what are you pressing to make it work again?
if it's a flat metal bar that goes under the hopper to the back of the cabinet, that's the safety delay reset.
the safety delay stuff is designed to detect a runaway payout and turn off the hopper. Runaway payout is when coins are ejecting but the payout counter is not stepping up.
when the payout counter steps the wipers far enough to rotate off the active pay trace, the payout stops. A non-stepping payout counter on a game with no safety delay circuit will empty the hopper.
problems with the safety delay could be a bad capacitor, diode, a switch on the payout counter ratchet (white gear), switches on the delay relay, the delay relay itself or plug connections.
if you are poking something on the hopper itself, take a picture with a pen or something pointing at what you are pushing.