Anybody have thoughts on the spring situation? hopefully the pic will show what is going on down there...
3 things: The assembly at the bottom of the stack is always gummed up, and yours is no exception.
Remove the shoulder bolts one at a time, clean, lubricate and re-install. Then lube all other moving parts.
There is supposed to be a spring pulling back the actuator after the vend cam pushes it forward, I don't see yours.
Another spring you are dependant on, is approx. 6" long and is horizontal in your picture.
It may be necessary to clip it shorter to give it more tension, as they tend to stretch.