The wire ball guide (Part # 535-5300-01 2 1/2" wire ball guide) has broken and is swinging around damaging the playfield.

When I first looked at it, I thought I could just push it back in, but now I realise that it has broken just below the playfield level and above the barbed end.

My first question is how do I get it out (the end which is not broken seems very seated still). I assume that the bottom of the guide is still stuck in the hole and I can't work out, how I will get that out.

If I can get it out, what is the best way to repair/replace, esp if I have to drill it out?

I see that Marco stocks the part, but I am in New Zealand, so the freight costs and time will be a killer, but from the manual I can see there is another 2.5" wire ball guide at the top of the shooter lane, so I am figuring I might be able to use that and replace it with a hand formed guide, because it is hidden under the plastics.

Has anybody got any good ideas for how best to approach this ?

Thanks
John
Time Machine

No, it doesn't go right through (and there is quite a lot of wiring etc directly underneath. I am going to have to either drill a new hole from the top in a different position or somehow get the old piece out and then pack/fill the hole.

Thanks for the tip on bike spokes, I just happen to have a wheel I usually use on my wind trainer, which got broken moving, so I have some spokes to work with.

OK, resolved.

When I took off the under-playfield assembly below the wire guide I saw that a previous owner had pushed the broken wire guide right through. It had made a bit of a mess underneath, so if I was having to do it on another machine I would drill a shallow hole from underneath, so that the wood didn't split when it was punched through.

Becausee I didn't have a new ball guide I just reversed the broken one. It seems pretty firm, and the low part is where it is not being knocked by the ball at any angle.