Plastics are very hard to come by and if you do find them they Are outrageous prices. I diagnostics test you will see it it will have up down left right and chomp. Play it though my left to right works when tested but if I leave on during game play he won't center so I just leave off

Check the t-rex for operation, just take the glass off and get him to go. Check for hole wear at the cellars(then get cliffys) , and the t-rex. Check around pops for wear. Look at the GI connector in the backbox, it will be fried if it hasn't been serviced. Shaker work? Last but not least....plastics are nonexistent at the moment, so check all those. The plastic behind the cellars is always broken. That about covers it I think.......whew

One key problem is the switch at the Control Room. It is an easy $3 fix, but I have done that fix 3 times in the 1.5 years of owning mine. When in a game and the control room light is lit, a ball going into the hole should hit that switch and trigger whatever lit CRT mode is at the bottom of the playfield. A very easy test is to start up the game, get a ball in the control room when lit, and see if it triggers STAMPEDE. Stampede is always the first mode, then after that they randomize based off pop hits. It just gets hit so much that the switch burns out or messes up, and you have to replace it.

Several things to look out for:

Check for wiring harnesses near the upper right flipper bracket. By design wires can brush up against this bracket and cause shorts.

Do not run the T-Rex mechanism if your CPU ROM version is below 5.01. V5.00 introduced slowdowns when T-Rex approaches stops on the left and right. 5.01 introduced a slowdown 100% of the time. This is crucial, else the gearbox will quickly wear out and fail. Marco has new left/right gearboxes for about $90.

Check the 24v motor/gearbox that makes T-Rex move up and down. This is essential for locking balls. Also check the link arm that connects the motor to the toy.

Yeah that's something I would absolutely do. Heck I would even suggest chadh's Jurassic Park mod but it's not quite ready for prime time.

By the way these Data East service bulletins describe the issues in detail:

http://www.sternpinball.com/downloads/sb41.pdf

http://www.sternpinball.com/downloads/sb42.pdf

Every time you start up the machine, the Rex automatically tests. Mine came with Cliffy protectors on the scoops but I took them off because they were installed incorrectly and made the shots impossible, so we just deal with the wear and don't worry about it. Those shots are so important to the game and used so much that there is usually a great deal of wear there unless it had a protector from the very beginning.

It sounds like it is in pretty good shape, especially the plastics if just one is broken. I paid $2400 for mine 1.5 years ago then had to pay to ship it across the country, but I live in a pin desert and there is literally nothing around me except one higher priced retail shop that never had a JP. People on here will say you should be able to get one for $1800, but I honestly didn't have that option with supply/demand here. I've seen them go for $1600-3200, it just depends on what you are willing to pay.

Everything else can be fixed but wear outside of a Cliffy gives you the best reason to walk away. For 2k you will find one eventually with much less wear and tear.

Diagnostics may slow the motor down so problems can be better analyzed. I'd say it's perfectly normal.

Here is a ramp:

http://bayareaamusements.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=GS-JP545-5155-00

Not sure if that is the best option.

I agree with this. Be patient, there's plenty of them out there! 9,008 to be precise.