G'day, since it's holiday and I've got some spare time, I've decided to try and get my Solar City working. It has the good old "score motor won't stop" affliction. I stumbled upon this thread, which has provided some insight, however I'm still having problems. I suspect I may have a broken actuator on the score motor at 4D (circled in photo) but I can't be sure i.e. is 4D mean't to be open at home position as in the photo? Perhaps someone a photo of their score motor they can post so I can compare? I'm waiting for schematics from PBResource, but, given the time of year, (and the fact I'm in Australia and they don't take CC) I may be in for quite a long wait.
SolarCityScoreMotor.JPG

Thanks Darcy, for the photo and the quick advice! As per your PM and photo, the leaf switch actuator is correct. Thanks for the link as well - Clay's 'Gottlieb EM pinball repair' site is a fantastic source of info.

The wire on switch 3 is actually connected, a higher resolution photo shows the wire connected to the switch blade I've made good progress, having fixed a changeover on AX not working properly and a stuck-on drop target switch. Also, my tilt hold coil is open circuit so I've had to bypass it with a rubber band. I actually got the machine to reset and play a single ball after that! Of course, after the ball drained, the score motor went nuts again and the bonus unit keeps trying to blast points at me! I've found a bunch of roach eggs around the player unit so I'll give it a clean out.

Thanks for the good advice, Garrett. This is my second EM, the first being a Bally Expressway, which is very reliable. I bought Solar City in junk condition a few months ago, it had been stored in a garage in a beachside suburb for years. After spending a few more hours on Solar City cleaning contacts and units with mixed results, I'd have to agree with your analysis. There's a lot more work to be done yet to get it working reliably, but I'm confident that it is doable. I started my career in the 80's as a photocopier technician, and the similarities between EM pinballs and the old photocopier mechanicals is amazing. At least I don't have perished rubber tubing and liquid toner to deal with!