Trackpad problem on iBook G4?

So my boyfriend owns an iBook G4, 1.33 GHz, of which I was the original owner. I originally bought it in November 2005, and it went through a couple of repairs during the time I owned it--once for logic board failure, and the second time, right after I got it back, for a malfunctioning trackpad. (The button wouldn't register a click unless you, quite literally, slammed it with your fist. Nice.)

Now, obviously, the warranty has long since expired, and I never bought Applecare, but the trackpad is acting up again. Every so often, without any rhyme or reason, the trackpad and button will completely cease to function. In the past, this could sometimes be alleviated with a good hard press in the general vicinity of the trackpad cable, but now it requires a reboot, after which it works perfectly again. The frequency isn't at all consistent--sometimes it will happen a couple of times within a few weeks, other times it'll be months between occurrances. As such, it's not terribly frequent, but it is annoying, and it is cause for concern should he ever want to resell the machine (he's looking to upgrade to a MacBook sometime later this year).

Has anyone else experienced a similar problem? Any ideas as to what it could be? Quick fixes? Delicious smoothie recipes?

Thanks in advance!


~Kalmia