The random motor runs once the game starts until you shoot your first ball. It will also run when you have reset the timer by pressing the "C" button to start a search, and will stop when it finds a winner.

So depending on the behavior, that might be normal?

You say there are three random cams - there should only be one Random disc.

assuming you mean the random, magic random and x2x2 random unit wipers are spinning, then they will do that if the playfield shutter is open AND the timer unit is at reset.

however, when you reset the game, the timer unit should step up as soon as the first ball is raised and that will turn off the motors on those units. Are you getting the first ball lifted?

the magic random and x2x2 random units will also spin briefly after shooting the first ball (timer unit goes to step 2) OR when you step up the selection unit all the way by playing max coins/credits.

and just to be pedantically annoying, the random wipers will spin on a C button press as BCP said, but it's not the timer unit doing it...it's the closed search wiper relay switch. The random wipers stop spinning when all the search wipers are locked or a win is detected.

Hey, someone's got to do it!

Also, for some reason, even though Dixieland was mentioned, and I looked up the random motor's circuit on the schematic, I had earlier games stuck in my head. The earliest six cards in the 1970s had a single random unit. Now that BT has spelled the whole thing out for me, the lightbulb has gone off.

Thanks for setting the record straight baldtwit

The typical issue for this is that the timer unit is not stepping when the first ball is lifted, nor when any subsequent balls are lifted. This can be maddening as seemingly the rest of the game is functional, but you can play a neverending stream of balls.

In most cases, the issue is switch 2a on the ball lift motor cams. This little switch tends to get fouled easily. From the factory, there should be a shroud covering these lifter switches, but sometimes this is missing. It doesn't matter much as I've had to clean and adjust many with and without the shroud.

Regardless, this is always the first stop for me.

A second, but equally important stop, is cleaning the jones plugs. If those are fouled then there won't be enough current to step the timer even if everything else is working properly.

when you shoot the first ball the playfield shutter is supposed to slide closed to prevent the balls from falling thru the playfield. The ball has to be sitting in the hole for the card number light to stay on.

shutter closing happens when the timer unit is on the second step (raising the second ball).

the exception on most games that have extra balls is when the game is reset with a ball in the shooter lane. Shooting that one will drop thru the playfield. i.e. the game has not stepped the timer unit because no ball was lifted.

when the plugs are out for cleaning/inspection, squeeze the sockets hard between your thumb and finger along the length of the socket. You want to bend in the outer tabs a little. Pushing the plugs back in should take a little oomph to seat them....that will mechanically scrub the socket connection since you can't easily get in there to clean.

Thanks so much all you guys on your inputs. It will definitely give me a good starting point to hopefully eliminate some of the problems I'm experiencing. I forgot that the ball wasn't sitting in the hole and that was probably why the light would flash and not stay on. I have to double check and make sure the shutter is closing. I will heed your expertise and check the areas you've mentioned and get back ASAP? Thanks again guys!

One more question if I may. Does anyone know where I can obtain a manual with schematic on this machine? I'm pretty skilled at reading them as I have worked on quite a few EM Pinballs and repaired Televisions and other electronics for 40 years. These machines are definitely fascinating. I've never seen anything quite like them. I would hope to at least try to get one of these fixed out of 2 bad ones and hopefully down the line, repair both. First things first. Thanks for all your help.

I will be out near you next month

OK. Here's what happens now. Switch game on, credits on credit register "zero," Flips coins switch, 4 credits register on credit register. Then when I press credit button one credit is removed but nothing else happens. I can continue pressing credit button and one credit is removed but game doesn't start and ball is not lifted, also shutter motor is always in open positon, never closes. I know the motor is good because I forced the motor to run by closing one of cam switches on that assembly. I did repair bad contacts on replay zero relay and fixed that, credits zero out. There are times when I just turn the game on and a ball is lifted into the shooter lane, shutter never closes. It just keeps giving me balls to shoot and they just keep falling through the open holes. One thing I noticed at the very beginning after opening the back door and I forgot to mention. This game most likely was used for parts. One of the motors on the random unit is missing. Could this be part of my problem with the other issues mentioned earlier? I didn't address it yet because I had so many other things going on when trying to start a game, with or without credits. Not knowing the proper sequence of events when appempting to start a game is very frustrating, also it's very hard to actually see what's going on in the back of the game when I'm attempting to start a game from the front of it. I DO know the control unit shaft assembly will need to be torn down and lubed as it seems like it's laboring but turns. Control motor sometimes "give up" and stalls. Motor then gets very hot. Thanks again for any help.

the documentation is here:
http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/dixieland/

if your control unit is stalling due to sticky clutches, ya might as well stop and deal with it. The game won't work properly and you are risking cooking the stator winding or damaging the gears in the gearbox.

the general sequence for an unmodified game is:
1] turn on game and it resets the credits
2] deposit coin. Game cycles and it may or may not add credits depending on configuration of wiring to multiplay relay. During cycling, the playfield shutter opens and many switches on the shutter cams reset a bunch of the units. Timer cam switches may step some of the units immediately.
3] the first ball is raised. The timer unit steps up once
4] you play additional coins/credits to enable more cards and the features after the 6th coin
5] you eventually shoot the first ball. When it exits the runway, the ball lift motor turns on and raises the second ball. The timer unit steps to the second step and the playfield shutter closes (this happens while the first ball is rolling around the top of the playfield arch).
6] after shooting four balls, the R button is enabled to allow scanning for wins. If a win is detected, the game pauses and lets you choose to collect the win or try for double-or-nothing.

the features modify the doubling stuff a bit, but that's the general idea of what happens. When the playfield shutter is not closing, usually it's the timer unit not stepping. Common reasons are poor plug connections or dirty/misadjusted switch on ball lift cam, or especially dirty/misadjusted open-at-top switch on the side of the timer unit.

'course, if the shutter is never closing, then it's never opening again and the timer unit may not be getting reset. If you tilt the game so the tilt trip relay trips, the shutter should close.

Just saw your reply. Thanks for your expertise on the sequence of events when starting this game. I've addressed most of the issues you mentioned and now my Bally Dixieland starts, plays, and issues credits for wins. Thanks so much again for your help. Sorry so late reponding, no excuse!