Parts are at the end of the PDF:

6 MB PDF Operations Manual (OCR searchable)

https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=2684

The parts catalogs are different than the service manuals. They include a lot more exploded views of less common items like ramps. Bally/Williams typically released one every couple of years, and it covered a number of games. I think it’s odd that TZ appears to have never been included in the regular parts catalogs.

Planetary pinball has the parts catalogs listed here: http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=BOOK

It's online at Planetary - Bally/Midway Gray Parts Catalog has TZ

http://www.planetarypinball.com/reference/partsmanuals/WMS_Parts_Grey_16-9562-A

Thanks, I didn't look in that one because Planetary didn't list TZ as being part of that manual.

Where do I get one of these lock down bars ?

Yes they only list the games in the "A" supplement of that manual (also PinWiki is the same) - I've reached out to both recently to get it fixed however they haven't been updated yet

teletub does these https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1263-luxury-lockbars-/03855-twilight-zone-custom-engraved-lockbar-lockdown-bar-

Man, just finished doing a playfield swap on the mini playfield. HOLY CRAP is that a PITA. There is ssssooooo much stuff packed into one tiny space on that damn thing. Plus I had the hair brain idea to put those post lamps under the posts. Like I needed more wires! Then layer on the mods and it was nuts.

Okay rant off now. Just thought I would throw it out there for anyone who is thinking of taking such project on

But does it look cool now? The end result is what matters.

I swapped mine a few days ago. Took about 4-5 hours to do. I was also buffing out parts as I went along. Turned out great!

BC427439-B398-4ABE-9319-824CDA000938 (resized).jpeg

Thanks for the info !

I also had the same brilliant idea to light all the star posts. Looks cool but what a pain. Now one is not working and I really don't feel like pulling the whole mini pf just for that.

Good Times!! Me too

88265BF6-1870-47C8-B3E9-C4854BABF737 (resized).jpeg

Check this out ( not mine ) . . .

ebay.com link: itm

A little pricey, but that guy makes real nice mods. I have his piano mod (amazing quality and translucent piano roll so the lights are inserted in back and look great), and I bought his great Uncle Fester back when I had a TAF.

I finally received the clock target and piano mods that I ordered from him awhile back today and I have to say, the quality on both is pretty amazing. Given the quality of some mods I've seen I can say these really impressed me, even with the slow COVID-era shipping.

One downside is that they came with no instructions. I'm assuming the alligator clips that were in the package are for the clock mod? Anyone familiar with this?

Now take your mini playfields back out and install a low profile switch kit lol. Just finished mine up this morning.

20200730_103123 (resized).jpg

If you can find one! I thought I had read these weren’t being made any more? Is that not correct ?

A member of the forum "Twister" sells these. But you might have to do a group purchase. If interested get in touch with him and see if something can be worked out.

I have been working with Twister. Shipping is brutal right now, so I had to skip this mod

Yeah it was brutal waited almost 3 months after purchase, not his fault it was just covid, and Germany.

Should these have washers between the playfield and the ball guides? They were there before but doing the lock gate it makes it sit goofy since not all mount points have washers.

IMG_20200730_235031 (resized).jpg

I did some more digging and found some signs point to yes. (at least for the lock gate) Sounds like it may only be some of the posts that get the washers. Not sure what that means for the inner part of the outer loop either. I have an early build (green lock; no 3rd mag) so I don't have the black spacers (but assume these washers were used before those were put into production)

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/a-newbie-restores-twilight-zone#post-2032446

Edit: I found some additional pictures pre-tear down. Some extra large zooming shows these spacer washers on all 4 legs of the lock assembly.
My theory on them (despite the threads about raising the lock to prevent bounce outs) is that when there is a threaded leg that gets bolted to the underside of the playfield gets a washer on both the top of the playfield and below. This prevents the top of the leg from digging into the playfield as the nut is tightened. That is why the inside wall of the outer loop also has them. There is no other reason to have that ball guide be raised.

I'm putting all 4 washers back on and will readdress if needed for any bounce outs if prevalent.

