Flippers should be solid when energized and the ball should not "move" the flippers... Might be a flipper EOS switch issue. Check your flipper EOS switches to see if they're clean and adjusted properly...

On an older EM game, you should expect that the hold circuit for the flipper can be overcome by a fast-moving ball. This is mostly because AC flipper coils don't create as strong of a magnetic field as DC flipper coils. If the end-of-stroke (EOS) switch gap is very small when the flippers are energized, you will get this undesirable effect. What is happening is that a fast moving ball hitting the tip of the flipper bat will push it back slightly. This moves back the flipper crank itself (under the playfield) a little bit, allowing the closely-gapped EOS switch to close again. The switch closure will turn on the high-power section of the flipper coil and cause the flipper to electrically "kick" the flipper back up to the fully energized position again, often popping the ball unexpectedly off the flipper.

Open the EOS switch gap up a bit more and the problem should mostly disappear. You don't want to open the gap too much as this will reduce flipper power during normal game play.

Hope this helps! - TimMe

If your flipper assemblies are set up properly, when the flippers are in the up position they should be like a stationary post. That is, they shouldn't move if the ball bounces off them. Basically, when the flippers are in the up position, each flipper has two separate coils powering it, and these are pretty strong...

Another reason you might be getting movement in the flippers when they're in the up position is the result of worn flipper bushings. Those are the plastic bushings that go through the bottom of the playfield. Over time, the inner hole of the bushing can wear and get larger. This can result in the flipper shaft itself moving slightly up and down or side to side...

If you just rebuilt the flippers with new stops and sleeves, new plunger/link assemblies, new cranks, new shaft/shoe assemblies, and new bushings, there should be very little mechanical sloppiness in the mechanism.

It's technically correct to say that in the up position each flipper has two separate coils powering it, but keep in mind that one of those coils is a low-power winding that is wired in series with the high-power winding. The effect is to generate a reduced amount of magnetic strength (not a greater amount). The whole purpose of the low-power winding being put into the circuit at the end-of-stroke is to reduce the current draw of the coil so that it doesn't overhead and self-destruct should the player keep a flipper turned on for a long time. Less current draw through the coil means less magnetic strength.

A simple way to check your flippers is to put the playfield into playing position and start a game with the glass top off. Press a flipper button and the flipper will go up. While holding the flipper button in so the flipper stays on, grab the flipper bat and slowly rotate it downward. As some point you will feel the high-power winding kick in and the flipper bat will start pushing against your hand much harder. This is the point at which the EOS switch is closing. If that happens right away, the EOS switch may be gapped too close. If you don't feel this effect at all, then it may mean the flipper coils are wired up incorrectly.

Good luck! - TimMe

PN B-12462 is what's listed for a flipper switch in the 78 Gottlieb parts catalog, Vol P. This catalog covers HS/BS.