Hi, I just got a Klondike in pretty good shape and the owner was able to fiddle with the coin mechanism to prove to me that it works. But they he fiddled with it again and two problems came up. This is one of them.

1- Turn on the machine: CHUNK CHUNK
2- Fiddle with the coin mechanism: CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK
3- Push the Start button: CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK......

The scoreboard is set to 10 so I wonder if it's trying to reset itself. I took two videos of it; any help will be greatly appreciated!

Turn on the machine:

Inside the cabinet:

Thank you!

how do i manually set it? i tried from the back but didn't want to force it...

oh boy. will try to tackle this weekend. stay tuned!

Another thing: when the owner got it to work, it only played one ball and then, Game Over. Could this be part of the same problem?

the guy showed me how he fiddled with the lower wheels in the coin slots to make the machine do something; but i don't want to have to do this to start every game. Another question, i guess: once I get the score reel fixed and check all the fuses and there's also sometimes a loud-humming solenoid; once i get all these things straightened out, will I be able to play the game without fiddling with the coin slot?

Thanks guys! I'm a beginner and have a LOT of studying to do, based on your answers here.

Pafasa did you take those pictures just for me?? Verrry helpful, thank you! (Oops! forgot to check for broken wires.) My hands got dirty but I was able to reset it to 0, thanks to your help. I guess I should clean it back there; best way to clean?

PROGRESS! It plays, but stops after one ball and "TILT" (which I didn't do, and the game is level, I checked.) But now I don't have to fiddle with the coin slot, I just press the Start button! Anxious to replace all rubber rings and clean & wax the plastics & playfield.

Lock relay coil is okay if it looks fried?? http://user.xmission.com/~daina/tips/pub/tip0424.html

So I don't need a new one? How about a new coil to replace the loudly humming large solenoid at the back left corner inside the bottom cabinet? (or at least that's what the previous owner identified was making the noise.)

Here's my video from today; sorry it's sideways... Please watch & let me know anything else I need to attend to!

Thanks, everyone!!!

Well I didn't do anything to it, so I guess that means you can put the flasher bulbs anywhere?? I thought they had to be in specific places.

Thanks everyone for all your comments. I've got a lot of studying to do! I'm sure I'll have more questions as I try to do all these things...but at least I got it working (sort of).

Yes Pasafa I'd be glad to take pics for you too, if it helps!

TILT! and FUSES.

Hi guys I didn't think I'd be back so soon! I have TILT pictures this time.

Looks like I'm missing the plumb bob part of the pendulum tilt; and should the back piece of the coin slot tilt be flattened at the bottom? - not sure how I can do this - and the third pic is the tilt switch that I found on the upper side of the cabinet, near the back right; should I make sure the two front pieces are touching? as the back part is a thick piece of metal but the round end doesn't easily touch the thick metal piece...sorry I'm such a beginner; I'll learn!

ALSO the fuses don't come out easily; can I separate the metal pieces on either end?

tilt.jpg coin_tilt.jpg tilt_switch.jpg fuses.jpg

They're touching on the door; so they should be spread apart like on the tilt switch?

Duh.
I guess I should read the labels! I think my problem is that I'm not used to all the vocabulary yet (still not sure what a relay is, and how to check it, for example; will keep reading!).

I'm going through my Pinball Machine Care & Maintenance book step by step - someone on Pinside recommended it, and it's great for the beginner - and one of the first steps is to check the fuses to make sure they're the right amps.

I found 4 on the machine; 4 in the schematics; let me know if I'm missing any. Schematics say 3 x 10amp fuses, and 1 x 15amp fuse. Now here's a label I can't read, even after removing the fuses. I'm guessing the 15 amp fuse is the third one from the top? Schematics show:
B-Y-W -- 15amp fuse -- BLACK
so it looks like the thick black wire goes into the third fuse; is this correct? The third fuse label also says 24v as opposed to 6v on the first two; I can't read the fourth one down at all; so I think I should have 3 x 10amp/6v and 1 x 15amp/24v.

Please correct me if I'm wrong cuz I'm in no way an electrician, and want to make sure I do this right!

As always, thank you!

Thank you. I still need to figure out which switches are supposed to be open, and which are closed. How can I tell?

Game_over_relay.JPG

One more question; I hate to keep bothering you guys; I'll study my book and the fabulous links you gave me; but I'm soooo anxious to get it all working quickly!!

