Pull handle won't lock

[hornetgod13]

I've found another homeless IGT S+ in need of some TLC. Swapping out the main battery and running a clear chip has it running well. Also had to adjust the knife and fix the old hopper optic mechanism. The only thing that needs attention is, the pull handle does not lock in the up position and there is no reel stop sound from the handle solenoid. Is it common for these solenoids to go bad or could there be another easier solution to the problem? The handle still functions as it should to spin the reels once credits are added. it just doesn't lock in the up position at the end of a spin.

[Amechanic]

I have heard and seen bad solenoids for those handles. It could be as simple as Just needing some stray lube to free it up. You could remove reels two and three to get a better view of what’s wrong. You could also use your phones camera to find the problem. Snap a couple pics of the handle, then look them over.

[hornetgod13]

A good search of old forum topics led me several good theories. Broken spring, lack of lubrication, loose/disconnected spade connector. I think it might be mechanical. The handle doesn't appear to be going all the way up to the stowed/home position and is stopping just short. I wonder if the locking portion was forced bent, or broken. I thought if the solenoid was bad/dead the handle would stay in the locked position. With power on or off the handle is free to move. It does ratchet on the way down and spring back up when at the end of the stroke. However, the lack of a reel stop sound and no click when a coin is dropped makes me think the solenoid is dead or disconnected. Perhaps there is a switch in the mechanism that is not showing the handle all the way up thus, not energizing the solenoid.
I'll look it over good when I get a chance. I hope its something easy. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. Is there an Input test on the S+ pull handle/solenoid?

[hornetgod13]

I removed what was left of the old (since deleted) bill validator shelf to gain better access to the pull handle mechanism. I snapped a few cell phone pictures to see if I could identify what might be wrong. I quickly discovered that the solenoid is electrically disconnected (no wires connected and wire pigtail is missing). The entire solenoid mechanism is zip tied together to disengage the locking feature on the handle (see picture). The springs appear to be intact. Is this a sign of a bad solenoid? If the solenoid is bad why didn't the previous owner just remove it? Is zip tying it the cheapest (laziest) way to override a locked pull handle? I want to fix it. Looks like I need a working handle solenoid and wire pig tail.

[hornetgod13]

I had forgotten to mention in the earlier post, that I checked range of motion in the handle as compared to another S+ I own and the handle is stowing correctly. Its range of motion up and down match the other machine.
I found a working handle solenoid with pigtail on feebay for $21.25 delivered. I had read in a couple other threads that a S2000 solenoid will work in an S+. I hope this fixes it. I will post the results. Wish me luck.

[Amechanic]

It’s possible that coil is still good. Did you Ohm it out with a multi meter? The previous owner might not have liked the constant click, click, click of the solenoid firing as the reels stopped, and they disconnected the wires? Did you dig around to look for the other end of wire needed?

[hornetgod13]

I did not read out the solenoid. It is missing the black connector to female spade connector pigtail. I will cut the zip tie and install the new wire pig tail first before swapping the whole solenoid assembly.

[Amechanic]

You might want to remove that zip tie and look for the other plug. I would almost bet it’s still hooked to the coil.

[hornetgod13]

The male spades on the solenoid have no wires connected. The other end of the wire harness has a black two wire connector that is missing the solenoid wire pigtail. I could fashion spliced wires but I don't want to hack up the original wiring.

[Amechanic]

I couldn’t see the solenoid connections in the pin.

[hornetgod13]

So the replacement handle release solenoid arrived today. I slaved in the replacement pigtail, cut the zip tie and tested the original solenoid. Deader than Boy George's music career. Went ahead and swapped the entire solenoid assembly and it now works great! Locks handle when not in use. Unlocks handle when credit is added and it now has reel stop noise. I would say this topic is solved and I labeled the topic as such. Thanks to those that helped.

[Amechanic]

Good job and thanks for the update.