[Mercmarc]

Hello jetmek, thank you for confirming the drive gear contact is normal.

Hello flatheadmurre, I agree on all accounts of your latest reply. And yes the engine did make noise from the beginning albeit subtle most of the time. Very similar to a rotor and cap click, until literally, one day the noise became quite profound and I stopped running it. I challenged the builder on the noise and was told he never heard of such a thing.