Loving having my TZ back in the lineup after way too long ! Great reacquainting myself with all the rules and little idiosyncracies of this masterpiece

Who else likes to get the Powerball locked away for the chance of that oh so sweet Powerball Double Jackpot in Multiball

I checked my tear down photos - I had 3 washers on the outer lock ball guide and 3 on the lock mech (not sure why the 4th leg didn't have one). My washers were much thinner than yours shown and as far as I know my TZ is a std production run. I believed that these washers were there for protecting the PF and I assume that were done like that at the factory although I can't be certain. As to why they only protected the PF for this particular ball guide & mech I'm not sure as it seems like a good idea to me ... in thinking about it, these machines were designed to be operated and eventually tossed, so they probably didn't care about protecting the PF for longevity which then takes you back to the original question "why did they put washers on these ..." was it to improve the angle of the lock mech??

20180417_185710 (resized).jpg

Anyone heard from Ingo? I'm waiting 3 months for this clock board and haven't gotten a response from him in a few weeks.

I know someone in the UK that just got a clock board from him - they waited about a month for it.

Thanks, that's encouraging... Maybe he is able to ship again now.

I ordered pinball stuff from eBay about 4 months ago. It arrived two days ago. I thought the parcel was lost and would never arrive.

Covid are really screwing up the shipping. Your stuff from Ingois probably on it's way but taking longer than usual.

International shipping is what's really screwed up. USPS is super delaying packages from overseas for example; I imagine it's because they prioritize domestic mail, and the have a budgetary and worker shortage. It will get there, don't worry. It just won't be fast.

I got a message from Ingo a few months ago saying that he was unable to ship to the US. I don't mind the wait, it's not his fault, but it seems like shipping must have resumed by now.

I ordered some radcals for my Funhouse from Micro Play in Germany on Monday night, I received them yesterday. They only charge 9.05 euro for Fedex shipping. I'm still waiting on some other parts I ordered at the same time from CA that shipped via USPS, hopefully I get them today. Shipping times just don't make sense these days.

Well, that confirms that shipping is permitted from Germany to the US....

Thanks for the pics. If angle were most important I'd think just washers on the front two legs would help the most. Maybe they just wanted to screw with us 30 years later.

Just got done playing a couple games in the basement. Still my favorite pin!

I'm thinking of adding a TZ as the second pin in my collection (Stern JP Pro is my other).

What are the critical areas I should be inspecting when evaluating a machine? I know that the clock can be problematic, but what to look for exactly?

What would be the issues that make you run like the wind from buying?

I'm reasonably capable in diagnosing electrical issues, but I'm a newbie to pinball and have never bought a used machine, so I'm little nervous. When I bought my JP Pro, I was looking only at NIB because I was scared of maintenance issues. Since then, I found pinside and gained a lot of confidence and that if I do have problems, I can get advice in how to resolve.

Any advice or thoughts from those that own TZ would be appreciated. Thanks!

Somehow my daughter consistently manages to get the ball stuck on the skill shot. The ball just passes beyond the gate/flap, then comes to rest on the gate/ flap and sits in the groove for the skill shot switches.

Bend the flap up, bend the flap down, increase the playfield pitch... nothing seems to work. It is uncanny because with the glass off, it is rather difficult to release the ball by hand from the distance of the open flap and have it come to rest on the closed flap.

Any ideas on how to fix this? She can't beat my scores yet so I am not ready to tell her to stop playing.

This happens on mine and others I've played, you just need to do a bit of nudging to get the ball to dislodge. It happens because the momentum of the ball isn't great enough to get through the gate and as the ball comes to a halt the slope of the PF means that the weight of the ball will lean back on the edge of the gate flap. I think that regardless of the PF angle and position of the flap, there is always going to be a ball speed that will be susceptible to this issue.

My only advice would be to check that the flaps move freely with minimal effort

Generically I think that the most important thing is the quality of the PF, as this is the most expensive component to repair/replace. Depending upon whether you want a show piece or just interested in playing the machine, check the cabinet artwork (the red on the original cabinet art fades in UV light) and check that the cabinet is structurally sound - around the legs and base. Replacement cabinet decals and PF plastics are all available but whether they need replacing or not drives the price that you should pay. Check if the credit dot is showing on the DMD, this indicates that game has a potential error and you'll need to go into test mode to see what the errors are.

TZ game specific things to check, there are 2 powerball proximity sensors, one in the subway and one in the trough - the ball trough sensor (switch 26 off the top of my head) is known to be troublesome. There are aftermarket better versions which aren't expensive so even if it was an issue it's not the end of the world. Check the gumball machine works (loads a ball and returns a ball), as well as that the clock works (going into test mode and run the clock test) - depending upon the issue there are replacement parts, again it depends upon whether you want to purchase a fully functional working game or if you are prepared to pick one up for a cheaper price that has a few know issues that you know can be addressed.

