I say punt .. sell it and look for a good old pre Lock 617 to replace it with , preferably an early model with no mim parts. I just don't ever see anyone being satisfied with one of these current production 617's. They just feel like junk ,, to me they have a tin can feel and the action grinds like as if it's filled with sand. Once you compare yours to a good old one , I think you will see why the old ones are in such high demand. If you choose to keep yours and continue to fight the problems,, well I do wish you good luck. It's a shame you can't expect what you should expect straight out of the box these days,, but that goes with everything. My new Chevy trucks body is as thin as paper, but at least its thicker than the new fords aluminum tin can outer shell . " You've all seen the commercial with the empty tool box ripping holes in the F-150's bed " admit Ford Fans that's just not cool, a little embarrassing you might say. Around here it's " 5 screws and Bowties - Like a Rock " Enough of my bias opinion goodnight all J.F.