I recently had a similar problem and solved it under the playfield. You can adjust the "Zone Opener Assembly" to alter the distance between CA and NV as well as how loose CA feels. See page 58 of the manual for a schematic. In my case, I needed to tighten things up so CA was closer and not as wiggly. There is a nut on the plunger that is adjustable and the whole plunger rotates to move it in and out. This in turn impacts how the vertical piece of metal (actuator assembly) that goes up through the playfield holds/moves CA. Took a lot of fiddling but it works great now. I also have the blue pad.
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