Sd Card Slot Repair

All,
First time post here. I co-worker loaned my his g/f's C860 (she rarely used it), and the SD card slot no longer ejects cards. I pulled the back off the C860, and discovered that when you push a card in to eject it, the return spring doesn't push the SD cradle far enough forward. You can still pull the SD out by hand, but you have to put something in the slot (bent paperclip works) and pull the SD cradle out the rest of the way by hand in order to reset it so it will lock next time. I can't see anything blocking the SD cradle, but I can feel some hesitation when I pull it forward. It's a real concern now as said g/f is now Xg/f and may ask for the 860 back at any point in time... I'd hate to take a soldering iron to it... Any ideas? If you lay the closed 860 on it's lid, with the SD slot facing you, the cradle is in the back left corner. It is a small black piece of plastic which matches the angled corner on an SD/MMC card. It's spring loaded on a track on the left side of the slot. There is a triangluar three way catch -- an empty slot has the catchhook at the tip of the triangle. When you insert the card, the hook travels down the bottom edge of the triangle and locks onto the base of the triangle when the card is all the way in. When you pop the card out, the hook slides along the top of the triangle, returning it to the tip. Problem is, the hook in this one stops only a mm or so from the tip, but won't reach the tip. If you don't get the hook to the tip, it won't travel the bottom of the triangle and lock into the base. OOPS! Any thoughts?

Ian T.