Compactor ram would not return to the top. The threaded bushings had broken off the wings that held them in place, causing them to spin.

I held up on the compactor ram as i loosened the two screws on each of the two retaining cups. I then unscrewed the threaded bushings and lifted the ram out of the unit. I then cleaned the surface of the tracks on which the ram guides up and down and applied a thin layer of silicone grease to those surfaces as well as the threaded rods. . I placed the ram back into the unit and held it in place as i replaced the threaded bushings and their respective caps. Unfortunately i neglected to move the limiting switch that stops the ram when it reaches the top of the cycle and I broke the lever that contacts the ram and subsequently activates the stop switch. so i removed the ram and removed and inspected the switch. It was broken beyond repair so i ordered a new switch from the same place I purchased the threaded bushings and am waiting for them to arrive. Lesson learned, pay attention to the sequence by which the original parts are removed and understand how the system functions so that you can remember to put it back in the right order.