(Topic ID: 236171)

Autoplunger interfering with manual plunge.

By jp1985

5 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 16 posts
  • 6 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by jp1985
  • No one calls this topic a favorite

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#1 5 years ago

On occasion the autoplunger makes manual plunging very difficult, other times it seems fine. I've tried adjusting the fitment of the autoplunger and also the shooter housing with no success. Could I just need a new spring, any other ideas?

#2 5 years ago

Someone's going to elaborate on this with specifics... With mine I had the same problem due to the playfield being bowed from all the weight. Installed supports purchased from a Pinsider that straightened the playfield and all is good. Search Pinside, I'm sure there's a link(s) regarding this.

#3 5 years ago
Quoted from Awsklywabt:

Someone's going to elaborate on this with specifics... With mine I had the same problem due to the playfield being bowed from all the weight. Installed supports purchased from a Pinsider that straightened the playfield and all is good. Search Pinside, I'm sure there's a link(s) regarding this.

I have the supports installed but may still have a slight bow. Planning on doing a new pf in the future.

#4 5 years ago

Just watched your video, should have done that first maybe. Not sure the supports are going to help much here. Fortunately someone here will be able to point you in the right direction.

#5 5 years ago

I had this problem with my NGG. The geometry of the ball placement and the autolauncher is off. The ball has to be in the middle of the autolauncher in order for the shooter rod to hit the ball with enough force and direction. Fortunately for me when you lifted the PF for that game you had to make sure it was pulled all the way to the right when you put it back down, otherwise it would create the same (alignment) situation you have. It looks like you could shim the autolauncher some also.

#6 5 years ago

looks like the manual plunger is not hitting the ball center, knocking to the left.
Is this system similar to sterns?

#7 5 years ago

If I twist the shooter I can pull off a decent shot. It's like the shooter is slightly bent but I can't see it. Maybe I'll just pickup a new one and give it a try.

#8 5 years ago

You can adjust the shooter rod by loosing the 3 screws that hold it in place.

#9 5 years ago

Ended up using new washers with teeth for the shooter rod housing and it seems fine now. I think the old ones were slipping out of place after awhile.

#10 5 years ago

After a few games, the same issue started up again.

#11 5 years ago
Quoted from jp1985:

If I twist the shooter I can pull off a decent shot. It's like the shooter is slightly bent but I can't see it. Maybe I'll just pickup a new one and give it a try.

It sure does look like the shooter rod is not centered up when it hits the ball. Is there side to-to-side play? It's easy to take the shooter rod out and inspect. Just held in w/a c-clip

#12 5 years ago

One common thing that causes this issue is that someone replaced the original clip that holds the spring on the shooter rod with an "E" clip. An "E" clip is bigger than the original factory clip and will often hit the autoplunger mechanism. Using an "E" clip is easier than dealing with the factory clip which needs to be bent into position. On games without an autoplunger, an "E" clip is fine, but it will cause problems on a game with an autoplunger.

#13 5 years ago
Quoted from PiNDoCToR:

One common thing that causes this issue is that someone replaced the original clip that holds the spring on the shooter rod with an "E" clip. An "E" clip is bigger than the original factory clip and will often hit the autoplunger mechanism. Using an "E" clip is easier than dealing with the factory clip which needs to be bent into position. On games without an autoplunger, an "E" clip is fine, but it will cause problems on a game with an autoplunger.

The manual calls for,

https://www.marcospecialties.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=20-8714-37

Is this what you mean?

#14 5 years ago
Quoted from PiNDoCToR:

One common thing that causes this issue is that someone replaced the original clip that holds the spring on the shooter rod with an "E" clip. An "E" clip is bigger than the original factory clip and will often hit the autoplunger mechanism. Using an "E" clip is easier than dealing with the factory clip which needs to be bent into position. On games without an autoplunger, an "E" clip is fine, but it will cause problems on a game with an autoplunger.

I'm pretty sure you hit the nail on the head with this. When I twist the shooter so the clip that is attached has it's open area facing the side of the auto plunger I get a nice shot when I twist it so the open area is facing the center of the lane, I get a weak shot.

#15 5 years ago

Yes, that sounds like your issue. It's very common to see.

#16 5 years ago
Quoted from PiNDoCToR:

Yes, that sounds like your issue. It's very common to see.

I just got the part installed and it works perfect, thank you!

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