Hi Chrisjt
Too fine tune shift cable,
Adjust the retainer, always from the neutral position, until you have the fitting right. Always adjust the cable to the motor, not motor to cable. The sounds you may be hearing are most likely from tuning the retainer while the motor is off, if you have some slightly moving the prop while you shift, you notice much smoother shift and no sounds (other than the actual changing of gear) Thats what I notices when I first tuned mine.
If you dont get the tuning tight enough and right, the motor may shift into gear, and then slip out and put you back in neutral.
For the Throttle Friction Adjustment, it adds some resistance to the control
"Adjust the friction screw/knob assembly so the throttle does not change in response to vibration from engine or boat operation. Do not set the friction adjuster so tight as to bind the control handle causing jerky shift/throttle adjustments."
