Water softener quit working. I noticed the motor makes noise but does not turn the gear. I also noticed that the brine valve seems to be difficult to lower. Can the brine valve become defective and difficult to move? When I turn the manual knob it seems like I am going to snap it before the valve wants to lower (letting the knob rotate further). I believe the motor burned up when it got to the stiff valve, which may have jammed the gears to a halt. So, I think if I replace the motor and the stiff brine valve, the unit should work properly. Does anybody have any input?