either your shaft is too small or something is wrong with your couplers.
I have a separate shaft just for initial alignment.
My tool fits the coupler with very little play.

I suspect the tool is undersized.

Tool diameter is 1.011 and brand new from merc. Think spec for tool is 1.010.

Specs for alignment bar

Thats the diagram i used to check it. My 3 bars are all in spec. Im afraid my coupler is shredded. I just dont understand. Alignment was very close and i ran the boat at 30 mph on the river for about 10 minutes. I left the alignment at a point where it took just a tad more than 2 fingers with the merc brand standard align bar. Now that same bar slides in with 2 fingers prob cuz the coupler is worn. Guess ill pull the engine. This is getting real old!!!

1. is your gimble worn?? I believe you said it had some play
2. is your transom toast???
3. are your stringers toast?
4. is there runout on your input shaft?

Never used a bar with a sleeve, and it seems to me the sleeve provides more room for slop. The solid bar IMO provides a better feel for how close the alignment is

phragle the lower steering pin was worn a teeny tiny. I put a new pin in and it's good. I have not checked the runout on the input shaft yet but i will tonight. The boat is very solid and no signs of any rot. It has sat inside most of it's life. Is this ITS bar supposed to fit tighter even in the new couplers i have in the videos? Those couplers are right out of the box! All of my alignment bars are either 1.010 or 1.011 at the coupler portion which is at spec. All the bars fit the same in the couplers...The its bar being so long a tiny bit of slop at the coupler is huge at the end. Unless it fits extremely snug in the coupler i don't see how this tool is effective. I'll use my bore scope to take a peak at the splines before removing the engine. That is just a crazy amount of slop.

I need an ITS bar if you want to trade for my new standard length bravo bar ??