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I got a Bally Continental a week ago and have been working on trying to get it working. It is in a little rough condition, but I plan on restoring it and having all the chrome re done. I am completely new to slot machine repair. I am somewhat good at working on things. I need time to learn how these work. so far I have been able to get the top panel lights to come on(the top door close button wasn't hitting the door when closed), the front light also work. is the belly glass supposed to have a light also? I can put a quarter in and the handle will pull all the way down and release the reels will shake but will not spin. ive tried putting rem oil on all of the gears and mechanical parts on the reel mechanism ive taken the reels out and they spin well on the rod. it seems as if it is close to working but not sure. I am waiting on the complete EM manual that is coming with another machine I will be getting in the next month a bally 742a. I found this continental on craigslist for trade and would really like to get this thing going im sure having the manual in front of me will help a bunch. if anyone knows why my reels are only shaking and not spinning please help thanks a lot and I look forward to meeting fellow slot hobbyists.

Welcome to NLG  :nlg-

You have quite a project there. The Continental was the most complicated machine that Bally ever made. There has to be two miles of wire used in that machine. Hopefully all the wiring is good and your only looking as a few mechanical issues.
How difficult is it to pull the handle? Is the handle free and returns normal?
If the handle is stiff or hard to pull, the issue may be in the damper on the right hand side of the reel bundle. The white plastic cylinder has a piston used to damper the handle return. The piston has a rubber seal that breaks down over time. The rubber turns to goo and will need to be removed and cleaned. Just reassemble without a seal installed.

Next thing to check would be the linkage itself. be sure the old grease of not preventing proper operation of the reel kickers. All linkage should turn freely on the shafts and also move slightly left and right. They should actually float freely on the shaft.

From the sound of things I tend to believe your issues so far are mechanically. Post pictures and keep us posted.

Hi... I agree with Neonkiss that it sounds like your problem lies with the kick linkage under the reels.. There are small shafts running left to right with pivot points, linkages and springs for each reel. Those all need to move freely on those shafts. The old grease and oil dries out, I use WD-40 to free them up, then clean up the old grease and re-oil.. There is also a back shaft you need to do the same with. Last make sure that the clock assembly is clean and oiled too. It is the geared assembly located on the left side of the reels with the spinning finned fan on top of it. Hopefully after doing this maintenance will help fix your current problem..

Gary

could be a bad clock  gear

Current state

I'm not sure why the pictures came up sideways. They were normal on this end? Anyhow. My long beau pin on one side of my reel assembly was broken so I replaced it with one of the long in wired beau pin assemblies off of the coin hopper that didn't have a wire going to it. So now there are the two long un wired beau pins on the coin hopper missing. Will old loose pins and missing pins even if there unwired be affecting the reels from spinning? I haven't had a chance to take the reel assembly  apart again to clean. It is really hot out here right now so the AC is where I am trying to be for now.

Another try

I don't know why this is happening ahhhh

Ok weird. It shows up side ways on my screen but when I click on the image it's normal I don't know maybe because I'm doing this from iphone. But here are a bunch of copies of the outside ill take pics of the inside but only one photo of each this time

it dosen,t have a summit plate on side  I hope

The reels problem is mechanical not electronic. Heck do like I do, clear off the kitchen table, put down some news papers or old towels and do my work in comfort!!  I doubt it's a Summit..

Gary

More pics

2

3

4

5

6 coin hopper

Beau plug not sure but maybe I should replace these all. Some are missing unused pins I think they're unused. There's no extra wires except in front of reel mech on left side?

10?

Female beau pin ends

Lever box this part works great it easily pulls down and seems to return good

I'm not sure what this is a capacitor or solenoid for something. The manual will definitely help I have to wait till I finish working on this motorcycle that I'm blacking out in exchange for the 742A machine! I was trying to do both along with other family duties. Basically my wife wanting more time with when I get home than out in the man cave or garage for hours. Hopefully ill have this bike done soon and ill have my other machine and complete EM manual to help me with this one. If anyone has ideas on how to get these reels to spin ill sneak out and give it a try haha. I probably won't be able to remove all the parts and clean them on the reel assembly till this bike is done or I bring it to the shop if I have any down time.

Reel mechanical lever parts

Not sure if this is in the right position or anything isn't right with this part

Shot if the reels and the electrical behind them

Here are the reel mechanisms beau pins. I had to replace one of the long ones with a in wired one off the coin hopper. I don't know if this rigging will work I want to replace them all for nice and tight ones anyone recommend making a different connection. I seem someone using a different type of plug for the wires.

Side of the reel mechanism. I have a multi meter now after the helpful foxslots told me I would need one but not sure of what to do yet

Parts I've ordered so far for this machine are door lock, bulbs for the feature glass and reel glass. I need a bulb for the coin tray and not sure if the belly glass takes a bulb?

You can test spin the reels outside of the cabinet. If you look at the half gear on the right side has a 1/4" or 5/16" hole in it just above the stud bearing. I put a bolt in that hole, then take a long handle screw driver or something similar and put it between the bolt and bearing. Pull the screw drive like the outside handle to spin the reels. If they still don't spin correctly then we know the problem lies in the reel mech. I would start by removing the white plastic piston cylinder to clean it a grease it lightly. The seals inside turn to a sticky tar causing the handle to stick. Replacement seals are not available any where. Keep us posted.

