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Brian
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2005 - 11:59 am: | 
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How do you fix the squeek in the Canon AE-1/A1? |
Jan Dvorak
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2005 - 12:31 pm: |
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Brian,
do a search in the Archives by typing "Canon Shutter Squeak" and you shall find.
All the best,
Jan |
Harlee
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2005 - 07:11 pm: |
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Brian,
You can lube the gears that cause the squeek through the bottom of the camera in less than 10 minutes. Actually, if you've done any repair work on cameras previously, you can probably do it in 5 minutes. I lubed my AE1P in about 5 minutes through the bottom of the camera. Most techs will tell you you will have to remove the top cover - you don't have to do that. Removing the bottom plate will give you access to the shutter gears. Harlee |
Gary Janchik
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2005 - 08:51 am: |
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"Removing the bottom plate will give you access to the shutter gears. Harlee"
Actually, they are not shutter gears Harlee. One squeek is from the mirror dampening flywheel assy. best accessed from one of the lens mount screw holes and the second squeek is from the wind spool. The mirror squeek occours worst during slow exposures and spool squeek happens in winding.
Gary |
Brian
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2005 - 10:21 am: |
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The noise is from the mirror dampening flywheel. It also affects the mirror speed.
Can I get to this from the bottom with a syringe?
I'm fairly adept at camera repair but know that most of the time the entire shutter crate has to be removed for this repair and I really don't want to do that. |
Harlee
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2005 - 11:40 am: |
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Remove the bottom plate; placing the camera on its top with the lens facing away from you. On the left side of the mirror cage, slip a syringe all the way down right up against the front of the camera,and place a drop or two of light oil, trip the shutter once or twice and if you hit the correct gear [or mirror dampening flywheel, whichever the case may be], the squeek will stop immediately. Perhaps I didn't use the correct terminology, but it works!!! I'm glad my Canon didn't know the difference. I made up my own lube with a little bit of Slick 50 and a little bit of lighter fluid - works like a charm. Have used the AE1-P over a year now since lubing it, and the squeek hasn't returned - but go easy on the oil. I got the oiling technique off of a UK website. I have a A-1 that will get the same treatment ASAP. |
Brian
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 07, 2005 - 02:00 pm: |
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Harlee, Followed your instructions but used light machine oil and lighter fluid (about 70/30) and La Wala, it works. Thanks all. |
Brian
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 07, 2005 - 02:43 pm: |
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Oops. I mean "Voila", it works. My French is very very poor. |
John Nunn
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 08, 2005 - 07:50 am: |
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Thanks Harlee. I have just cured an old A1 of the dreaded squeak, I used a syringe from an ink cartridge refil kit to reach inside, I may have used the wrong liquid, (wd40) but it cured the problem after about 15 times operating the shutter, I put two or three drops in total. John. |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 08, 2005 - 09:42 am: |
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WD40 works well and lasts,(250 full casettes over 15 months)however I would be very worried that it took 15 operations of the shutter to work.The bearing that needs lubricating is the one nearest top of camera,if you go in through the bottom it is fartherest away.The other gears in the train are nylon/delrin and do not need lub.Yes going in from bottom works but you risk contaminating the blinds as lub can fly all over the place.From the top or via the nearest mount screw needs just one drop and a max 2 operations of shutter.A series tops are easy to remove,especially the A1 and doing this job by removing the top is important for other reasons.THe A1 is not well sealed no matter what Canon said in their tech blurb.Top removal will allow you to properly clean the rear of prism and viewfinder,remove dirt from ASA dial and clean and lub the top end of the wind mech.Canon in their normal cost cutting started to replace the all metal mechanism with more and more plastic parts.These seem to wear more and produce gritty wind on.A clean and lub works wonders.All my A1's are under 300,000 serial nos or have been rebuilt using early metal parts.In early ones the pc socket is connected via a form of mechanical connector,so the top lifts right off.In later ones the connection is via a length of wire lead. Very inconvenient. Still each to his own,as others have said use the method which is best for you.I end with following thought;I still use my Father's Leicas(no surprise there!)but I would like to think that my son will use not only the Leicas but my Canon collection as well. |
