It should activate the pops when it comes around, not just go straight through, if that's what you mean

Try adjustments:
- Make your pops more sensitive -- particularly the one on the left. Inspect the skirt and switch. A plunged ball should hit the skirt and trigger the coil.
- (only do this second one after testing/adjusting the first) Check the orbit wall just above the pops to make sure it's not bent, directing the ball too far to the center and thus avoiding the pop.

Also, from a gameplay perspective of minimizing your drains and maximizing your score/progress, I highly recommend getting in the habit of manually short-plunging (prior to the auto-plunge firing) to avoid the full orbit and the pops all together -- don't rely on a nudge while in or near the pops. Do this each time you lock a ball, and on the initial multiball plunges as well.

After the first ball served in a multiball (Elevator or Toys -- with virtual locks or missed physical catapult locks), you're then going to have to deal with auto-plunges. But at that point you have a multiball initial ball-save. The critical one for manual short plunge is after each physical Toys lock.

I also own Aerosmith and have never encountered this issue. Assure the game is level side to side and pitched 6.5 degrees. As others mentioned, the ball should hit the pop bumpers a majority of the time. Very rarely, will mine miss and drain.