ASCII/Agetec DC Arcade Stick Tech Help Needed

[plik]

i have a sick arcade stick. i dont know what happened.
basically the problem is that the joystick piece is sticking in one direction. i have taken it apart and can see that the white base piece that holds the spring together is cracked a bit, but it is not the reason it's sticking. my best guess from what i can see is that there is this copper colored thin washer that sits between the plastic base get's hung up on the base piece, after wiggling a bit, it does pop back into place, but this is not very good during a game.
if any of you arcade hardware master can offer a solution, whether a way to fix the stick, or buy a replacement piece, i would greatly appreciate it.
another question i have about the agetec stick i have is, are the parts replaceable by real "arcade" hardware bits? i have read a frew threads about folks building their own sticks, could i just replace the stick on my Agetec?
thanks guys.

if you want to catch me on IM, i am usually logged onto MSN Messenger, gturoczi@hotmail.com

[680x0]

There is no easy fix, the shitty plastic in those sticks just wear down at some point and you have to replace the stick. A small sanwa might work, but Jap sticks are pretty hard to find.

[EightBit]

I have the same problem minus the cracked white piece. Im thinking it might be a lubrication problem, though Ive been too lazy to research what kind of stuff to get for it.