OK, back in business. Reversed cables and reverse worked. So, I pulled the f/r switch again to make sure I had cleaned well etc. I totally detailed out that freakin' switch. That's when I noticed that the circlip was not seated on the lever rod. After cleaning, made sure that was seated, buttoned it up and it now runs perfectly. So, assuming the loose circlip made contact difficult (though it did run in forward) then it would have been the new micro-switch that actually made it work. Otherwise, it was super-cleaning. Thanks for the responses.