OB lower unit problem ??
 

I'm trying to replace the lower unit oil in my 3.3 Mercury (aka 3 1/2
Tohatsu, Nissan and others), and there seems to be a blockage preventing
much oil from flowing in and exiting through the top hole. Actually, I
haven't gotten any to exit the top hole. At first I could hear some air
escaping, but that stopped no matter how hard I squeezed the oil container.
Also when I drained the oil it came out slower than I expected.

Perhaps this is related to something else I noticed. With the shifter in
gear, there is about 120 degrees of backlash or free play. That seems like
too much. Is it ??

Before I tear the thing apart, I thought I'd ask if any one had any idea for
a simpler solution.