Cowl flap motors again (Please read anyway)

[kevin]

OK, it looks like I need to take the cowl flap motor journey again on my '73 P337. I will take what I learn this time and make it the first FAQ on a permanent page on the site, so we can all stop answering these questions over and over again. So, here are my current questions:

My front cowl flap motor is beginning to stick momentarily during its travel from closed to open or open to closed, i.e. it sometimes just takes a second or two to start moving, and sometimes starts moving, then stops, then finishes moving properly. This is apparent from the cockpit in that the front cowl flap takes 2 to 3 times longer to move from stop to stop than the rear does. On the ground, you can see the stickyness. There is no particular place where it sticks. My first set of questions:

1.) I doubt it is the linkage, but what should I check?
2.) Is there any appropriate lubrication for the motor assembly itself?
3.) This brand new from Cessna motor is 15 months and 158 hours old. What kind of service life are others getting from their motors?
4.) I assume this is a premature failure. Think I have any chance of getting any credit from Clyde?

Assuming I can't fix it by lubing the linkage or the motor assembly, and assuming Clyde will not replace it, I will have to do something with it, quickly, on my own nickle. More questions:

5.) Does anyone have any experience with Owen Bell's refurbished cowl flap motors? Cost effective? Recommend, not?
6.)There is another place in California (Sacramento I think) that rebuilds motors. Anybody have any experience with them? Cost effective? Recommend, not?

Although I am not interested myself, because I want this fixed before the Arlington Fly-in, and hopefully before July 4th, we may as well gather the last bit of information again:

7.) Has anyone actually installed a manual cowl flap mod? What year model aircraft? Who did the work? Recommend, not? Cost?

And lastly:

8.) Any other suggestions, sources, thoughts?

Thanks,

Kevin