Sluggish/Sticky 3462 Milk Car

from what I'm seeing in your video, your milk man is not returning completely back. you have to push him back by hand to trigger the can set. you need to check a few things....oil that has begun to dry up and turn gummy under the milk man, pivot points that have turned gummy, or a weak return spring......slightly stretching the spring helps that out.....also gum and varnish that may have built up in the plunger solenoid. also, you mentioned your wiring is brittle, check to see if the wiring is physically preventing the mechanism from returning. you should have that brittle wiring replaced as at some point its gonna short out somewhere....thus electrocuting the poor little milkman....LOL

As Harmon Yards wrote, old, gummy lubricants are likely to be the cause.
When I have a milk car that needs repair, I disassemble and clean the entire mechanism with rags and QTips moistened with mineral spirits. The solenoid and sliding parts should NOT BE lubricated. If you like, they can be polished with metal polish or with Butchers Wax. This helps if there is any oxidation on the sliding parts. I might put a drop of lubricant at the pivot.

Note: "O" gauge milk car dashpots do have an oil mixture applied, which is required in that specific spot. Too little, and the mechanism isn't dampened. Too much, and the mechanism won't work.

By the way, it looks like the tab behind the moving platform might be bent in. That may be causing your problem with the man not going back all the way.
On the 3472, the part is called a "Can Sweep arm, #3472-25.
I don't see it pictured as a separate part in the 3462 service pages.
Since it has a 3472 part number, it is likely a little different than yours.
Here is a link to the picture.

The tab should be more or less at a right angle to the rest of the sweep arm.
Both parts should be nice and flat.
Sometimes people try to "adjust" things and create problems.

There were significant changes to the mechanism in the later 3472 cars. I'm working on one 3462 and one 3472 right now. Actually tore the 3462 totally apart before I realized my K-Line transformer :I was using to test didn't but out sufficient amps--changed to a 1033 and the 3472 works great but I'm still having trouble with the 3462. If you go to Olsen's you can get the info for the 3462 and 3472 diagrams and suggested repair tweaks for both. They also suggest some parts interchangability. One major change is the location and type of spring to return the solenoid.

I'm guessing it needs degreasing and minor bending of some of the parts. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Clean and lubricate the pivot points, slightly stretch the spring and apply dry lubricant under the slide mechanism.....for starters.

I apologize for not circling back here sooner. Thank you all for the input I will try to clean it up and go from there

CW - I'll look at the tab to see if it may be bent. The car was previously working fine and just started acting up in the past few days. I have not taken it apart so there is no way it could've been bent sitting on the shelf. I'll take a look later/over the weekend.