I have a Williams Flash machine. The left flipper has stopped working. Before it stopped it was sticking and I also noticed that the plunger was making a squeaking sound when I worked the flipper by hand. So I removed the plunger from the coil and cleaned it then the flipper worked for a few games and now the coil cannot engage the plunger. When I hold down the flipper button if I manually move that flipper the coil will suck in the plunger after I help it about 2/3 of the way in.

I ordered rebuild kits for both flippers fron pinball life a couple of days ago. Do you guys think this will do the trick? It definitely seems like a mechanical issue to me. I also cleaned all the flipper and EOS switches.... This is my first pin and first pin repair. Didnt expect to be working on the machine this soon but I guess that's how pin collecting goes .

Thanks for any tips/advice

Will do thanks!

took everything apart: Plunger looks good, sleeve looks good however i just noticed where the flipper link connects to the flipper lever arm I am missing a washer and e-clip that holds this firmly together.. I was just comparing the left to the right for 100th time and just noticed that LOL .

I also just held the coil in my hand while it was powered and watched it pull in the plunger when I hit the button so I know electrically its doing its job.

Got it all back together very carefully and the flipper is working now but I believe as it is operating that flipper link slowly droops down the post on the flipper lever arm and causes the plunger to bind against the coil sleeve thus not kicking the flipper.

At least i can get a few games out of it tonite and I will be good to GO when my rebuild kits get here. There is some seriously hack wiring (one of the coil posts on the right flipper just has some speaker wire connecting to the EOS switch just wrapped around it! no solder or nuthin) that has been done on both the coils so i will fix that up at the same time!

Probably not a bad idea. I will be getting EOS switches with the rebuild kits so I will order flipper button switches too. Good call and thanks for the advice.

Actually when I called you I was having trouble with the right flipper. I just cleaned the flipper button switch and EOS switch and it began working fine and has been solid since then. Next day the left flipper stopped working and has been not working ever since (see above)... as far as the missing washer and e-clip i did look in the machine and did not see it so I really have no idea whats going on with those parts. It's very possible they fell off during the move and I just cant see em inside the cabinet.. maybe in a crack or something?

However I got my parts in the mail to rebuild both flippers yesterday so hopefully sometime this week I will have time to get in there and get it all fixed up and I feel confident the machine will be running great then. I have enjoyed this little flipper lesson actually. I feel like I know about 50 times more about pinball machines than I did when I was at your house looking at Flash for the first time!

I mean the machine is over thirty years old so trust me I understand these things are gonna happen.

I didnt want to call you again and bother ya because I know it wasnt your fault and besides it's my baby now I need to figure this stuff out on my own. I just wanted to get some reassurance from experienced people on here while I was going through the repair/troubleshooting flippers process the first time.

Dude that is really generous of you to offer reimbursement for the kits but I will have to respectfully decline the offer. BECAUSE - we made a good deal with good faith on both sides and I'm cool with it man. Honest. The machine is mine now and I have no problem taking on that responsibility.

p.s. I didnt mean to make cracks about your wiring job. I didnt think it was yours since all the work I saw that you did on the Genie was so nicely done LOL. You have gotten alot better since your Flash repair!! ;P