Yek’ inhlanhla yokwazana Nomhlobo wam’. (Oh, what a privilege it is to know my Friend) This site is perhaps the only place where I can say this and know that readers will totally understand. I have a motor....but I do not have a boat - LOL. I bought the motor first, just could not pass it up. So for now, I will have to keep testing it mounted in my recycle bin filled with water. As for the noise, I took your advice and went over everything looking for loose parts. I pulled the recoil and noted that the center nut was loose. When I rocked the mechanism back and forth it sounded like this could possibly be the culprit. The housing seems to amplify the rattle noise like a bell. When I tried to fire it up again the recoil spring broke so I will have to update you all when I sort that out. Cheers.