And that tilt switch DOES have a diode on it too, I believe.

Well, it turned out (it seems) to be a mechanical issue with the start button, along the lines of ChrisPINk25's issue. I just needed to put on my glasses to see it properly (I'm new to glasses and not quite ready to admit I need them in certain situations). I've only played two games since replacing the nearly nonexistent fish paper and cleaning the contacts and regapping the blades, but both games were error free. Not sure if it was a short issue or a gapping issue or some of both, but both elements have been addressed. We'll see if it lasts. Thanks, everyone.

Yes, it does, and that was my next stop on the repair tour. No visible damage to any of the diodes in that part of the matrix, but you never know.

Thanks.

I am ashamed to admit this, but when the problem first appeared and the game reset, my son was very close to overtaking my spot atop the high score list. I was sympathetic to his frustration, but a little piece of me was silently happy to remain in the top spot. Now he is back at it.

That's funny.

My dad still has the high score on my Taxi machine, by a very low margin. He got the max jackpot and that was before I was having trouble with my skill shot ramp.

I got the exact same jackpot, but my excuse is that when I got it, it was impossible to get more than 1k on the skill shot, so I should have had a higher score... That's my story and I am sticking to it.

(plus I am terrible at Taxi most of the time. He can't touch my BoP score though.)

Cool. Glad you got it solved.

Annoying ball hang to be sorted out:

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This happens with some regularity?

Every 20 to 30 games perhaps.

The ball can be nudged out, so its not critical, just an annoyance.

I hesitate to raise the drops above the playfield edge.

It would solve it but at the expense of raggedy target edges.

Itd possible that the drop target assembly is simply too close to the edge of the slot.

I want to resolve this before my high end restoration of the game.

Recently joined for the second time

Well on the way to full strip down and hardtop installation.

Battery holder just dropped off the board. Depite a large amount of icky on the circuit board, no corrosion apart from a couple of resistor arrays.

Apparently untouched for 20 years.

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Your DTs location in the slot looks identical to mine and I can't replicate your your problem, even with the glass off. Perhaps the posts holding the rubber ring, or the ring itself, have come loose and no longer prevent this from happening (as they seem to do on mine)? The only place I've ever had a ball get stuck was above and to the left of the "C" drop in lane at the to of the PF. As in your case, a gentle shake dislodges it.

I'd be tempted to double check U41 for some corrosion with a magnifying glass. Might as well replace C30 while you've got the board out, too, IMO.

More importantly, welcome back into the club. Enjoy!

Took another look at my Taxi and realized that my Pinbot DTs are proud of the playfield by maybe an 1/8". There is no discernible difference in their wear relative to the Marilyn DTs which are flush with the playfield surface when dropped. Both sets were installed at the same time, several years ago. I did not intentionally adjust the mechs when I replaced the targets, so I assume they were that way when on route.

I can certainly raise the drops up a bit.

If yours are proud 1/8" that seems like a lot.

Theoretically they should be level and perhaps only the beveled edges sticking above the playfield?

This would make it impossible to hang a ball there.

I will raise then to 1/16" above the playfield and do some tests.

Thanks for the insight!

It might just be 1/16th; I wasn't wearing my glasses.

I have cleaned and rinsed with vinegar solution and all seems OK.

Going to replace all the electrolytics.

Long story short,I played a Taxi at Pinfest,and I really liked it. I never played one before,but I'd love to buy one.
What should I look out for when I check out this machine?
One more thing how much more would a Marilyn cost versus a Lola?
Thanks in advance
Ralph

Personally I wouldn't pay any extra for a Marilyn. So many Lolas have been turned into Marilyns it seems like Lola is now the less common version.

The spinout ramp can be a mess and often needs to be replaced. The departure ramp takes a beating from the Drac catapult and is often cracked. If you replace those ramps you'll probably just go ahead and get a new arrival ramp too.

Thanks,where would I be able to buy the new parts that you mentioned ?

Marco and (I think) PP have all of the ramps. However, you can get a repro Spin Out ramp in blue on eBay for $30. These blue ramps seem to be overstock from the original Twisted Pins production run of blue and red ramps, but that is a semi-educated guess on my part. I can tell that I have the $30 blue from ebay, and it is identical to the red Twisted Pin repro I bought years ago, minus the metal flap. These repros are identical to the even older NOS Spinout ramp I have on hand. In short, all three ramps are available, but you can save some money if you get a blue Spinout off eBay.

