Went to play TZ tonight and this is what it did. Turned on power to machine via the surge protector ( I also unplug the protector from the wall as well) The machine booted up as normal with no errors indicated. Hit the start button and nothing happened. Pressed it again and again, nothing ,as in no game started. I also could hear a solinoid clicking twice intermittently. So I think there is a stuck ball somewhere. I raise the playfield and look around and all seems ok. The solinoid making the clicking noise is the one by the piano. 2 clicks, then nothing for a few and then 2 clicks again. Anyway, put playfield back down and hit start button again, nothing. Hit start button a bunch of times and a game starts. Without shooting the ball it shows spiral award points several times then the little girl comes on and says you got a extra ball, and points are scoring although no ball is shot. I shoot the ball and all kinda of weird stuff goes on or lack of stuff happening that normally happens during normal game play. I had the power ball playing and shot the ramp several times to give it back, and machine was asking to give it back, but it would not go back to gum ball machine. It was like the program was all screwed up or something. All the while I could hear that solinoid clicking. One thing I also need to mention. When I stop playing my pins I turn them off from surge protector and then I unplug surge protector from wall. Live in Tampa, Fl area and lots of lightning here.When I went to play tonight my games surge protector was plugged in and a ball was in the shooters ramp. Someone must of been playing that pin without my knowledge and left things half azzzzzzz. We had people over Sunday and I am sure thats when it happened. We have had serious rain since then. Shame on me for not checking to make sure everything was unplugged. It could of been lightning if this sounds like that to you guys.Thanks for your help, I hope its something simple.......

Will try those things tomorrow. T/y!!!

T/y....will check that out also. I think there is a opto test

ok, Did factory reset, no help. Checked for loose wires ect and all seems ok. Did a switch edge test and it sat there for a few then rapidly went through #81-87 and stopped. wait a few and it cycles again really fast among those switches. Put it on individual switch test and switch 87 gumball entrance shows closed then it beeps and shows a "a" i think back and forth back and forth. Some of the swithches in low 80's doing similiar thing. Game will play ok for a bit then go back to scoring with no ball in play,spiral points, extra ball, ect. I am thinking switch 87 is the gumball entrance opto. It is setting itself on and off all by itself it seems. I tried cleaning it with a q-tip and a little alcohol but no change. Any more ideas?????????????????

Found someone local who is helping me fix this. It appears it is something in column eight. Some of the switches and optos intermittantly work when tested on switch edge test and sometimes when you fire one off it goes through the whole column by itself. He thinks it is in the board in backbox. He is coming out tomorrow to fix. This is past me, I am good at R&R but not so hot at diagnosing. This guy sounds like he knows his stuff! Been in the hobby for 3 1/2 years or so and first time I had to call someone. Guess thats ok!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, good to go.

Wowwwwwwwwww!!!! OK, my new best friend Atari Jim came over today to look at TZ. He poked around, wiggled some wires, got the machine to cycle through row 8 all at once in the Switch Edge test. He narrowed it down to the large opto board in center of playfield towards the top. Says I think its in that board. Takes the board out. Looks at it, takes it outside in bright sunlight and looks at it. Comes back in and says to me "do you see that?" Well, "that" was a solder drip that someone did at some time in the past that had lodged between two lugs on the board. It was not solidly attached, just sitting there. Probably somehow vibrated itself into shorting out those 2 lugs intermittently. Brushed it off, re installed, fired up game, all is fine! He said someone probably had playfield raised and was soldering something above and a drip fell and hit opto board and eventually came to rest between the lugs. In a million years I would of never figured that out. Hats off to Jim. I think a very talented pinball repair guy. I am very glad that I have come to know him.