What is the name of the little score reel at right side of the backglass, between the bears; and how can I reset that to "0" manually?

OK GREAT! thank you Way2wyrd! Now I have to figure out how to manually activate it.
If I am checking the Game Over relay as PRmailers suggested, what am I looking for exactly? contact switches and broken wires?

YES! I was right! Thanks for confirming.

OK the guy just touched it and it stopped humming; is this a good way to tell that this one is the culprit?

I mean, could it be a wire or something else?

You guys are soooo helpful!

OK here it is; it's just a stand-alone coil in the far back corner, bottom cabinet, left side. The previous owner touched it in some way and it stopped the loud buzzing; but I was unable to do that myself just now; so maybe that's not really the problem.

And here are two disconnected wires - the red ones - that I found in the backbox. One is attached to a screw, and maybe the other one was too.

I just learned that I should play a game each time I make a change, to see what happens. Now I've done a couple of things and the game is acting differently. Good news: I get 5 balls now, instead of 1. Bad news: the score reels aren't turning but the chunk-chunk sound is there as if it is.

What have I done? I tried to reset the reel on the replay unit, thinking if that's at zero too, like on the scoreboard, things might work better. (Maybe I disconnected those red wires in doing so?) But after it got to 37 it went to "blank" and stopped, so I couldn't get it to "0", I don't know how to reverse it. And I replaced a 10-amp fuse with the required 15-amp fuse. And I don't remember what else, just changing a couple of bulbs I think. Forgot to check if it still says TILT at the end of a game; maybe not, since it gave me 5 balls?

noisy_coil.jpg loose_wires.jpg

Well I AM really tired; can barely keep my eyes open. Is this part of the addiction you were referring to?

G-nite, guys!

Hi everyone, thanks for your help!

Please bear with me while I take in your last few posts (remember, I'm a beginner and all of this is new to me!).

Pasafa, on the double-photo you posted, can you explain what you're doing in the second photo? Is that where the jones plug is, by any chance?

And if I reset the credit wheel to 0, will my score reels start showing up again when I play?

Thanks!

Thanks, 4Horse! I've been reading your post too! I don't know at this point which relay is causing me trouble. Just trying to figure it all out... good luck to you too!

Thanks, Pasafa, I see it now!

Will try to clean up the PF during the week cuz I don't like to play the game too much right now since it's dirty & has dried-out rubber rings. Then I'll do as you suggested & let you know what happens!

I''ll catch up with you all this weekend (or maybe sooner, as this IS really addictive!)

What does the Novelty setting do and how can I get those little smiley-face icons?

oh gosh - thanks for the warning

WOW!!
I'm going to be an expert soon if you keep this up! thank you thank you thank you!!!!

ok I really have to get back to my other life now! will come back here on Friday night & let you know what's happening.

Hey if I have green corrosion on the base of my light bulbs, but they look good & aren't burnt out, what does that mean? can I reuse them after I clean the little light bulb holders?

Pin-it wins

Perfect! I have the flexstone file, thought it was just for cleaning contact switches; and got a tip to save the old shooter tip when I replace the rubber ring kit, for the light bulb grabber, which is similar to your tree bulb remover. However I still can't get it to work in those really narrow spots so I'll try the tree ones too, thanks for the tip!

I have a ton of #47s that I've been replacing all bulbs with, and the corroded ones are actually 47s but I think I'll just toss them anyway. And the 44s are being tossed too. I've been cleaning the bulb holders with q-tips and rubbing alcohol, is that okay?

I found several #55 bulbs in my other pinball machine, I moved one over to the Klondike; my book says #55 is similar to #455 but I don't see it blinking; will have to try in another spot.

Pasafa I will get to your how-to's this weekend (hopefully!) after I've cleaned up my machine!

Yeah but Pin-It said "probably cleaning it" which was right; however in looking at it again, I guess it doesn't count.
I was at the machine Tuesday - not Monday, and not tonight Wednesday - so I guess it's a tie between Pafasa and way2wyrd.

Well I had used my pencil eraser to try to remove the dirt from the slot reels - bad idea; I just ended up rubbing off some of the paper. So I'm going to order those overlays that Pafasa suggested. Saw the gel-rubber light bulb remover at Walmart today & splurged; got 20 for $2.84. Just cuz I didn't want to go to another store. Got waaaaaaay too many!

