Quadra-Fire 7100 question....

We have been using our new fireplace for a couple months and I have a question about the AAC (Automatic Combustion Control.) The handle seems loose to me, I can move it left and right and initially it seems to wind the timer as I move it the last 1/4 of it travel to the right. What doesn't seem right is that I can also move the lever in and out of the slot it's in, like what ever it's mounted to is loose. I remember the one in the store was the same way but I'm still curious if this is the way it should be or not. Also, if I correctly understand the way it's supposed to work, after the timer has wound down, I sould be able to slide it back over to the right and get that last 1/4 of travel to open the damper all the way again. The problem is, most of the time it won't move all the way right even if it's been a few hours which should be plenty of time for the spring to have wound down. Thanks for any opinions or input.

Steve