Slight Clicking when in gear 1992 Yamaha V4 115

[98BluBrd]

When I was heading back to the boat ramp last time I had the boat out I noticed a slight clicking sound coming from the prop area when I was in gear. It wasn't a very loud clicking sound, in fact I was the only one on the boat that could hear any difference (probably because its my boat and i'm used to the way it sounds). Even when I had the boat out of the water I could hear the clicking when I spun the prop by hand (in nuetral). The motor seemed to be running fine but did seem like it wanted to stall out a little bit easier than normal at idle (when if gear). Today I drained the oil in the lower unit and it still had the clicking sound, so i removed the prop. There was a bit of junk mixed in around the teeth on the gear in the prop. I cleaned it up a little bit and put the prop on. It spins freely now and the clicking is gone. I havent started the motor up or anything yet since its in my garage. I will probably pull it out this weekend and see if all is well when its running.

Has this happened to anyone else? Was something just stuck behind the prop? Does it sound like I am in the clear now? Do I put any grease or anything in the gears in the prop before I fully re-install it? Any tips or input would be greatly appreciated. Also how tight should I screw the nut for the prop (I was thinking pretty much the same as an axle bearing nut?)? I should note that I am fairly new to the boat world and have only had my boat for about a year. The motor is a 1992 Yamaha V4 115hp 2 stroke. Thanks in advance.