[stateofidleness]

So.. did what you recommended and the motor (under the clamshell) ran the entire time without any hiccups while the button was pressed in. It's hard to rule this out though as the motor may function differently when there's no "strain" on it. Maybe replacement of the motor first makes more sense? It could be failing and not have enough "ooomph" to raise and lower any more.

When replacing the transmissions, is it best to replace them both at the same time? Is this a DIY? I saw there's a "revised" version of the transmissions available, so I may go that route. Pretty pricey though.. sigh..

Is there a way to test the actual switch in the dash? Is that even a possible cause at this point?

note: after replacing the motor cables and clips, I was able to "close" the clamshell just fine with the button, but not lower it. after they were reconnected, it goes back to sounding like it's "struggling" to make that initial lift of the clamshell to lower the top.