yamaha 704 shift control

Shifter has a lot of resistance when I move it back to neutral from forward or reverse, and often moves through neutral to opposite gear. I have disconnected the linkage ( throttle and gear shift) at the engine and shift/throttle control then moves much easier. When I move by hand the engine throttle linkage or gear shift lever at the engine they also move easily. Why when connected is there so much resistance has described? There appears to be alignment notches on the gear shift linkage slider at the engine end and they seem to be properly aligned in the neutral position. Any thoughts GREATLY appreciated

Engine is a 2001 Yamaha 115 hp 4 stroke

RV1

Has the lower unit been taken off recently for water pump etc. Perhaps shift splines not lined up properly. Just a guess. Don't ask me how I know this.

[boats.net]

Control cables are the most common problem with hard shifting, may be time to replace control cables.