Gary

Thanks Gary. I am going to try that soon. Thanks for all the quick replies its really nice to get help on this thing. I can't wait to get it working. The cabinet door for some reason won't stay closed all the way I don't have a lock yet but used a screw driver to lift the linkage up and down but for some reason it doesn't stay completely closed maybe it needs a lock or door adjustment.

I just did the test spin. I can't stay away haha. It still did not spin. I took the white plastic cylinder off and there is only a piston no seals or gunk in there? Should instill clean it out and re oil?

Piston

Cylinder

Someone else had the fun of cleaning it out already. I wouldn't hurt to grease it, but lightly... There is a pin size air hole in the very bottom of the cylinder. Make sure it's open. If you put too much grease in the cylinder it will squirt out that air hole making a mess. Still sounds like the linkages and levers are frozen on the shafts. I have had good luck fixing this problem many times and no need to do a total tear down. Just spray the pivot point on the shafts then move them side to side to free them up. I remember doing my first one, I didn't realize all those pieces needed to move. I thought they were fixed solid to the shafts by a set screw or key way.

Gary

Ok I'll give that a try. Thanks. The little air hole is open. Ill add a little bit of grease to the inners of the plastic cylinder. Are these the parts in the picture you are saying to  oil? I sprayed rem oil on the but ill do more and work the around. If I manually pull one of the reel combs back and let go it stop the reel very fast is this normal it seems maybe because I'm just pulling the comb back by hand and not pulling the actual lever. 

I freed up those pieces that spin on the shaft and oiled them and tried it still won't spin I didn't have any grease here so will put some in the cylinder tomorrow will that give it better compression? And should I just apply a thin coat to the inside walls thanks man

take a pic of clock  its thing with brass fan   on it  to me it looks to be missing unless its inside mech , like slim lines had them          never mind didn,t see 2nd page of pic,s  its there

Just a very thin layer of grease..  That's what I call the back shaft. If you look there are two pieces side by side.. One have a roll pin through it, the othe is floating on that shaft.. They are separated by spacers that will spin on the back shaft. Make sure the one without the roll pin move freely.. Now there are two or three more shafts under the reels that need attention too. I beleave everything under the reels is free floating on those shafts. There are also four links and spring, one for each reel that control how fast the reels will stop. Be careful because its easy to knock off one of those springs. I'm sure your problem lies with all those stuck levers.

Gary

Sweet i have a clear picture of what I need to do thanks a ton Mr Gary. Those sleeves I freed up seemed like they were stuck pretty well. I see the part your talking about the brass looking round ones and one has the set screw. I will make sure the one without the screw is free and under the reels I hope this does the trick I will give it a shot after I get home later I have to help my dad with some stuff today he has a sandblasting and painting business so I have the perfect set up for restoration! I do want to get the front and lever re chromed on this machine as well as the thin pieces around the feature and belly glass. The previous owner of this machine said it was left outside for a while. That definitely explains gears being froze up. I can't wait to have a working machine besides my bank slot machine you know the plastic ones haha. One day I just wanted a slot machine and I get "obsessed" so here I am this is definitely a great hobby way better than nitro rc I think. I hope to get a pinball machine one day

I took the reels off and cleaned everything with wd40 than I sprayed it down with rem oil. I also greased the white plastic cylinder very lightly. On about the tenth quarter the reels spun than after that they didn't. Now my machine won't let me pull the lever when I put a quarter in. Talk about frustration. I was happy for about 2 seconds when it spun yay. I tried hitting the coin switch to activate the lever like I did the other day and I could just hear a click from behind the feature panel. It would not let me pull the lever I by passes it so that I could pull the lever and the reels are still stuck. I'm probably going to have to tear it down when I get a manual I think it something is out of place. I'm not going to give up!

Now the lever will pull when putting coin in but still no spin after putting 20 coins thru.

Don't know if this piece is in the right position

I'm pretty sure now that the part that releases the reel stopping arms is not working right. It seems like they are supposed to hold the reel stoppers for an amount of time but doesn't. However it did spin a few times and some of the times a few of the reels spun but not all and now it's going from taking a coin and lever pulling and then it will not take a quarter and pull.

Not sure if there are springs missing here

just a thought but when the reels are out of the machine can you hold the mech and push the plunger in by hand, do the reels kick off?

Your saying to just push the Piston in to the plastic piece? I've tried doing it the way amachanic said by putting a bolt in the small hole on the half gear and using a screwdriver to pull the reels. I went to the casino today and talked to a slot guy who worked there and he was telling me to make sure the reels are on the right spots when you put them in. Is there any certain position the reels should be in? He said there may be notches on the place where there supposed to initially be placed. Maybe he's referring to newer machines. I haven't checked this out for myself yet.

These type of reels are different then the newer ones. You need to make sure that the flat on the end of the reel shaft I beleave is forward when you lock it back in place with the spring loaded levers on both ends. You can test the reels mech without the reels installed to make sure things are working correctly. It will give you a better idea of how it all works too.

Gary

I just found that this spring at left is hitting the round post back on the flat metal. When that lever goes back the spring hits it and it feels like a grinding.

I probably need to take a file to that has anyone had this problem?

