I have a 1950's Jennings Star Chief Nickel machine. SN 196876.
Up until a few days ago, the machine was working just fine. I suspect something has jammed up. My grand-daughter pulled the crank on a cherry winner before the coins dropped, and since then, nothing has come down.
It will not pay out any winning combination. I verified that the payout assembly (#MPXX) vertical legs indeed go all the way into various payout combinations on the wheels. The payout tube is full. As far as I could see in the payout tube, there are no twisted coins, all are laying flat. I have also verified that there's no loose coins in the mechanism.
When the machine hits on a winner. I hear a clunk (no matter what the payout), and none of the sliders move. No coins come out. All the playing coins are sent to the house repository. When I look with the machine on it's side, there are no coins stored in the lower payout tube.
Anyone have an idea of where I should start and how? I was thinking of using an ice pick and try to move the sliders.