Thanks Dave, I appreciate that.

So I checked the fluid again. It seems a lot thinner than it was when first brought home six weeks ago. Then again it was really cold out at that time. It’s a lot runnier than I’d expect for gear oil. It is still sort of an opaque colour with a blueish tint. I think I’m gonna change and run it again and see.

As for adjustment, I don’t know what I’m looking for. It seems that the cable is as far back as possible in it’s slot when in reverse. I will try and post a picture.

One thing I did notice is that there is a lot of play in this motor. It will go side to side and I can lift it slightly and get it to move about an inch away from the transom when locked. wondering if all the bushings are worn out on this thing. Not sure if that has any bearing on this issue or not.