I have a good feeling this is what the problem is now. That spring that is hitting the metal is in the arm that holds the reel stoppers back. I think maybe because this one on the first reel is hitting the piece of metal on the side it never locks back and trips it. The spring shows some wear on it from hitting the metal I think I should file it down I tried moving it to the side but there's not enough room. Thanks for all the tips and telling me to check all these things out otherwise I'd never came across this I really hope this is it. Thanks alot for the help Gary

 Am I missing a spacer here on the left on the shaft?

I just noticed these are getting stuck from returning also

I don't think your missing any spacers.. If some of the levers are still sticking, you might have to re-oil then. I've have a couple machines over the year that were really gummed up from sitting a lack of oil. If they don't move freely on the shaft, then your slot won't work right..

K88 sounds like you're getting along fine.  Here's a link with some misc. stuff, and also, near the end of thread is the link for a manual you can download.


Sorry, I see I forgot the link;

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=23910.0

I removed the shaft that holds the reel wiper arms and oiled it and also all the parts that slide onto it. Thanks for the help guys. I filed down the slits the wiper arms slide into beacaise they were getting stuck on return. I did a test spin with no reels in it and it still makes a loud clank but nothing seems to be sticking. When I get home ill put the reels back in and give it a shot ill take a look at that manual thanks again. I also removed and gunk I could see ill spray it with some more Teflon oil before I give it another try hopefully it will work I hope.

The link isn't showing up on my phone ill try the computer. Do you guys know if the lights in the center of the feature glass are supposed to be on or are they just supposed to flash then you win that coin amount.?

100% with the working on the kitchen table. Remove the reels from the frame and check all arms and levers located under them. Use a solvent like mineral spirits or an aerosol solvent. Making sure all joints that are supposed to move freely do. I agree that this is a mechanical problem and you will need to work on the basic metal connections using an xacto blade to scrape off old dried grease. Use a white lithium grease or even petroleum jelly to lubricate. The jelly is what I use on the old Mills and Jennings ect... slots I restore and haven't had a problem with them drying out. This is an easy fix compared to an issue with the wiring problems this machine can have.

The Fatman   formally known as
 

Thanks for the support Fatman. This site is great. I'm gonna keep going at it. I got new reel glass and lock so some bulbs today

Great ... I will help whenever I can. You can reach me also by phone I have listed at my website for the pottery I make. Fatmanspottery.com
Call if you need to .
Dave

Dear Fatman, did you get your issues resolved, or no?
If not, post on your old thread and we'll have at it.
XOXOXO.
 To K-88, sounds like you got some good mechanical capabilities.  You can lube most everything and then lube it again in a couple of days, and you may find parts that now move.   If you pull the reels you can kick the mechanism by pushing on the pump arm with your palm.  You can stop spin and index by stopping the fan clock.  Please follow my links on troubleshooting for more, as it may save you some time in the long run.

OldReno .... pretty much... bell ringing I feel is an older JP type machine which needs a coin drop to stop the bell. Thanks for your dedicated help for me.

K-88 .... you now have met the best around (OldReno) for help in any EM issue you might have. He has posted a lot of logs about issues and repairs that you can look thru and find a fix for virtually any problem that an EM might have.
 :3-

Thank you for the introduction! I'm pleased to get even more help here. After what I tried the machine is still not spinning. I'm going to look at the information you gave and see if I can figure it out...again. At least those parts are cleaned and I have alot more understanding of the reel mechanism. Is there video posting on here? Right now the lever wasn't pulling again so I hit the coil that will unlock the lever and than pulled the lever and the reels shook real hard again I took a picture of my half gears to see if anything looked wrong but I need to get on my computer and look at the manuals. Thanks again for all the help!

Vey possible that the adjustment nut on the arm with the spring coming from the back side of the white plastic cylinder on the right side of the reel bundle. There is a lever that when you pull the handle, it moves and activates the mech until it gets to the end of its stroke and slips off what I call the operating dog. A small lever that when it is moved and slips off the actuating lever, slams down and causes the mech to make the reels spin. If this is out of adjustment it will release early and not really have enough power to fully spin the relels. I can make a small video to show this but not tonight, OldReno might have done this already somewhere and can point you to it. Take a small video of the reels shaking if you can. i have learned that the quickest way to a solution is to post a picture or a link to a video of the problem.

Call if you can .. I will be around on the fourth if you need.
dave

If you push back your reel index wiper arm, will the reel spin?  See this, about 5th post down...  http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=19336.0
Also this  http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=23910.0 for misc stuff.

Yes when I push back on the wipers the reel will spin. I'm going to try and loosen the nut on the end of the black spring on the right side of reel mech. Fatman told me to try adjusting this for the spin hopefully it does the trick. Thanks for the links very helpful info. Happy 4th of July guys!

With the mech out, and the reels removed, try kicking the mechanism with the palm of your right hand on the pump arm (white cylinder).
You should see each of the reel index arms fall back across the reel boards, and also your kickers should dip down in preparation to kick the reel discs and make them spin.  As you push all the way, they should kick, and then the index arms should fall forward one at a time as the clock unwinds.
Hope that makes some sense.
Did this machine kick right when you first got it?

PS, before you start moving the nut on the black spring, make sure you count how many threads you see at the end of the shaft, and it would not hurt to count how many turns you make so that you can eventually come back to home position.  There's a thread somewhere here about adjusting that shaft, hope someone remembers where it is....

