It's the natujre of the beast. Mine does the same thing.

Me, too. It needs a hard bump. But it's been very serviceable for many years... more than 25, I'd guess. But it still works, and since I don't use it that often, I'd get a new one in a heartbeat if I used it more often.

Also you may want to heck out the Cooking forum, others may have more insoght over there, too.

My 1980's Cuisinarts are like yours. Mine were made in Japan--that vintage, after France and before China. The bowls are difficult to maneuver. When I replaced them after they cracked, the replacements were even more of a pain to work with. I replaced the entire bunch with a Magimix 4200. It's heavenly. Smooth and easy action on all functions.