and you loose the ability to shift out of reverse. (The rod can push, but can’t pull) . . 😉
