Well, I took the top cover off and after inspecting the gears for damage, noting nothing was wrong except they were a little dry, I took some of the white grease that was inside the cover and spread it around the gears with a toothpick. After reassembly, it still had the same problems. I took the bottom cover off and removed the motor. it was squealing when I let it run wide open. A drop of light oil on the shaft fixed that and also the lagging and noise problem! It now works nice and smooth, although like Dave said, a little slow.