I tried a new one of those also. If I push down slightly on the shift rod( not even a 1/16) it starts to spin freely. And it’s all original. Maybe it’s just the way it is and won’t cause any harm.
There is going to be some “drag” when the clutch dog is fully engaged into the forward gear lug as the two “faces” rub on each other. Like I said, this is a good thing, says that the clutch dog and forward gear are fully engaged. Pushing the shift rod down just a bit pulls the two faces apart and relieves this friction. That being said, the assembly should still rotate freely when turned by the driveshaft. You will feel some drag turning the prop shaft though, but only as the lugs rotate to full engagement. So, I’m not fully convinced you actually have an issue here. But, I am not there, so can’t experience what you are experiencing. “I tried a new one of those also”, do you mean the clutch dog cradle? How does the surface/cut out/groove of the clutch dog look where the cradle rides? Sometimes these surfaces can get gouged up from lack of lube, gear jumping, etc. Can you rotate the cradle around the clutch dog completely with no binding?
I’m assuming the gearcase is more or less apart again, so have you had a closer look at the top of the driveshaft and the bottom of the upper bushing/seal hsg casting? Does it look like the driveshaft has been rubbing on it? Have you measure the lower driveshaft to see if the shock/spring has expanded/cracked/broken?
