Jennings chief not paying

[sam2002]

I have Jennings chief that is not paying all the time on the lower payouts . ie. single cherry and 2 cherries . The larger payouts seem to function 3 bells , plums etc will payout . With the mech removed I notice the very bottom slide ,the thin steel one does not slide open as it does with a larger payout . I can manipulate the lowest slide with my fingers and 5 coins will drop out when a 2 cherry payout is forced . Same thing with a single cherry if I manipulate the lower slide it clicks into place and 3 coins drop . Large payouts fine , small payouts sometimes, most times not .
I am figuring a spring issue somewhere ? Anyone ever had this type problem and found the remedy ?

[watlingboy]

Could be a spring but if it was working and then started to pay intermitten, probably not. More likely there is dirt and oil on the slides. You need to take the slides out and clean them in lacquer thinner, lightly steel wool them and then put them back in, no oil. The reason the higher pays are paying correctly is because they have the lower slides traveling with them and much more spring tension. The single cherry pay has only one slide and a small amount of oil will cause a suction and make the slide be sluggish or stick. All the back door instruction sheets on slots clearly say, No oil on slides. This should fix your problem.

Watlingboy

[mechanic]

Check the payout fingers. The vertical fingers should kick over the horizontals for the 3-5 cherry pays. If the horiz fingers do not get kicked over then you have an alignment problem with the vertical finger and may need to bend the vertical finger toward the horiz fingers ever so slightly. If the fingers all function as they should and the payout is still not working it may be due to slide cover being warpped or tightened too tight to the slide posts. Loose the 4 screws a bit and see if it clears the problem. If the loosened cover clears the problem then you may have to add some pin washers to the 4 posts to act as shims.

[SLOT DYNASTY]

One of the biggest problems with any mechanical slot machine not paying correctly at times, other than a weak or broken payout slide spring,
is dirt and oil on the payout slides. Many of the Newbies may not realize this, when they tackle their first rebuilds or restorations. The entire
payout slide assembly should be removed, and cleaned, "Squeekie-Clean", and reinstalled "BONE DRY". Absolutely No oil or grease of any kind.
Additionally, oil and grease should be used sparingly on all other parts that do need it. Reel bundles should be disassembled, axel shaft and
bushings cleaned thoroughly, and a light grade of oil applied to the axle only, during reassembly. Never squirt a lot of oil down between the
reel bundle, toward the axel, as most of the time, it does not get to where it is supposed to, and usually drips down on other areas that do not
need it. A very light machine oil is also required for clock mechanisms. When it comes to all the shafts, levers, etc., that rub one another with
each play, a very light grease should be applied. I use white-lube, or lubraplate, for most all jobs. Heavy automotive greases are not very good
for slot mechs. Most of the greases that were used in the factories, back-in-the-day, were fine at the time, but with age they would become
coagulated, and dry out, therefore the parts would not move freely. In the long run, it always pays to do the job right.

[sam2002]

Well first off ,a Thank you for all the helpful replies .
I finally got some time this evening to take this apart and clean the payout slides . After cleaning they did seem to work a bit better . they were not very dirty a little grit and some grime .
Got to looking at the springs that drive the fingers into the disc . The spring that was for the cherry payouts was very flimsy . I put a tighter spring on and it seems to be doing it's thing !
I will have to order a few sets of decent springs , Dave Bertren seems like a good source .
Next is the jackpot , waiting for some parts to arrive to repair the jackpot .
Again thanks for the pointers .
Sam