declination axis not working correctly

i have an atlas explorer reflector. the declination axis seems dodgy. when i losen it , to move the telescope down it continues to drift after i stop twisting the handle. then when i twist the handle the opposite way, it doesnt raise uniformly. in fairness its a cheap tripod, very shaky, but has anyone had this issue with any of their equatorial mounts and is there any "cheap" repair solution.

It sounds like the telescope may not be balanced on the mount properly and may need to be moved slightly or a small counter weight added

It sounds like the dec axis is slipping after you tighten it?, if so it maybe be to unbalanced or there is too much grease in there. No harm in taking it apart and having a quick look.