John Nunn
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 08, 2005 - 12:10 pm: |
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Thanks for your input Glenn. Very much appreciated. I have no idea how to take the top off an A1 and it looks as though if you do, there will be a can of worms underneath. Until now, I have considered this aspect a no no.But I am considering the removal of the top to get it into the best condition I can.The serial # of the one I have got is 2282786.I have quite a few more things to do to it to get it to where I want it to be. Regards, John. |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 08, 2005 - 03:55 pm: |
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John, a few pointers to help.Set the switch under the battery test button so that WHITE DOT is visible.Unscrew rewind knob.Do not push shaft into camera,door catch a devil to open.Best to remove door and protect blinds with card.Unscrew shutter button using rubber bung,piece of rubber glove or flexiclamp.On removing button and switch lever + any shims, turn camera upside down and shake out switch operating rod.Set ASA to 400 and comp to Zero.Line up the set ASA with the strap lug.Remove circlip and any shim washer and lift off dial.Do not alter dial when it is off camera. To replace just line up set ASAwith lug and dial should drop into place.Remove little plastic cap in center of viewfinder shutter lever with fine needle.Remove lever screw and lever.Remove screw in the sliding aperture/shutter speed guard.Very carefully lift the assembly off camera.TAKE CARE there is a small indent ball under the slider.Normally the small amount of grease present keeps ball in place.Remove ball.You may find it easier to also remove the 2 screws that hold the ball location plate and the small plastic filler piece.These are revealed under the removed guard.Remove the lever wind retaining screw,lever, cam plate,wave washer and plastic shim/wear washers.(an easy way to make peg spanners is to place 1mm drill shanks in the holes, after first covering the face with tape and then push a cylinder of epoxy putty down over the flutes onto the tape.Let set and presto,custom spanner)Remove the circlip,shims and switch levers.Remove the lens mount cover screws and lift cover straight off.Now you can remove all the top cover screws,the front cover hides 2.Lift the cover carefully off.TAKE CARE your model has the sync socket connected by approx 60mm of wire.Also do not pull if the red LED appears stuck,sometimes when the tiny bezel comes loose a careless repair is made and adhesive bonds the LED to bezel.Put drop of naptha on joint and gently push the LED whilst holding the top.This will break bond.Eyepiece can be cleaned by removing the 2 screws and then removing the frame.The eyepiece shutter and bracket will remain attached to body by wires,but rear of prism can be cleaned easily.Also clean and relub all the mating surfaces of the removed winding mech.Blow out all dirt from the wind mech that is still attached to body, as yours has substitute plastic parts.Hope this is of help,it really reads more complicated than it is.Glenn |
John Nunn
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 11:34 am: |
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Thank You very much for your knowledge and help Glen. I will definitely renovate this A1, because I think it is one of the nicest cameras ever made. Regards, John. |
Ken Thomas
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 10, 2005 - 09:26 am: |
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I would never use WD-40. Just put a little on a plate and let it sit there for a month or so. It will dry to a brownish residue. WD-40 is ment to be a water displacement liquid. Works well on newly machined surfaces and prevents rust. |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 10, 2005 - 08:18 pm: |
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Having done extensive research into the use of WD40 in a safety critical environment a number of years ago,I am personally quite happy to use the oil decanted off a chilled quantity of the product.I use a single 2mm sized drop for certain applications.However I would be quite happy to use it anywhere that specified oil lubrication if I had nothing else.Working on principle that some oil is better than non at all,but you have to know your product and the equipment you are servicing/repairing.By comparison to my wristwatch, the cameras that I have used it on are very crudely constructed in terms of gear clearances etc.But as we say it is a free world,each to his own and all the better for that to. |
