Pinball Machine Maintenance

Clean the playfield using the least abrasive cleaning product possible. Use it sparingly to avoid removing the coating or paint from your playfield. Wax it regularly to reduce the effects of wear and tear.

Replace the rubber rings. Refer to your machine's manual to determine the size of rings you need. Disassemble the playfield, replace the rubber rings and reassemble the machine.

Repair the flippers if they have contact with and scratch the playfield. The part that holds the flippers above the board is called a bushing, and often replacing that part will solve the problem. Remove the flipper and replace the bushing. Put the flipper mechanism back together and tighten the bolts. In some cases of flipper malfunction, you may need to rebuild the mechanism using a rebuild kit.

Clean dirty switches on an electro-mechanical machine with a flexstone file or sandpaper. Do not use cleaning solution, as this can cause your switches to malfunction. On a solid state machine, use a non-abrasive cleaner like a business card or a cotton swab with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol.

Replace light bulbs that have gone out with identical bulbs. If you do not have a manual that lists the type of bulbs needed, you may find identifying information at the base of each bulb.

To preserve your backglass, seal it with a clear coat spray. Clean the backglass with a cloth damp with water.

Replace your machine's batteries on a yearly basis. The batteries are usually located behind the back glass, which will have to be removed, in the back box of the machine. This is the only repair that may be done with the machine powered on. Doing it that way will preserve your high scores and settings.

If you suspect that a fuse in the machine has blown, unplug the machine and check the fuses with a voltmeter. The meter will read close to zero if the fuse is not blown. If you must replace a fuse, check the machine to ascertain the correct value of the fuse you need to purchase.