My lawn has those pop-up sprinklers with flat covers that retract flat when
not in use. They're the ones that look like a big, black vase on the
outside.

I've had problems with the things filling up with dirt. This, of course,
creates problems with the the heads either getting into fixed positions, or
ending up sprinkling other than where they're supposed to.

Is there any easy fix for the problem? These things are not easy to work on
in the ground, as they're spring loaded and constantly want to retract on
you while you're trying to work on 'em.