Lower unit clicking in both directions while in neutral

[Tightlines72]

Hey iBoats, it's been a while since my last post which I guess is a good thing. I was recently having trouble with my shifting that I resolved with a new bearing carrier (old one was cracked along both bolts and was about 1/4 inch from flush with my gearcase) and a new clutch dog (old one was pretty worn in forward gear). Now that I've done the replacement, I'm getting ready to put the lower unit back on my engine, but want to make sure everything is working properly before trying to run it on muffs. Forward gear is working well (does not spin CCW and clicks a bit when spinning CW) but neutral is throwing me off. The prop spins without resistance in each direction, but there is a faint clicking in each direction that tells me that something is misaligned. However, since the lower unit is not attached to the engine right now, I'm not sure where my misalignment could be coming from. I read online that it could be due to the weigh of the prop while not under load and that I shouldn't worry unless I'm still hearing that while on the water. As far as I could tell, I'll be able to test reverse gear better once I've reattached the lower unit and can manually shift into gear from the helm with the engine off. Any thoughts on the issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Tightlines72]

Sorry fort the double post, please delete

 

[Tightlines72]

Okay so I've played with it some more, and I was able to get the prop to spin freely after adjusting the shift shaft at the top of the bushing. However, when turning it CCW beyond the initial resistance, it does not encounter another STOP before clicking back into forward. So essentially I will turn 270 degrees CCW while in forward, encounter resistance, turn the shift shaft a few degrees CCW beyond that, prop will click in but spin in each direction, turn the shift shaft a few more degrees CCW, prop will spin freely. Because the shift shaft can continue to be turned with pliers however, it is tough to have it land in the correct spot for a true neutral before it just clicks back into forward gear. Does this mean that my cam shifter was stripped or is a sign of a different problem? Thanks in advance