Check all switches on each score reel in the head, (including the card score reels). I believe all 3 switches should be open at "0." If even one isn't open, the machine will fail in thinking it's ready to start a new game and forever continue trying to reset the old. Very common problem.

Hey, Kickout,

The fact that you have a working game after resetting the reels manually tells me all reels that aren't on "0" are not turning during reset. You didn't state this symptom in your initial post. The machine will forever keep trying to reset these reels until they reach "0."

As Rolf states in his last paragraph, and since you stated you checked switches on each reel.........Easiest thing to do is simply CLEAN all switches on each non-working reel, (including the card reels). It may sound a bit like overkill, but really won't take too long if you're struggling. Also check all wiring to these switches AND the reel coils, broken wiring can be easily overlooked. To test, set every single reel in the game to "1" and reset the game. All reels should advance to "0," then serve the ball to the shooting lane. Good luck!