No it didn't work right since I got it. So far every time except a few it has just made a clunk and the reels shook around a little bit. Thanks for the tip I will count how far I move the nut.

Did anything happen when you tried reply#65 above?
You can see what is happening if you play it with the reels out.
You should see index arms fall back, and latch back, and the kickers should move down and then pop up.
The index arms should STAY back until the clock and fan releases them.
Is it doing that?

The index arms are not staying back. They are going back and then coming forward at the same time the kick reels are. I adjusting the nut it was 2 threads from the end when I started. I loosened it and did a test spin with the reels in and out. When they were in it did not spin but the kick reels appeared to work because they went off in a row from 1-4. When I put the mechanism back into the machine it still did not spin so I tightened the nut and than the lever would get stuck down each time I used a gardening stick to release it on the inside. I loosened i tried a few adjustments on that nut and still did not work I did notice though one of my reels wobbles a bit compared to the rest and the cast I think star piece that has four screws on that one is pretty wore out. One of the screws were missing I noticed last night and the holes are rather banged out. Don't know if this affects alot but it wobbles against the wiper arms some when I pull them back to spin the reel. It was on the first reel and I moved it to the third last night I took it apart to inspect it again a little bit ago.

K88, you need to go here and download the Bally EM Manual, it's 33MB. in size
http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?action=downloads;cat=97 (http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?action=downloads;cat=97)
It will help us all talk.
On pages 96, 97, and 98 are probably pictures of what we need.
On pic 98, the part #25 latch pawl assembly, is what holds the wipers up out of the way so the reels can freely spin. It latches them back.
With the reels removed from the reel mech, you can look down into the mech as you slowly pull the handle and see if they are engaging or not.  You can see how it works.
I can actually hear the 3 or 4 clicks that tell you it works as the handle is pulled.

A good place to start  AFTER you move those nuts on the black spring back to where they were before you dicked with them.
Sorry, just my humor.
Also, look at page 91 and tell me if the fan part #34 spins after you pull the handle. A loose fan will give you no reel spin, btw, or very short spin at best.
Don't worry about your reel wobble, that comes as you finish up and fine tune your project.

Thanks Reno I appreciate the help and humor you old bastard I'm just kidding! I'm going to get to that manual so u can get my language right after I cool these burgers. Just 3 so it won't take long. The fan spins. It doesn't appear that anything is holding the wipers back they go back than forward instantly.

I looked at the manual and located the latch pawl and I tried test spinning it with the reels out and the mechanism out and the latch pawl moves back but the wiper arms so not stay back. I looked at the diagram and the only part I'm missing is the piece of foam or nylon that goes into the spring I'm not sure if that is needed. Should I try test spinning it in the machine with no reels? I'm gonna keep checking for grimy areas and cleaning and oiling it and trying to figure out what's going wrong. Happy fourth goodnight

By all means play around with the reels taken out and see how the mech operates.  As the wiper arms fall back, the latch pawls are supposed to lock each reel wiper back out of index position.  Make sure the shaft that holds your lock pawls is absolutely clean, spray it with some WD and get any gunk out. 
Only when the wiper arms are fully pulled out of the way, and latched, will the reels themselves be able to spin.  Like when you pushed back on the wiper assy, you could spin the reels by hand.
The latch pawls disengage as the clock unwinds (while reels spin), and one by one get released and allow the index arms to fall forward into the reel discs and that gives you your selection of pays on your wiper board positions.  Hope this makes some sense.

Try this:
With the reels taken out, push back on your #2 reel wiper arm.  You should see while you do that how the latch pawl works with the bottom section of the wiper arm.  It will almost all by itself latch the wiper arm back.  If you push up on the linkages just a little bit more, you should be able to lock it in place. 
Anyway play with it and see if you can figure out the mechanics of it.

Right on thanks Reno. Ill give that a try I got some power blast cleaner it says will remove gunk really good it was in the gun cleaning aisle of Walmart this morning and some more rem oil. Fatman told me about the cleaner and Barry at foxsslots recommended the Teflon oil. I will clean it up again and than oil it again. The previous owner did say it was left outside for some time. Hopefully this might help the mechanism work properly.

Old Reno ... I mentioned to check the operation of all the linkage. He seemed to let me know that the mech is got a good bit of old grease. Talked to him on the phone and suggested PB Blaster to dissolve the old grease a bit and to check movement by hand to assure movement. I wish I could reach thru the phone to do it for him so he can see what I was talking about. We all started somewhere. ... I feel he will get this figured out since it is all mechanical.

Good luck and I will keep watching and learning.
 The not so Fatman anymore :139-

Cool.
Oil it.
Move all the working parts.  Let it set awhile.
Oil it again.  Let it set.  work all parts.
Should work after that, eh?
Nothing should stick.

I got it sitting out in the backyard on top of a milk crate with newspaper under it I sprayed a whole can of this powder blast break free gun cleaner which isn't the same as the pb blaster not so far anymore said I thought he was drunk and meant the same thing as powder blast but I guess I underestimated his professionalism! I'm going to let it sit with this over night maybe a day and than get a can of the PB blaster NSFAM said to get and spray it down again. I noticed it looking cleaner already. After the next cleaning it should be tits. I'm sure these things gotta be super clean which makes sense with all the moving parts. Than after its clean I'm planning on using rem oil and maybe white lithium grease for the clock gears as Fatman suggested. I will refer to the downloaded manual to see if there are any lubrication instructions. If you guys have any thoughts it would be much appreciated. Thanks again for all the help!