There are 2 magnets on the PF (spirals) or 3 in the prototypes - some people have retrofitted a 3rd magnet to their PFs. There are also 2 magnets on the mini-PF - it's worth checking that they all work and check the micro-switches on the min-PF which can sometimes be faulty, there are aftermarket versions that replace the micro-switches as well. Color DMD, Pinsound and upgraded speakers all drive the price higher and TZ is one game that attracts a lot of mods - the original game was quite bare by comparison, so you may notice many differences between machines.

Hope this helps

First off welcome to the world of collecting pinball machines! You will find out in a short order that one, two, three is never enough and will finely realize that you have been bitten by the bug.
I agree with Manny65 of all his suggestions on what to look for and at on a purchase. As far as mods I think the TZ is one of the most and if not the most modified machines you can add to. Be careful of what you do. Modify it, but not too much. I have over $2500 in just mods in mine, some personal that I have done and some purchased. Also be careful of how you LED the machine out and/or any machine. LED's are great, color matching under inserts and mostly white LED's on the playfield. I do some color, just to break it up to give the playfield I feel a good look, but not a rainbow effect.
TZ is a great machine to add to anyone's collection and has a deep rule set.
I am just in a full restoration on a friends TZ machine right now, brings back memories as when I did mine.
Good luck on your quest!......Mike

Can you please point me to a more reliable ball trough sensor (switch 26) ? Mine has started to give me the occasional dot. Thx!

Thank you Manny65 and Mikespinball for the thoughtful responses on tips for buying a TZ. I'm not looking for purchasing a museum piece, but definitely will be looking for something that is in decent condition. It looks like most of the common issues for TZ can be addressed, but they all need to be factored into the purchase price. Playfield is obviously a big one, most of the TZ pics I see have playfield's in pretty good condition - it must have a pretty solid top coat. Are there areas to check carefully?

Gumball, Clock, magnets - got it. I'll definitely make sure to look for the credit dot for errors to run test mode.

https://www.tanglestech.com/Twilight-Zone--Trough-Proximity-Eddy-Sensor--Replaces-A-16534-and-A-16528-Switch-26_p_36.html

Thanks! I didn't notice you were in Melbourne. I was trying to find something stateside.

I think the only one available now is from Australia.
I purchased this one already from AU even though I don't need it right now. It took over a month to receive it.
I'll never sell my TZ so I wanted a spare since I couldn't find one from a US store.

PinballLife have the main sensor board https://www.pinballlife.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PBL-600-0421-00 but often it is the inductor and the connection to the inductor board that is part of the problem, which is why alot of replacements provide both boards to ensure they work well together. I can't find any other US based suppliers with those boards in stock.

With the Aussie dollar atm the Tangles board set is US$75 compared to the $50 for single board from PinballLife or $95 for the board set from Big Daddy (although they are out of stock)

Anyway if you were interested, reach out to Malcolm (aka Tangles) for shipping costs etc

Thanks! I am going to pick one up to be on the safe side.

There are difference with some of the PFs - early on the PFs had 2 extra posts in the pop bumper area (see the left PF highlighted with a yellow circle). Also B/W had 4 different companies manufacture PFs, so there is a subtle difference in colors between the the different PFs (eg compare the pink/red in the arc just above the flippers and the yellow town square in the pop bumpers).

Areas to check
1. Run your hand over the PF checking if any of the inserts are raised. If so check for any clipping around them.
2. Check for flipper drag damage - there are 4 flippers so worth checking them all (circled in white)
3. Ball drop damage can occur on the left return lane off the wireform (circled in blue) - probably worth checking the other 2 ball drop areas (just above the upper left flipper and into the inner shooter lane)
4. Check the slot machine scoop (circled in red) and piano scoop (circled in mauve) for damage
5. Check for ball track wear in the orbit (circled in green)
6. Check the ball trough kickout and shoot lane for wear (circled in orange)
7. If the PF has been restored/clear coated, check for any ghosting (cloudy/opaque coloring) on all the inserts

Note the PF may have mylar protecting certain areas (eg the orbit - in fact the green circled area on that particular PF had mylar so there was even though you can see the ball track mark it hadn't damaged the actual PF)

TZ (resized).jpg