BRIAN;
     You won't believe this, but I just went through the exact sequence of
events as you.  The only difference was when I pushed the black gear back
into the worm gear it worked for a thousand miles, then 500 the next time,
then 50, then 10.  I epoxy sticked a bent nail in front of that gear to keep
it from coming disengaged.  It still didn't work.  I took my cordless drill,
with just a philips bit, to see how the whole shootin match was supposed to
work.  I finally discovered it was that little metal gear coming loose.  I
cleaned it thoroughly, and after a few practice assemblies, put tiny bit of
epoxy on the shaft before I slid the gear on.  Works perfect now.  I
finished this process 3 days ago.  When I saw your post I couldn't believe
it. Very nice and informative post. Better than what I planned to put here.

John
87 Westy SVX