ronfisherman: when you mentioned the arching to the metal case of the socket it reminded me of an issue I experience when trying to regain connection with our round 4-pin metal connectors.
I'm certain my issue is with the socket at the front of the toad. When I grab a hold of the metal plug to try and push it into the socket further, reposition, etc, I feel prickly electrical shocks in my fingers. So I assume electricity is getting to the metal case of the socket.
Could this be the same issue you had.....and is the cause of my issue?