Status update: I worked the wiper arms and parts around and at first the wiper arm would start to lock back and than it would not. I'm going to clean it again as planned it seems to be working.

Who did you think was drunk?
Keep on working all the linkage until it all moves freely.
If you use the while LG ... dont put it on heavy, just enough to get onto the metal.
Let us know .... especially who you thought was drunk.   :252-

The non drunk Fatman

Haha I like the little beer smiley. I thought you were talking about the same stuff as the powder blast was jk about being drunk no offense. I can tell by the little face in love with the brew you may have been though now that I think of it it was 4th of July not many days better for a drink! Cheers

Pb blast sounds like a new Reese's candy to me

If you use any of those heavy degreasers in the can, they will eat into the plastic reel strips. Be sure to remove the reel bundle when doing this type of cleaning. The wiring and connectors will all be fine and the degreasers will not affect those plastics or the phenolic material with the brass contact points. I learned this the hard way with a destroyed set of reel strips.

After cleaning be sure to lube the gears of the clock. This grease will actually slow the clock to normal speed. With no grease on the gears the clock runs too fast and the reel will lock shortly after the handle is pulled, not allowing for the longer proper reel spin time.

Thanks for your input Neonkiss! That sounds tragic to lose your reel strips to cleaner those bastards. I have my reels safely put in a homers work bucket (home depot) thanks for looking out though. The reel mech looks really dried out after the can of cleaner I put on it I'm still going to give it another cleaning with pb blaster soon just have to go to the store. I really hope to get this working. All the help from you guys is great I most likely would have messed it up bad without help.

I sprayed a whole can of pb blaster I'm going to get another can and spray that on it too it is alot grimer than I thought. After this first can the first wiper arm would catch some when pulled back but ceased to after a short while.

The key to freeing up parts, is not to drown them in solvent, but to spray them a little. Then working the stuck mech by hand if possible to assist the solvent into the linkage. I have never seen a machine that ever had to use a whole can of spray, or even half a can. Use the little red tube to direct it right where you want it to go.
Be sure to work the linkage to help the solvent do its job.
 :279-
The Fatman

BTW .... another idea for you to try to remove the extra grease built up, use a toothbrush to rub around the linkage. Make sure the solvent your using doesn't dissolve the bristles. I have a 4 reel mech just for messing with so I can take some pics and videos I can post that will help you in your project. You can call tonight to let me know the progress you have made.   :19-

The Fatman

I sprayed another bottle on it I just now saw your messages from last night. I found out that when I set the mechanism off by lifting the trip lever assy. the mechanism works fine. the wiper arms go back and lock into place and in order they release. but when I set it off by pushing the rod into the plastic cylinder it doesn't work properly the wiper arms do not lock back and it makes the same loud noise as if something is slipping off. maybe I have a problem with the way the gear assembly is on there? I tried a few adjustments with the drive shaft and that made no difference but as I said it does set and go off properly when I engadge the mechanism by lifting up on the trip lever assembly. btw after I put the other can of pb blast I put on my safety glasses and took my compressor and blew it off really good. Thanks for the help hopefully im almost there with this thing as far as this part goes.

Here is a shot of the gear assembly.

After reading some more of the trouble shooting manual I tried adjusting the stop bracket and walaaaa my reels are a spinnin! At first when out back in the machine the lever would get stuck but after a few adjustments of the stop bracket it would pull and release and the reels spin and stop! Thanks everyone for all of your help on this! You guys are awesome and deserve to hear it. I started dismantling the inside of the door some but I think I'm putting it back together so I can try it with the power on. I still need to oil this baby up.

Now that the reels are spinning when I drop a coin in it is not releasing the lever. I just get a click from the fifth coil down on the left behind the feature board. The coin op was working properly at first.

With all the handling of the assembly.... its very possible that the switches located on the sides could be knocked out of adjustment. Make sure the switch blades that are to be closed when the mast are making contact and that the ones that should be normally open, are and close when they should. Adjusting these can be tricky with out a switch blade adjustment tool. You can use a dart shaft that holds the flights with a little help. It will fit a switch blade and can twist to adjust it open or closed. Make sure that they are right by triggering them with the mech out of the machine ... no power. You also can manually reset the hopper and the coin advance relay if needed. I am sure there are other things for you to check but this will be a good start. Glad to hear your making progress. I have just got home from work so you can call now .... I did get your message a few minutes ago.
 :3-
The Fatman

Hey Fatman just got your message about to go to sleep its around midnight here. I think I know what blades you are talking about on the left side of the reel assembly? I also noticed it does look like the coin relay on the left side of the mech may have a broken wire. I read the trouble shooting guide and it says the continental has a reset at the top right corner but that button turns the lights on the feature board on meaning this is a door close switch also like the one at bottom? It also said to take the bottom wire on the lower door close button and put it at top with the other wire. Should I put both wires on the same terminal at top or put the wire on the other open terminal at the top of the door close switch. I had just used a zip tie to keep the upper right switch that turns the feature lights on because the door isn't hitting it when closed. I'm glad we got those reels to spin I forgot to mention that I adjusted the lower gear assembly one notch clockwise as the manual says to solve the problem of the lever getting stuck down. I'm sure the complete 3,4,5 reel manual will have pics that will be very helpful. I'm really glad I'm making some progress on this machine I'm sure it is going to need alot of adjustments for it to work 100% but that's the fun of it. Thanks for the help guys