Well I've got one hour to work on it tonight; let's see how much more cleaning I can do!

Check!

Jones plug unplugged. Noise still continues. Sounds like two noises: a loud hum and an annoying buzz.

CREDIT WHEEL:

I can't seem to move the plunger; am I doing it wrong? but even if it's not working, is it necessary to have a credit wheel? I'm more concerned right now about the score reels that have stopped working (unless there's a correlation between the two.)

Thank you!

That's the least of my worries. I just want the machine to be working properly, at this point. I can replace the slot reels later; they're still mounted & working.

Hi guys, I can't "rewind" the wheel back to 0; so I advanced it and here's a "blank" which appears AFTER #37 on the credit wheel. First pic.

The farthest back I can go is #13 showing on the backglass; this is the second pic. It was at the 13 in my video as well, you can see the wheel isn't moving. I can see it's stuck there cuz the post can't move past that point.

How to fix? Again, is the credit wheel necessary for game play?

Thank you!

credit_blank.jpg credit_13.jpg

I mean, the score reels aren't moving at all now!
does this have something to do with it?

OK. Pull out both pins?

Oops! Pafasa was answering my question at the same time I was asking it!

These videos are fabulous! I'm watching them numerous times so that I can really understand how things work; and I keep rereading your posts just to make sure I don't mess anything up, before trying it for the first time. There's a LOT of information in this thread!!!

Will keep you posted with more questions; stand by...

well I feel so lucky to have bought the right machine, to be able to get all this help!

I will be AMAZED if you can actually fix my machine remotely! Stand by; will give you an update soon!

Got the credit wheel back to 0. Whether at 0 or at 2, the machine gives me endless balls to play but score reels still say 00000. Does it have something to do with that lower solenoid that doesn't seem to be working at the credit wheel? Is the machine getting stuck because I keep turning the game off when it's not finished playing all balls?

I repositioned the little spring on the burnt-out-looking relay you showed me; it had come off. That must've fixed something, but I still have a loud buzz, now it happens within game play. Doesn't seem to be coming from the coin door.

Heard the bells for the first time upon startup! but can't find my chimes...

OK definite buzzing from the underside of the playfield, near the popup post.

HOT COIL! the others are cool after I shut it off, so it must be this one that's buzzing. Just under the popup post. Could it be that the switches aren't opening/closing correctly?

Oops I moved the pin on the credit wheel, but didn't do the freeplay penny trick. Should I go ahead & try?

Currently reading your score reel tips on page 1 of this thread. Great information here!

No that credit wheel plunger is still stuck. Have to get some of that lubricant and spray away.

Credit wheel is at 0. Turn on the machine, the slot reels go until I press the left flipper button to turn on the light.

I agree there's too many things going on.

Pin-it said: The two top contacts looked bent together(from the photo you posted) already for freeplay.

But I should do the penny trick anyway, right?

So, first I'll get the lubricant and try to ungunk the plunger, as explained above. Then, do the penny trick? and so then what number should the credit wheel be at? Then I'll see what happens.

Doe this sound like a good sequence?

OK I just ordered Superlube and a webcam from Amazon; I don't have a mobile device. Perhaps I can Skype with Pafasa or Pin-it next weekend? In the meantime I'll try to get that solenoid working.

OK I agree, let's back up. I've gotten so much information from you guys that I haven't had time to do everything you mentioned. And it's all quite overwhelming for a beginner!

OK. Back to square one. Let's just take it one item at a time. My fault for asking so many questions, cuz I couldn't keep up with all the answers!

First, score reels not working. Shows 00010. I reset the 1 to 0 manually; however I didn't understand the warning "don't bend the little leaf switches" so I ignored it. Perhaps I messed up something back there, cuz then when I got the scores to work in a game, you noticed that the 10 reel wasn't working. That's the one I "fixed". It really is gummy and dirty back there; I noticed that on the bell mechanism too; a little sticky. My fault for doing nothing about the score reels back then; I was so into checking the tilt mechanisms and making sure my fuses were correct, that I must have missed this point.

Let me clean up back there when I get the lubricant and maybe you can show me what a leaf switch is, and we'll see where it goes.

I think mine is the same. If I number those blades from the bottom up, the ones touching are 1-2 and 4-5 and the others aren't touching at all.