The condition of the MPU is worth investigating (the familiar battery corrosion/acid leakage) as a replacement is likely to be expensive. The power supply board, aux power board, and interconnect board can be repaired or replaced. Marcos has replacement mechanical parts (VUK, etc).

And I agree with Ron, the Marilyn surcharge is a thing of the past.

Thank you both for your time and help !

I'm in the same boat as ralphs007. Taxi is on the very short list of my games to buy in 2022. I can't wait to get one. I had the same questions as Ralph and I appreciate the tip about doing a thorough check of the MPU and ramps before buying a game. I hope to join the club by summer of 2022!

Totally subjective opinion, but I also think the blue spin out ramp looks better than red.

I’ve heard through the grapevine that blue was the original intended color, but Williams only had red plastic, so they went with red. (Don’t quote me on that though!)

My first modern game over 25 years ago was Taxi. Such a well balanced fun game all around.Played the hell out of it and gave it to my Daughter when I was out of Pinball space.Eventually got in back in bad shape and sold it a year and a half ago. Thanks to Pinfest I scored a custom Taxi.All new parts top to bottom.Pinball Porn at its best. Dialing it in now and love to have one back.

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Beautiful game!

I was at Pinfest and I totally missed seeing this machine. I think it was along the wall in a vendors area. I would have loved to see it up close ! Maybe even pull the plunger once.

He's going to send me some more pictures on Monday. He just picked it up,and played only one game on it. It needs to be shopped,and I'm okay with that. I just want a working machine. I don't have the skills to raise a machine from the dead!
He sending me a picture of the MPU and the shooter lane. He did say he had to remove the battery holder due to corrosion.I already have some pictures of the machine.
Are there any more pictures of the game I should request? He said he'd send any thing I asked for.
And what other questions should I ask him?
It's a three hour drive for me,and I'd hate to travel that far for nothing.
I always play the modern machines when I do play pinball but this year at Pinfest I tried all kinds of machines,and I'm glad I did. This game is a lot of fun!
Thanks in advance
Ralph

Make sure the 2x-5x Taxi inserts are pretty flat. A raised insert that close to the flippers will send that ball literally flying!

How's these pictures of the boards look? Does anything look like it's questionable?
Thanks in advance
Ralph

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And here's a couple of the playfield. I don't expect a perfect playfield,but is this normal ware for a game this old?

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And a couple more just for the hell of it

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Game looks decent. Not sure what he’s doing with that battery holder though. 2 positives soldered and no negatives? That’s not going to work. Also for Taxi, that pop bumper wear is normal. I couldn’t stand it though and did a hardtop. My game is gone now but it looked incredible with the hardtop. Here’s a before and after of mine

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Taxi took the truck

In the club!!

I'll post pictures once I've spiffed her up.

Any suggestions on how to best light up the scoops from below? Also...options for LED conversion on the Spinout lamps? I'm working my way through all

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Thank you, fellow Taxi drivers.

The playfield looks better than a lot of Taxis I've seen. Those slingshot plastics are incorrect though!

What makes you say that?

Yes and missing the catapult plastic.

Those are from LW3.

nm.

Need a favor from a Taxi owner. If I could get a pic of the kickout coil wiring under the apron please. Last thing we have on a hard top project. Had pic on my prev phone. No longer available.

Thank you in advance!

I don't have a taxi yet but I found this: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/taxi-restore-playfield-cab-everything-tons-of-pics#post-2546702

Anyone thinking of leaving the club,let me know. Trying to join the club,but the only ones for sale are always in another state.

That's close, the first pic covers that coil. Anyone have a shot of the wires connected they could post of that coil. The one that kicks the ball after drain?

How is this?

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Thats it, thank you!

I'm in the club,picked up a nice Taxi today. Here's my buddy Henry playing the first game. I used the pictures the seller send me for the other pictures,since it saved me some time. I just have to install the new topper that came with it. I'll also need to replace one of the pop bumper lights,that didn't survive the journey. Just have to check the manual to see what type of bulb it is.

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Thats a nice looking Taxi!

Pop bumper light should be 555.

Congratulations Ralph! You were looking for months! That one looks great! A Taxi is on my short list too!

Thanks,I almost bought a Taxi from a guy in Ohio,but the deal fell through. I'm glad because it was a 6 1/2 hour drive . This Taxi was 43 minutes from my house.

Thank you .

Ralph, your game room is super cool too.