Hi! The most likely candidate is definitely a bad battery since all of the original Ugobe batteries hold a 15 minute run time at best and most all are just plain dead. I've even found ones that are corroded. I would buy a new battery from Pleo World or a repacked one from eBay and check if that fixes the issue. Do not attempt any updates if you suspect a bad battery, as this can cause serious harm to the Pleo. I don't know about fixing the spring, but if the Pleo is starting up at all, it seems like it's making contact and I personally wouldn't mess with it. Hope this helps!