Now that I know how to move the plunger manually - thank you - in the backbox I can move them pretty easily but they don't bounce back to their original position; they stick and I can gently push them back. So that's what I mean by gummy. I'm talking about all the plungers into solenoids at the match unit; ball count unit; and replay unit; all do the same thing. Except that one solenoid that's frozen solid under the credit wheel, which, now as I understand it, I don't need to do anything because I've connected the two red wires, correct?

I'm looking into the cabinet, right? it's not on the underside of the playfield, correct?

Hi I just tried this with one of my score reels, the 10. And it clicks & moves pretty well. But I noticed that the contact switches didn't always open/close with every click, only with some of them; should they be moving every time?

Lots to catch up on and I'll be able to tackle more this weekend! And of course I'll have more questions.

Thanks, guys!

Great animation; thank you!!!
you know I never would've gotten a machine if it weren't for this site. I'm learning so much!

wow. Flood is right; it's all so overwhelming! It's hard for me, at this point, to look up something if I'm not really sure what I'm looking for but I'll keep trying!

Here's my plan: I get my Superlube tonight; will work in the backbox. Will check all score reels. I think I can clean those dirty contact switches with q-tips & rubbing alcohol, and then file the contacts points, right? Superlube on the metal joints. Don't touch the solenoid. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

On the credit wheel: You saw in my video that I could move the wheel easily by grabbing a pin; I can also just grab the white numbered wheel & move it; is there something wrong there? It goes in one direction; I think with the numbers running upward; I can't move it the other way.

OK I'm getting a little discouraged here.

I lubed the pivot points but they still seem stuck. Ball count thing and credit wheel and score reels not working. Buzzing and slot reels going crazy on startup. I will look at Pafasa's handy tips in this thread and try them out tomorrow, on the buzzing & slot reels.

Anybody available to Skype this weekend? I bet even just 20 minutes would help me tremendously!

Thank you Pin-it you answered my video question!

But can you move the wheel only by pushing at the coils plunger at both blue coils the verticle one and the horizontal one right at the plunger fully pushed in and then fully released and watch the wheel move by increasing it multiple times then removing with the other plunger multiple times with general ease. yes or no?

oh man that's a long question! NO.
horizontal one is stuck solid. I'll work that tomorrow with the lube.

but I thought Pafasa said I didn't have to worry about that one...did I read that wrong?

Thanks for the videos, Pasafa! I'll go back soon & try to work the joints first.

oops! spelled your name wrong

OK the solenoid plunger is solid stuck. I lubed the metal joint above it, but I don't think it'll do anything as that vertical piece of metal doesn't budge one bit. I removed the credit wheel setup and was able to slide the plunger out of the solenoid easily; does that mean it's not burnt or ruined? Then I guess I have to take the contraption apart some more and try to free up that pivot piece.

i don't have to take it apart?

OK I was able to move it with a LOT of pressure! This is gonna take a while...but progressing!

OOPS I wrote something last night; guess I forgot to click "Send"

Do I unscrew the shaft from the back? I'm a little nervous about doing this, as there's springs & stuff attached to it. Can I get the stack of switches out of the way; do I unscrew them too?

OK thanks. NO hurry; I'm going out soon & will be back at it tomorrow.

Yikes! This makes me nervous.

I think this warrants a Skype call, so you can guide me through it.

Thanks, Champ! I agree, the support offered by Pinheads on this site is awesome!

Could you mark the parts you mention, on the photo you posted, esp the ratchet gear, I'm not sure which one that is, and sounds like it may not be necessary to remove?? this is a little daunting for me...

WOW thanks for the wonderful photos, Pin-it!!
I think you are showing me more lubrication points than I've been doing. Will study your pics and keep trying to work those pivot points free.

Hi guys,

The arm is starting to loosen up; still have to work it some more. I've been lubing the ball count unit & match unit at the same time; I noticed the ball count unit has only one pin on the ratchet gear, and the match unit has none; is this correct?

Also I don't have that white piece of plastic in your photo that I've highlighted in yellow below; significant?

credit_wheel.JPG

Replay Unit - PROGRESS!!

Hi guys, I let that lube sit for several days and cleaned the solenoids & plungers tonight with just a bit of q-tip and alcohol. The arm is no longer frozen solid - yay! - but you can see that it's still somewhat sticky. Shall I keep working it? or spray more lube? or is that enough to know that it works, and we can move on?

