Shift shaft lever 60 EFI Bigfoot 2006 goes too tight?

My controller needs FORCE to go in- and out of gear. Kinda like the cables were twisted 4 times. I've isolateded the stiffness to be in the shift shaft lever, at the bottom front, under the ECM.

Linkage disconnected, just the lever. With 2 kg of force I can push it between forward and neutral, I believe something gives in, if I try with more force to get in reverse. It gives a metallic hollow "BLOIK" when shifting between N and F.

We HAVE been fiddling back and forth with the gears, with controller attached last week, in order to make linkage from controller fit. And.. I believe it has worsened since.

Disassemble is taking the whole block off, in order to get to it. Is there a cowboytrick to try out, before taking the whole thing apart?

For some reason I can't change the topic - but this isn't the typical "shift shaft misalignment" - it does **** alright, it just needs FORCE. Force to the point where something is about to give in. I greased the hell out of it, through the grease-nipple at the "swingshaft" where it runs underneath. By the top lever and everywhere else along the way, I could find, with the side shields off.

And it helped somewhat a little - BUT this has to be an issue seen before. Is the problem in the lower unit by the clutch?