I can't seem to figure out how to remove the film advance lever in order to lift the top cover completely. i found no help in the exploded diagrams i found on the net. also if anyone has any advice on the main problem, here it is. the advance lever's stuck....that's basically it. you can fold it in and it clicks when it gets to the "home" position, but when you fold it out it stops about halfway. hitting the shutter button does nothing. i can't figure how it happened, i just removed a psent roll and went to put another one in and it wouldn't cock. anyway, thanks for any help you may have.

By Vincent Fairbrother on Saturday, October 12, 2002 - 09:09 pm:

Dear Matt, I am cutting and pasting this from another forum where I posted it back in June. I hope it applies to your situation. Good Luck!!! Vincent

Sounds like you have an M series camera where the mirror
box got cocked(charged) but the shutter did not. In most SLR cameras,
the mirror mechanism releases the shutter mechanism as the mirror
reaches the up position, and then the shutter on completion of
releasing, releases the mirror mechanism so it can return to the
viewing position. If you remove the bottom cover, just 2 or 3 screws,
after removing the battery cover and batteries. Be careful, as the
rewind button could fall off, asd it is just a plastic button on a
shaft. Around the motor wind key, there is a black plastic disk.
Remove this by carefully manipulating the lever that fits into its
slot. Be gentle as you don't want to damage either. Towards the rear
of the camera by the motor key, are two levers on top of eachother
that should be against the disk beneath the motor key, one is shiny,
the lower one is black. With a fine probe or pick, carefully pull
them towards the back of the camera away from the disk, and at the
same moment advance the cocking lever on the top of the camera to the
end, and release it. The camera will then release and return its
timing to normal operations. Reassemble the camera and take some
great pics.