I saw something scary, though, when I was working on the rear solenoid - I think it's spelled s-o-l-d-e-r - oh-no!

This black/yellow wire is held on by just one strand. I'm surprised the red wire isn't broken; both of them are really tight!

soldering.jpg

Hi Pafasa,

Sorry, I don't understand. I thought the machine wouldn't be using that solenoid anyway since I've connected the red wires for free play? Sorry I still don't understand how it works. But I will keep working on it. I'm not hopeful for Christmas, but maybe New Year's? I have all next week off and can devote more time to it.

Nope! no soldering experience; I don't even have the tools!

-Sky

OOPS my mistake, I DO have a soldering iron after all! This is going to be interesting.

Thanks; are you suggesting I keep working the solenoid arm so that it's nice and loose even though it won't be used?

OK the YouTube videos look easy if you have two loose wires and flat surface to work on. In this case it looks like I'm soldering the wire to a little metal tab, is that right? Do I remove the old solder, or just solder the wires back on top of that piece of metal? And these wires are stretched sooooo tight that I'm afraid it'll come off again when I screw the unit back in.

And of course I'll be working in the air rather that have anything stable to work on. I have a cardboard box that my credit wheel has been resting on when I took it out, but still it looks tricky.

My soldering iron has a point, rather than chisel tip; hopefully that'll work. No brand; I think it was probably included in a tool kit...you think it'll work?

Looks like the bare wires just lay flat on the metal tab, so I can't secure them ahead of time? Yikes. How to make it all stay put while soldering?

I just found a teeny tiny label with Radio Shack written on it; I think I'll make a trip over there. They should know what kind of solder I need and maybe sell me a chisel tip.

I just checked the relay switches from the video that you posted for 4Horse. They all seem okay, except it's hard for me to verify them on the game over relay in the far corner.

The only difference I have is that my game relay switch doesn't lock with a latch. Hopefully this is no problem.

The wire is stretched to the limit when the unit is screwed in, so I will have a little leeway if I do it with the unit detached. I'll see which would work best. But do I just lay the wires on top? The videos always say to secure/join the wires together before soldering - but I'm not twisting two wires together, am I?

I'm trying to free up the ball count unit too; it's sticky too so I'll keep working on them both.

I looked at each of the score reels today and they seem to move quite freely. But their solenoid plungers are very dirty. Should I just leave well enough alone, or go ahead & clean them now that I sorta know how?

Yes I could work the game over relay with the latch but couldn't really see if the contacts were opening/closing correctly. Perhaps I'll take a picture to look, cuz my camera is smaller than my head.

But your "game relay" switch has a latch, that's what I was trying to say is different from mine.

I posted it above, with the white arrow pointing to the black/yellow wire that came apart when I removed the credit unit to SuperLube it. It's at the rear solenoid of that unit.

Hi Prmailers I'm not sure why it wasn't addressed earlier either, although back then, three weeks ago, I didn't understand a lot of the comments made by you and the other experts here, being a total beginner in this area.....

But I've learned some vocabulary since then; and you're right, I believe that's one of my many many problems. The more I look at it, the more things seem to be wrong!

Hi guys, thanks for all your advice! I hope I don't have to take apart the ball count unit; I will keep working it with the lube and hope it loosens up SOON!!

Pafasa, I went to take pics of the game relay switch, and then noticed that it was in the locked position so that's why I thought it wasn't working when I initially moved it back & forth. Here's what I have; hopefully you can tell whether the switches are operating properly; if not I will try to zoom in and do it again.

In the meantime, I've been without a working machine for over a week with units out & trying to lube in the backbox. So I went over to my Bally to play a few games (even with a broken flipper) and I broke that pin too! I had just replaced the fuses to the amp ratings they were SUPPOSED to be at; and one of the fuse holders broke; it happens to be the one in the far back corner of the cabinet - yikes!

Let's get Klondike up and running! Hopefully by New Year's for me! Hey Pin-It should I take down the ball count unit and lay it flat and clean the solenoids & plungers like I did on the credit unit? I've been putting SuperLube on it several times but perhaps it works better if it lies flat?

fuse_holder.jpg

CLARIFICATION - ABOVE PHOTO IS FROM MY BALLY MACHINE "JOUST"

OK Thanks! That'll be my next project. Just got the soldering stuff; will go practice now...

