I was thinking that was the case, that it was pulled apart, and a piece went missing.
So the good news, as far as looking at things.. the male connector pops back in, with reasonable force ( into an insulated pocket) and the opposite end tip, also has the isolator. As much as I draw..have not a single pen that clicks. :/ but, I do have various lighters of different sizes.. I'll try a spring from those. I'll report back my findings.
Thanks for the help!