I've had trouble since my many-years-ago rebuild of my Taxi. I've rebuilt all mechs but I'm starting to question if I have the correct coil or the correct mech setup. Specifically, I triple checked the manual today and noticed the manual does not call for a spring over the plunger mech even though that's what I've installed. My symptoms are repeated lock 1 weak kickout attempts (will eventually free it but takes quite a while). Assembly moves freely with my hand and does not seem to bind. Coil installed appears correct per the manual but I did re-wrap the coils with new labels so always possible but unlikely I put the wrong coil in.
Santa scoop also I believe is kicking out weak, symptom is the ball does not get launched into the pops but rather dribbles down the left long-rubber and center drains almost always.

IMG_6349 (resized).jpeg

IMG_6350 (resized).jpeg

IMG_6351 (resized).jpeg

So, is the spring around the plunger required for these mechs? It isn't listed in the manual. Is there a way with a meter I can measure whether the coil is correct without pulling off the wrapper and counting the windings? What else besides binding might cause these weaker kickouts?