On a Gottlieb game with the outhole kicker under the playfield, the ball lifts, hits the apron and falls back.

Gottlieb hook-type outhole kicker fails to feed

Cause: The hook-shaped kicker arm is worn or bent to the wrong angle, or its return spring is weak.

Checks

• Watch the hook kick the ball and see where it hits.
• Check the spring on the mechanism.

Fix

• With pliers, tweak the hook a little to either side and retest.
• Tighten or replace a weak spring.
• If still weak on an EM, a bridge rectifier DC conversion on that coil adds kick.

Systems

• Electro-mechanical

Related tips

• Outhole kicker hits hard but the ball rolls back: lower the bracket, shorten the spring
• Ball only rolls halfway up the shooter lane from the outhole
• Gottlieb resets but won't serve the ball: bonus unit not at zero
• Start-up sequence keeps firing the outhole kicker: outhole switch barely closed

Source: Pinball Machine Care & Maintenance, Bernard B. Kamoroff (Bell Springs Pinball Alley)