The gray color in the front means that you hvae a little water in there. The black sounds like it is just ancient and burned.
There should be no slop in the pin and no you can't tighten it. It taps in with a hammer and is secured with a roll pin. Is the slop in the spiders or where the pin goes int he carrier? You may have lost the roll pin.
Ditch the spiders and install a
locker if the pin is still any good.