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Jim Warner
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 25, 2005 - 09:09 pm: | 
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I’ve got an ME Super that has served me well for over 25 years. The shutter and mirror are stuck in some way that is preventing the camera from being wound. I’m guessing that after my last shot, the shutter didn’t complete its cycle properly. The mirror is up and it appears that only the first part of the shutter curtain is closed. The little red dot is visible through the top of the camera near the winding lever, indicating that the camera at least thinks it is cocked and ready to take a picture. The winding lever moves freely for about half its normal travel and then stops hard.
I’ve read through the various postings here as well as read the “Pentax ME Super Ramblings” on this site. I’ve removed the bottom cover and gently tried to free the shutter to no avail. I’ve tried various things while the mirror is up as well as when I hold the mirror down. For perhaps a year or two before the lockup occurred, I noticed the “slow mirror” syndrome that several other people have mentioned. Any ideas on how to free things? Does it need the mirror box removal/cleaning? Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
Best regards,
Jim Warner |
Jim Warner
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2005 - 08:14 am: |
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Here is an interesting update. This morning when I turned the camera over (the bottom cover is still removed) a small black screw fell out! I haven't been able to see where it might have come from yet. I'm guessing that Pentax didn't just leave an extra in there for me! |
Stuart Willis
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 10:34 pm: |
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Our learned Ed of this Forum is quite an expert on ME Supers. He might have something to say about my contribution here.
The "mirror-down" portion of the domino sequence is activated by an arm on the side of the shutter mechanism. On the mirror-box the relevant lever is in fact a slider which also activates the shutter latching in response to Film Advance Lever transport and shutter-cocking.
The pivot of the latter is bushed with one of four rubber buffers on the ME Super. Given the age of the model I can almost guarantee that such buffer washer is now black sticky gunk.
Also -Pentax lubricated that slider with white lithium grease which after 30 or 40 years becomes so stiff and sticky that the slider "wont".
Result - no mirror return and unreliable shutter cocking.
The buffer washers can be replaced by procuring model aircraft glowplug silicone fuel tubing and cutting off 2mm slices to make new buffers.
But the address of both issues is a "mirror-box out" job - which is by no means a simplistic undertaking. Unless you are prepared to sacrifice the camera in a possible learning curve it might be a good idea to commit it to someone who is experienced with the model.
Hope this helps
Stuart Willis |