Thanks .... I should be sleeping as well .... just cant do it. Mind is running around. OldReno will be the best for these issues now. The basics on the mech I could help with but Reno has so much more knowledge on the continental than I do. I am sure you are well on your way. I have not worked on the continental but the 831's and the 809's wheel operation are basically the same as to the mechanics. Glad to hear the old grease is leaving and the linkage is now starting to move as designed.
Keep in touch and call anytime.
The Fatman ... kinda

K88, your picture, (reply 89) shows your half gears.  You are one tooth off.  The back gear needs to drop down one.  This is liable to affect all your adjustments, and your kick and spin.  You may be kicking before the wipers have time to latch back....
Will get into your other posts here later, but have some things to do and I don't have time to read right now.

You asked about a capacitor or solenoid in a picture???  :103-  .... what I see is a ballast and a starter (silver looking can shaped item)
These are used for the lighting of the fluorescent bulbs. There usually is one of each for each tube used.

The Fatman

I don't remember asking about a solenoid which one?

Go to page 1 reply 21 :103-

Old Reno, I adjusted the lower half gear one tooth clockwise like the trouble shooting manual said after that picture was taken. it solved the problem I was having of the lever getting stuck after being pulled. now that the reels are spinning the odds reset coil in the feature board is clicking when I hit the coin switch. both coin accepted and insert coin lights are now coming on after dicking around with it before they didn't.

another question I had was the bottom door close switch works the counter below when the coin hopper is removed now after I got a stuck quarter out of the hopper. the top door close switch doesn't work with the door closed so I used a zip tie to secure it.

in the trouble shooting manual it says the 847 has a reset at the top right? it seems like it is a door close button because when its pushed in the feature board lights come on? before I got the reels to spin the coin switch would activate the lever but now it is not. I checked the wire on the side of the reel mech to the coin relay coil and they seem to be connected.

last question for now is the jackpot reset key should be turned to the right to reset and than back to the left?

Thanks for your help!

Ok I figured out why coin accepter light stayed on the switch on the left side of reel mech was out of adjustment after looking at a pic I took earlier.

My coin hopper is now turning when I hit the coil on top of the reel mechanism it wasn't doing that before either must have been the stuck bent quarter! It was making a noise like it wanted to move before

My anti cheat coil behind the feature glass has a broken plastic piece that looks fried. If I leave the spring off of it the lights will stay on the board only the outside odds lights and first coin. If I leave the spring on that goes around the coils box the lights do not stay on.

I know I'm posting a crap load of messages but while dicking around again I figured out that if I put a coin in and give the lever a little tiny pull it will Engadge and I can pull the lever. However now my feature lights will not turn on I checked the fuses and they look fine are they supposed to be on?

Now after unhooking the spring from the anti cheat coil the feature lights are working again ahhhh these things are touchy!

Now there not working I'm calling it a night good night!

Well, I'm pretty lost here, and don't have a lot of time, but it sounds like you're having fun.  Please do pics of all these things to ADD TO THE RECORD of information on how to fix these things.
Pay attention to your top unit, and especially to your odds disc.  Lubricate the odds disc shaft with oil and make sure it is free floating with NO restrictions. If your odds disc does NOT reset on coin in, you may burn stuff up from coils being on too long.
Keep your top unit dropped down and figure out what is going on.
You can push the armatures of many of your top unit relays and note how that effects the machine.
Keep a log here please for us, on this thread.  Pictures and wire colors helpful.
If you keep meticulous notes on what effects what, others can build on that.
What is the condition of your machine now, as it stands?
Is it casino floor ready?  Does it take coins?
Be specific and list all the things that are wrong.
Take notes on everything you do.
Will check back soon, I have to work on my Karma and do stuff and take care of shit.
Good job so far.  Ain't it fun?
You have downloaded the EM Manual, yes?

I'd love to give a class on how to fix these things. Probably take a good 8 hours from rebuild to troubleshoot/repair.  But, I don't know video....

Post #103, what is the part number AND PAGE  IN THE BALLY EM MANUAL of the lever you gave a tiny pull to? I have no idea what you are talking about.  If you give a page then there will be NO CONFUSION EVER as to future discussions.
And why did you unhook the spring to the anti-cheat?
I am too busy to re-read 5 pages to find out where you're at, and my brain is full, ok?
Hey, XOXOXO
Peace.

I unhooked the spring to the anti cheat because it look all burnt up and the lights seemed to work with the spring off than later failed.
I did download the manual it is very helpful.
I am talking about the pull lever to spin the reels on the outside of the machine. If I give it a little wiggle the lever will than allow me to pull after a coin is dropped in.
Have a good day I will play around with it some more and read some more trouble shooting tips. I am waiting for the complete 3,4,5 reel manual should have it in a few weeks along with my new 742 machine.

