Are all the scores reels reading zero ?

Sounds like they are as the score motor stops. Does the ball kick out and the "ball in play" light is set at "1" ?

I would start by looking at the jones plugs on the game. These are the connectors between the head, playfield and body. Look for loose connectors or broken wires. Clean the male pins with a wire brush and then check again. Also check the fuse clips that they have tension.

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, all the score reels are reading zero.

There are credits on the stepper, but when I hit the start button, nothing at all happens. I just manually pressed the game over relay and was able to have a game. There's no sounds/chimes in the machine at all, but I was able to hit the ball around, drop targets dropped and reset, all the holes kicked out the ball and the slingshots worked. When the ball drained, nothing registered though. It wouldn't kick the ball out, but was able to flick the ball out with my finger. I turned the machine off and on and the 'Game Over' light was on again.

I have reseated random jones plugs in the head and inside the cabinet, but haven't cleaned them as yet. After around 5 years of pinball tinkering, today was the first time I got a zap out of a machine (game was turned off). Only felt it in my hand, but enough to jolt me back into reality and not become complacent with these machines.

I've gone all over the machine and tugged on wires, but will check again. Will also check the fuse clips again. Even though all the lights are on and the machine seems to be semi operational, could there still be a fuse issue?

When the machine arrived in my garage, it seemed like a nightmare. Now that I've started reading up on the operation and things are working (somewhat), it now makes a little more sense. Hats off to the guys that have big collections of these machines. I wanted a Captain Fantastic in my own collection one day, but will see how I go with Hot Tip first.

Cheers!
Adam.