because they were too lazy to fix the real problem which may have occurred on a electronic board located probably in the headbox.
some people/operators who sited machines, turned off some mechanical items to save on proper maintainence.
also, this type of hack, would also cause low scores, rarely a free game and just plain stupidity on behalf of the dodgy operator.
when u have a serious issue like u currently have, u really need to take the machine and leave it with a professional who really knows his stuff with electronics/on a pinny. Its easy to rejoin the wires, but you might blow parts of a board, or it may just highlight the blown part of the board that already exists.
you need to test the motor on the item that has been separated by the cut wires independently, u need to see what part of the board runs that motor independently and so on.
I am lucky, cause I reckon I have the worlds best pinball tech who is a good mate only ten minutes away, but when u are in Melbourne, u need to ask someone like Nino, who he thinks is best to sort this problem out before u reconnect and cause more smoke/fire/god knows what extra problems.
You can always isolate the board via your manual that controls that motor, and send the board to someone like Beaky(Andy) who can check the board on a test rig and then put the board into a machine for real testing.
someone local really needs to spend a few hours with the machine who is experienced. will be well worth it in the end.
replace all fuses, check all boards etc etc etc. the safety list goes on and on...
