by Dave » Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:58 pm
I have never messed with Aristocrat mechanisms but a Mills mechanism typically has a vertical lever that hits the back of the 3 payout discs (back being the side closest to the back door) which will prevent them from spinning backwards during the windup cycle which allows the reel kicker to get a good grab on the discs during the kick cycle of the mechanism.
If that is not the problem you need to look at all the physical connections between the reel bundle and the kicker and make sure all the strong springs are attached.