Metallica (Premium)
Stern, 2013Hey guys. Having a weird problem that I'm hoping is an easy fix. I just installed the eject cliffy for my METLE, had to remove some of the mechanism but back together no problem.
Now that it's all down I went to play a game and the manual plunge kinda rattles on the way up. It doesn't have a straight trajectory for some reason. When the auto plunge kicks in no problem however.
I have attached a link to the video to show what's going on. What do I need to look for to fix?
Make sure your shooter rod is centered... My guess is that if you look at it the shooter rod is aiming slightly off to the left, which causes the ball to strike the left side of the shooter lane as it is shot out. The shooter rod has a small amount of adjustment so see if you can aim it straight so that the rubber tip on the shooter rod strikes the ball directly in the center.
Quoted from Concretehardt:Make sure your shooter rod is centered... My guess is that if you look at it the shooter rod is aiming slightly off to the left, which causes the ball to strike the left side of the shooter lane as it is shot out. The shooter rod has a small amount of adjustment so see if you can aim it straight so that the rubber tip on the shooter rod strikes the ball directly in the center.
OK, so it does look slightly off centre, to the left. From what you say above do I need to adjust the housing that holds the rod? Is this what you mean about the adjustment side of things
It looks to me like your rail protector on the right rail is causing your trouble. the manual shooter rod fires the ball further back and from a single point on the ball. So when it hits the ball it may jeck to the right and catch the edge of the rail protector sending it left into the drain lane. The automatic shooter contacts the ball in two places and flings it forward nice and straight.
I'd move the protector back. I can take a picture of how mine is installed but I'll have to wait till I get home from work.
Brian
Quoted from bpull:It looks to me like your rail protector on the right rail is causing your trouble. the manual shooter rod fires the ball further back and from a single point on the ball. So when it hits the ball it may jeck to the right and catch the edge of the rail protector sending it left into the drain lane. The automatic shooter contacts the ball in two places and flings it forward nice and straight.
I'd move the protector back. I can take a picture of how mine is installed but I'll have to wait till I get home from work.
Brian
Hey Brain. Thanks for the input. I'll take this one off first as it is only in the one hole. I did this deliberately as I didn't want to drill new holes into the side rail so I just used the existing.
Funny thing is this side protector has been installed for over 4 months with no problem 
Quoted from Rickwh:I also suspect the shooter rod alignment. But check the playfield is square amd firmly seated. I didnt have to take anything apart other than the apron to install cliffys. what mechanism did you have to remove?
Last time I tried to install the cliffs I couldn't get it under the shooter housing (where it curves and sits on the pf'd), and onto the rail without bending it. This time I removed the apron, then some of the shooter housing. Mainly the trough, nothing else.
If I have to remove the new cliffy I fear it's going to take some of the clear coat with it as some was flaking away already!!
I had the rod mis-aligned also, turns Out The inside mounting plate was flipped over in the factory, reversed it, shifts to the right. Then rescrew it as the old holes in the wood wil be covered.
Problem solved , I hope.
Auto plunger also bends over time, causing the jerky launch, just bend it back once in a while.
Quoted from steigerpijp:I had the rod mis-aligned also, turns Out The inside mounting plate was flipped over in the factory, reversed it, shifts to the right. Then rescrew it as the old holes in the wood wil be covered.
Problem solved , I hope.
Auto plunger also bends over time, causing the jerky launch, just bend it back once in a while.
Thanks for the info. This is not a new machine though, been using it problem free since it's release! Bought it NIB and problem free since then (shooting the ball that is).
Will keep this info in mind if all else fails. If I remove the cliffy and it fixes the problem I'll be pissed!
Quoted from Rickwh:I hope the double stick tape doesnt pull up the clear as well. That would piss me off. Good luck.
Yep, my main concern. Was flaky anyway so probably will!!
Will try removing the RHS protector first then look at the other recommendations. Unfortunalty at work at the moment so will try when I get home.
As stated the shooter rod definitely looks to be off centre so I think this is the real problem, which I don't understand as I didn't do anything to it....
Quoted from jardine:Thanks for the info. This is not a new machine though, been using it problem free since it's release! Bought it NIB and problem free since then (shooting the ball that is).
Will keep this info in mind if all else fails. If I remove the cliffy and it fixes the problem I'll be pissed!
Mine was new and working fine also , 9 months although at times hit and miss. till last week it was bearable, then investigated when The balls stopped making the lane, and found it was way off, touching the auto bracket too, bending that over time. If it is not central in the (apron )plunge meter, its going to veer of and not make it, quick fix just check inside .
Quoted from jardine:Hey guys. Having a weird problem that I'm hoping is an easy fix. I just installed the eject cliffy for my METLE, had to remove some of the mechanism but back together no problem.
Now that it's all down I went to play a game and the manual plunge kinda rattles on the way up. It doesn't have a straight trajectory for some reason. When the auto plunge kicks in no problem however.
I have attached a link to the video to show what's going on. What do I need to look for to fix?
» YouTube video
I had the same exact problem My cause was the cliffy on the left as you are looking down at the game . The very top of the protector tend to lift up ever so slightly and this messes up the trajectory of your ball. Never happened with auto launch as you also state. I bent back the top of protector but sometimes a ball now gets hung up there and I am considering removing, cutting off the top end of protector or going with mylar. Your video looks exactly like the problem I was having. Good luck, report back.
Well so far I have placed a small washer under the shooter housing (thanks concretehardt) and that definitely made the rod straighter! It still however did as the video showed.
Then removed the right side cliffy and a little better. Now as mentioned above, will remove the left side cliffy. So pissed if this is the issue as I already have wear and a small amount of clear that has flaked
With both cliffy and washer under the housing it does still wiggle but makes it up and out the shooter lane. What it doesn't do is plunge with any strength and therefore can't get it go right around the orbit for the skill shot.
Jarrod I had similar issues but I also have the cliffy that slides under the wood rail on the left side and now ball launches nice and straight. I also remember bending the metal lugs on the shooter thingy so it hits the ball nice and central.
Quoted from Gorgar1:Jarrod I had similar issues but I also have the cliffy that slides under the wood rail on the left side and now ball launches nice and straight. I also remember bending the metal lugs on the shooter thingy so it hits the ball nice and central.
Hey Peter, confused mate. What did you bend as I only have issues with the manual launch, not the auto launch?
Well, that has to be one of the biggest, all time mind f***s I've ever had.
In the end I ended up removing the shooter eject cliffy and problem solved
I wonder if anyone else has had these problems? Would love to hear from you guys so I don't feel so alone, lol.
I have cliffy's on most of my games and this is the first that has ever changed the way the game played.
Really dissapointing
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Mt Martha
Eugene, OR
Roosendaal
Sana'a
but after I fitted both cliffys it solved my issues.