I agree with OldReno   :317-
Also something OldReno usually tells newbie's be careful when activating things with one hand while holding the front door. You can complete a circuit and have a shocking experience, if only by touching a leaf switch that just happens to be HOT and grounding out with the other hand. It will wake you up .... make your eyeballs expand ... your hair will stand up.... bite your lip or cheek .... but mostly, say all the four letter words in your vocabulary plus a few more and then go change your underwear.

Seriously ... it happened to me with a video game and by using your hands .... it crosses thru your heart. Knocked me for a loop and caused a permanent memory of the experience so I take every precaution. I know you have a little one so be careful. Rule of thumb.... when checking anything electrical, only make contact with one hand ONLY.

The Fatman

Good ideal I've shocked myself once already good thing I didn't have the other hand grounded on something.  Thanks Fatman hope your day is going good

Sounds like you have a switch on the inside of the cabinet by the handle mech that is not making good contact.

Yeah it started doing that after I adjusted the lower gear (half gear) one turn clockwise like the manual said.
Old Reno. You said to adjust it to the left counterclockwise? Should I try that?

At ExFatman #109.  I sent you that shock. Seems to have worked.
If we do not refer to part number/names and page numbers this will be futility.

I cleaned all of the contacts on the machine with contact cleaner. The top lights are now staying on and the lever is unlocking immediately most of the time after a coin is put in the machine. The only issues I am now having are that there hasn't been a payout and I have about $20 worth of quarters in there can that be a issue? Only the outside and first coin pay lights light up on the feature board I'm not positive but it would seem like each additional coin odds lights would light up when you put in 2,3,4,5 coins?
When I hit the coil behind the reels the coin hopper circulates. When I hit the coil on front of the coin hopper nothing seems to happen. I'm happy about the progress so far when i got this it wouldn't do much at all. Thanks for the help

What lever are you talking about?  Page number in the bally manual will greatly facilitate this!!!  What does bally call the lever?  There are probably 40 'levers' of some sort in the E/M's.
I won't play if you do not use the bally manual. I was a hardass as a slot instructor, and would have made you do pennance for not using the correct part name.

That said, * on ANY new pay problem, a slot tech, or a good keyperson ALWAYS pulls the hopper and notes where the payboard fingers are set at. This is rule #2.  Rule #3 is to note how many coins were played.  We know what is rule #1...
If you read my troubleshooting stuff, you will learn how to set up a pay on your machine.  To check that it works ok.  Pull handle.  Hold the clock fan and set the reels.  Release fan.  Rinse and repeat. Done.

OldReno taught me this too....  :317-  Post Pictures of the problem area and use pointers if you can to show the switches and areas in question.

My apologies Old reno and you all. I was talking about the Handle assy part 28 on page 26 of the em manual. I really need to print this out because its a pain in the ass scrolling on the computer. so much easier to have it on paper in front of me. Im getting close to getting this other machine and manual. I appreciate you guys bearing with me. with that being said.. my machine has come along way with your help. I can now put a coin in and pull the handle assembly immediately with no delay and the reels spin! The only Problem now is that I have not gotten any quarters to pay out and when I put more than one coin in they are not being registered on the feature unit I think. I mean ive never seen this machine work properly, but it seems that for each coin I put in the odds on the feature unit should change to the number of coins I put in there.

Good to know you have found help and solace here.
If your hopper resetting?  After you pull the handle the payboard wiper fingers should be at zero (6 o' clock)?
We're still with ya as long as we're with ya, ya know?
The first thing a mechanic does on a pay problem is check the wiper finger position.

When I push the coil behind the reels the coin hopper will circulate the coins. I'm not sure if $20 worth of coins is enough? The coil directly in front of the coin hopper does nothing when pushed at least what I see.  Ill check the wiper arms and see where they are at when I pull the handle.

Quick question... Does your machine payout a jackpot on a single coin played? You should see your top glass payouts change for each coin inserted. You should have a stepper assembly in the top box. It should advance one click per coin player. I do agree with OldReno, does your hopper work properly? Easy enought to check. Does the spiral cam advance when you lift the coin lever roller, then return to zero when you push in the solenoid? Is the zero switch opening & closing when this is done? Twenty dollars in quarters won't go too far, but it better then nothing.

Gary

It does not change for each coin inserted.  I will look up what those parts are and check and see if it does do what you asking thanks.

Page 18 part #33, called wiper assembly, or commonly the payboard wiper fingers.  They should always be at 6 o'clock after you pull the handle.  If not it won't pay right.
The first thing to do is look at the position of the (payboard) wiper fingers in a mis-pay situation.

You can check it the same way by working both solenoids. Sounds like that machine need a lot of TLC, but that's the fun. I hate to admit this but I worked on my first EM Bally for well over a year before I found the grounded wire. After that I was hooked. It was like buy two rabbits..  :279-

Gary

Thanks guys. I will refer to the manual and see if those are in the right position. I been taking a little break from the machine to get this motorcycle finished. I should have it out if here next weekend as well as the delivery of my 742 star special machine and manual. I hope your guys weekends going good. It's over 100 degrees here. It's hard for me to stay away from the machine though I will probably check it out tonight after it cools down

My new machine I finally got

The inners

Looks really nice, looks very clean inside too.... here is a pic of the one I got a week or so ago. I am now tearing it down to restore.
1946 Pace
 :3-

Yeah the guy took good care of it. It needs a few new bulbs.
That's a neat looking machine! Im going to begin restoring the continental now that I have a working machine to pacify me. But I need a break right now I been working on the machines previous owners motorcycle for 6 weeks. I put 15 hrs into it yesterday to get it done by this weekend and get my new baby haha. Here's a pic of his bike before and after.

