I solved the 2nd issue. I checked readings at terminals 11, 16, & 17 and those were all 0 ohms, so I thought maybe the lock washer on the screw at terminal 22 did not fully penetrate the paint on my transformer bell. I tightened the screw at terminal 22 down harder, and now terminal 22 reads 0 ohms as well.
For my other issue, I went back and read the manual and it does say that the * readings will vary from meter to meter, so I'm guessing my issue at terminal 13 is a non-issue, since it does eventually slowly grow to 270K ohms, and I'm probably ready to power up.