I had a hard time with the radio shack guy. he was surprised that i was going to take on this job myself. I asked for resin-core solder, and he said HE knew what i needed. he gave me silver-bearing solder; wrong stuff, right? when i asked for a fuse holder he said "i don't know what that is"; so I let it go... now they're closed so I have to wait till tomorrow to get the stuff.

Yeah I think he just sized me up and decided he knew what was best for me. I came with the picture explaining it all, and a list of what I needed. I asked for some wire to practice on, he said no, just find some old wire around the house. I asked for 60/40 and he said the numbers don't matter. He gave me a braided wire to desolder, I think that's ok right?

For the fuse holder, it's waaay in the back corner and I don't know how I can ever get back there. I tried to lift the Klondike playfield to lean it against the backglass, and it's just too heavy I couldn't manage it. Here's hoping the Bally playfield won't be so heavy... I guess I need to grow my arms another foot or so and then wear a set of magnifying glasses

Ball count unit is coming along, needs a little more time. I couldn't remove it as I don't have the right tools to get into those tight spots. (remove the bracket holding it? I tried with pliers but very awkward. remove the unit from the bracket? needs a very short screwdriver but looks awkward too.)
But every day it's a little better, and the replay unit moves real nice now! That SuperLube is amazing!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

I'll try not to bother you guys over the next couple of days; you need time with your families. I'm gonna stand up to that guy in R/S if he's there today, but first I'll just look for the items myself. I don't have a crimping tool so if I solder the fuse holder, I will use the same type of solder, right? The Bally has notches carved out on the top sides of the cabinet for the playfield to rest on; nice!

Hopefully my next email will show some PROGRESS!!!!

oh crimper AND stripper? maybe I have a crimper then! didn't think so. would that be easier than soldering in that tight spot?

Well yesterday the guy was so arrogant maybe cuz he was showing off to me as I was the only customer in the store. Today I went back to R/S and the same guy was there, but the store had a good handful of customers. I went straight to the back and found the fuse holders, 18 gauge wire, solder, and heat shrink tubes, and when I got to the cash I complained to him that he had given me the wrong solder yesterday insisting that he knew best, and I showed him what the fuse holder looks like cuz he had said he didn't know what it was. Yeah! I said it loud enough. Because there were other people around, he just quietly took the return and made the sale.

???

shocked.jpg

Looks like I only have a wire cutter after all. Yikes! Jaws open indeed. Another overwhelming project to tackle. But I will read and reread what you've shown me here, you're so helpful!

On to soldering today, though. I'm thrilled, the ball count unit was still sticking even after working it and waiting for the lube to soak in for days. But yesterday I cleaned the tracks from the wipers on the back with the business card/alcohol method and it works like a charm now!!

OK where do I get those little plastic connectors? (= do i have to go back to RadioShack?)

This is what I have. Now that I see your closeup of a crimper, I think I might have a crimper too, is that right? if so, what size do I use for this project?

wire_cutter.jpg

so, yes, I have a crimping tool?

Still confusing to me at this point; sorry!

Will have to study this thread again and again. Thank you for all the information.

If I get comfortable with soldering, I'd rather do that instead, like Pafasa says, one less extra thing to learn; but we'll see how reachable it is...I'll let you know and then I'm sure I'll have more questions!

Just learning to play the bass guitar. Got a NICE!!! bass amp & speakers that make the guitar sound SO COOL!

HA! Mid-life crisis, I guess. Pinball, and bass guitar.

OK are we going back to the soldering steps, or is this still the crimper/fuse holder information?

So, you were describing how to strip a wire, using the wire cutter section, right?

OK great, thanks!

I'm gonna go practice soldering now after watching those YouTube videos again. I still think I need to extend the wire that broke off, before soldering back on, so I'll be stripping/cutting/ heat shrinking for just that extra half-inch or so.

JOUST:
OK thank you, I hadn't gotten that far to even figuring out how I was going to remove it. But nice to know I have the right tool. Will check the black wire for slack and let you know.

Thanks, Way2wyrd, that's my plan. I just don't understand though how it doesn't reach now that it's disconnected, but obviously it was connected well at one point. Can I break the rubber bands that are binding the wires together to try to stretch this one again?

OK great information, thanks!

Wow that was easier than I thought! I pulled out old wire strands that were stuck on there, and was able to cut enough of the harness to pull the black/yellow wire back to its position without having to extend it. Shiny!!

first_soldering.jpg