Nice job .... I miss mine. Sold it before I left Atlanta. 1960 pan done by Miller powdercoating. All I did was to buy it from them, change the front end and bars and thats about it. Loved that ride wish I still had it. :8-
Dave

That thing looks rad. I don't ride. My friend that's going to mechanic school came and started it up and helped me get the wheels on and rear fender. I had alot of the parts powder coated on this dudes bike for this machine. Way worth it though now that its here I'm gonna go play with it right now haha hope your weekend was good not so fat man

The front glass lights (coin accepted and payouts) there's a total of 7 bulbs and the reel fluorescent are not working. I inspected a few of them and they don't look very bad and also checked the fuses. If one light bulb is bad does it cause the rest to not work?

The manual really helps I was going to call this a lever!

Check and make sure the switch wire is not rubbing on the slot it's in. You can take the two screws loose and check the switches action that way.. Make sure the switches electrial wires are not grounding out..

Gary

You were spot on Gary. Thanks. I took the screws out and realized it does have action. The arm which the coin hits on the coin switch just needed a little adjustment and it now works. Only problem now is with the lights. I broke one of the caps on the reel fluorescent when taking it out. The feature light jackpot at the top comes on after awhile I was reading about machines needing to warm up. The reel fluorescent and front glass reel lights are not working either.

Those old F lights are usually in need of replacing, especially if they start to blacken around the end of the glass tube. When I get a machine, I replace the bulbs and then the starters .... then the ballast if needed.

My dad noticed that the symbols don't all land on the pay line. At first I thought he was wrong but after getting this other mostly working machine I noticed they all land on the pay line. Is there an easy fix for this?

This f light looks brand new. The only light that is working is the belly glass and a light inside the feature jackpot board. I figured out how to change the bulb duhh. 2 ballasts are hot and two are not.

After messing around I somehow got the reel f light to work. Now only the jackpot light and coin accepting lights are left

Coin tray lights do not work either. they dint work on both of my machines.tomorrow I will buy new starters. Best place to get them?

Got mine at Home Depot and they work fine.

Any local hardware store will carry them. Might pay a few cents more for them, but with current gas price I'm saving money not driving to a big chain store.

Garyy

I picked some starters up at Home Depot only a buck each if u buy 2 packs. Are these just for the fluorescents or is there one for the coin tray and coin acceptor lights?

You only need starters for the fluorescents.  The others should be like #63 bulbs or whatever incandescents.

Ok my machine seems like all the fluorescents are on unless there's one I'm not seeing there's four starters and I see only 3 fluorescents one above the reels, one at the feature jackpot lights and the belly unless there's 2 in there. I don't know why else the front lights #63 won't work. I put one in that I know is good and it didn't work. Do I need to make sure they are all new for it to work

You have your front general illumination lights which are 120V fluorescents, and also probably some 6V #63's.  The 6V are usually run in parallel, so if one goes out, it won't affect the others.
The other 6V lights you have are:
insert coin
Coin Accepted
Winner Paid.
These 3 are run by different switches in the machine.  The 1st two are to be found in your coin relay stack on the left rear side of the reel mech.
The winner paid light is controlled by a switch on the back of the hopper board.
You can use jumpers to test these 6v lights very easily, without even taking them out of their sockets.

Thanks for all that info! I changed the starters and the fluorescent lights are brighter and on faster now. Here's the thread for my 742 i am cross threading lol. http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=25069.new#new
I am going to change the starters on the continental tomorrow and see if that gets the belly light to turn on

What is the easiest way to change the belly glass bulb?

I was also wondering how to get the symbols to line up. I noticed that they are not all lining up with the Payline as they are supposed to

Glad to hear the starters helped.  :3-

As far as the belly glass lamp goes, there a couple screws on the inside that will release it. Be careful when you remove the screws the bracket and glass dont fall. That will give you access to the lamps there.
The Fatman

I started dismantling the chrome from this machine to get it re done. It is pretty nasty! Alot of white powder came out of it and some screws are rusted on pretty good

Sounds like this machine was in a casino on the beach with all that corrosion.

Dave

Take a look at this rust

I'm trying to find a door lock side panel. Foxslots only has the other side :/( mine has a chip where someone pryed the old lock off. I'm going to ask this guy who makes old model T parts to see what he charges to fix it if he can.

This is what you need?
They are almost impossible to get, but I have this one.
It is pitted, but the chrome is still bright. Could be re-plated if you wanted it perfect.

PM me for price

It looks like it. Will this one fit a continental? What machine did it come off? Thanks

Looks like Neon has the part you need if it going to fit. Surprised the Barry didnt have one   :103- ... usually has at least 3 of everything.
Dave

No Idea, but are all the same.


Ya, these are rare.

Wow.. I never thought about keeping the side door panels when I've parted out machines.  :25-

Gary

So thats why they are so rare .... everyone threw them out. :30-