2006 9.9 stuck in forward

[Evinrude Boater]

Just bought this motor used and have used it for a day. Came in last night and couldn't shift into neutral so I just flipped the kill switch. Still can't shift into neutral or reverse. The throttle control will turn though the full throttle but stops before going into neutral. Can only turn it more if I press the throttle only button. What's the solenoid on the side of the shifter rocker for? Could that be stopping it? Can the shift rod be split to shift the gear case manually? I figure this will isolate the problem to either the gear case or the linkage.

Model 1F10311FK