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I know what the problem is.  I just don't know what to do about it.

I'm working on a Mills Poinsettia in the shop, and the handle just pulls down and back up without spinning the reels. On the right side of the mech (if facing from the front) there is a little latch in the area that gets pulled down by the handle that is supposed to click under a piece that is attached to the back area that has the brake and causes the reels to spin.  When you pull the handle, this latch lifts up on the other piece.  This causes the reel mechanism to spin, the clock to turn, the brakes to work, etc.  As you pull the arm all the way down, the latch lifts the back piece up to a certain point until it finally slips off the latch.  As it drops back down, the reels spin (caused by an arm reaching up to the reel discs when that piece is lifted high enough) and then the clock spins and cause the brakes to operate, the reels to stop, the payout slides to operate if necessary, etc.  Then when the handle goes back up, the little latch is supposed to click back under the piece so it's ready to go again when the next coin is inserted.

Well, the latch is not clicking back under that piece.  It stays above it.  If I manually push on it, it doesn't move under.  Only if I lift up a little on the back piece will it come up enough for the latch to click back under where it should be.  The back piece that the latch clicks under can be adjusted forward or back. If I adjust it far enough back so that the latch will click under it when it comes down, then the mechanism is no longer lifted high enough to make the reels spin.  If I move it far enough forward so as to keep the latch from coming out from under, then you can't push the handle all the way down to make the reels spin.

I've looked at a few Mills manuals from that time - as they are fairly similar in design after the coin entry point - and saw a mention to lever BA for when you want to load coins into the shoot.  I can't find any use for this lever, as it just seems to move if I touch it with my hand, and then it never does anything that I can see.  However, it is located just below this latch and will touch it if I manually push the lever to one extreme.  I'm wondering if this lever is misadjusted, bent, missing a spring, etc and could be causing my issue?   It's really hard to find pics of this area.  www.slotrestoration.com seems to want a password for every single page but with no info on how to get one.  I watched some of VintageSlots videos on YouTube, but they don't seem to review my issue.  Even his entire disassembly video doesn't show clearly the area I'm dealing with.

If anyone has any insights or links that might help me, I'd appreciate it.  I tried putting a spacer under the back spot so it would stay up a little higher when it comes back down.  It does allow the latch to click under that way, but the rest of the slot doesn't function properly because it's not completing it's cycle...

Here are some (crappy cell phone) pics better explaining a few issues I have:

Here you see the fork dog underneath the lip of a piece.  It lifts that piece up when you pull the handle and causes the reels to spin, payout levers to move, etc:

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_120920.jpg)

Once you pull the handle, however, it comes to rest ABOVE that lip:

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_120947.jpg)

Pushing down on it will not let it go under.  I have to left the right side up until it click under, then the arm will work to spin the reels.

So - I know what the problem is, but not why.

Here is a pic of the entire right side in case someone sees something missing?

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_121000.jpg)

I always hate seeing pieces with holes in them because I always wonder if there should be a spring or lever attached to it:

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_121016.jpg)

Here is a pic of the back just in case someone sees something with the timing:

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_121035.jpg)

Another issue I have is with the coin entry.  Videos I have seen make it look like the lever across the middle should be up above that spring-loaded piece just above it, allowing the nickel to fall through and then be pushed down the chute by that middle lever during the handle pull action.  Does this look right to you?  The coins get stuck above the spring-loaded piece.  If I move it aside, the nickel falls down by the big lever, but that lever never goes up to allow the nickel to fall down to be pushed down.

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_121049.jpg)

Here's a pic of the nickel stuck behind that middle lever after I've lifted the spring-loaded piece out of the way:

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_121103.jpg)

I'm also including a pic of behind the coin entry, as that lever that is supposed to come out to check if a coin is there - doesn't.  I can't see what should be moving it:

(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w7/modessitt/IMG_20120222_121025.jpg)

It sucks when a manufacturer makes a slightly different model and it's just different enough that it confuses you on what to do.  I've fixed other Mills slots before, but I just can't wrap my head around what is or isn't happening here, and I can't find pics of this particular model to see if something is missing...

on problem number 1, on the piece that should go underneath ,  there is a spring that is attached to the left end of that pivot piece and the other end of the spring is attached to the screw directly above the pivot point.

on the coin in problem,   that coin pull down lever should return to the top of the casting when the cycle is complete. not where it is shown in your picture. the lever bar that is attached to the arm with the cotter key is the lever that should return it to the top position, figure out way that's not happening and you'll solve that problem.

in the book The Mills Bell Slot Machine  by  Geddes and Mead   shows these in great detail.  page 78 for the first problem, pages 145 thru 148 for the coin in problem.

Hope this helps

Jim