Help me figure it out

[armphoto]

I got this Fed 2 the other day, which as you can see, has a little problem. I got it for $6 knowing full well that it had a problem. The self timer isn't working and this thing is loose inside. The rangefinder isn't working either. It doesn't focus when I turn the lens. I relubed the silver lens (at least I can salveage the lens) but don't know how to fix the camera. Also, the paint on the vulcanite seems worn a bit. The shutter works fine, however. Anyone has any fix ideas, website links, etc?

Thank you all

 

[nhchen]

That loose piece seems to me to look like a piece of shim that is supposed to be under the lens mount to maintain the correct lens to film distance. I don't think taking the top off the camera shouldbe too hard, then you'll be able to figure out what's wrong with the rangefinder mechanism - probably gummed up old grease.

This may be useful to you (from an old post here): http://www.pentax-manuals.com/repairs/fed2service.pdf
regards,
nathan

 

[armphoto]

That loose piece seems to me to look like a piece of shim that is supposed to be under the lens mount to maintain the correct lens to film distance. I don't think taking the top off the camera shouldbe too hard, then you'll be able to figure out what's wrong with the rangefinder mechanism - probably gummed up old grease.

This may be useful to you (from an old post here): http://www.pentax-manuals.com/repairs/fed2service.pdf
regards,
nathan

Hi Nathan,

Thanks a lot for the help.

 

[wolves3012]

What's that loose piece made from, metal or card/paper-type stuff? If it's metal, it's one of the lens-mount retainers that fit inside the body (can't actually remember if a FED 2 has them). If it's card/paper stuff it's a shim that belongs under the lens mount. The problem there is where exactly to position it, the shims space the lens mount to give the correct lens-to-film distance. The shims have to be in the right place and if it's a short piece it's hard to know where it came from exactly. Getting the top off is fairly obvious how to do and not complicated.

 

[armphoto]

What's that loose piece made from, metal or card/paper-type stuff? If it's metal, it's one of the lens-mount retainers that fit inside the body (can't actually remember if a FED 2 has them). If it's card/paper stuff it's a shim that belongs under the lens mount. The problem there is where exactly to position it, the shims space the lens mount to give the correct lens-to-film distance. The shims have to be in the right place and if it's a short piece it's hard to know where it came from exactly. Getting the top off is fairly obvious how to do and not complicated.

Hi, it's a metal piece. The self-timer is out of whack too.

 

[wolves3012]

Hi, it's a metal piece. The self-timer is out of whack too.

Self timers are notorious for not working and on a FED 2 it's a bit of a mission to get at it unless it's just in need of refitting the lever correctly. Unless you really can't, I'd live with it. The curved metal bar belongs on the back of the lens mount, on the inside of the body. Two of the mount screws hold it and there are two bars, usually top & bottom but sometimes left & right. They're a bit fiddly to refit but my technique is this: hold the bar across the throat, inside the body, and insert one screw of the pair. Tighten it until it's just pinched up. Swing the bar into its proper position and use a thin-blade screwdriver to poke through the second hole and align the bar exactly as it should finish up, holes aligned. Then tighten first screw a little more, to hold things in place. Now, the second screw should go in. Don't do the lens mount screws up viciously tight, you'll distort the mount. Oh, and if you remove the mount make a careful note of the paper shims under it; replace them exactly as you found them.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

If you read in Russian, get to rangefinder.ru and they have three books for how to fix camera like this. If you can't read in Russian Google Maizenberg book for camera repairs.
Without at least one of these books nothing and nobody is going to help you with this kind of problems with RF and Selftimer.

 

[armphoto]

If you read in Russian, get to rangefinder.ru and they have three books for how to fix camera like this. If you can't read in Russian Google Maizenberg book for camera repairs.
Without at least one of these books nothing and nobody is going to help you with this kind of problems with RF and Selftimer.

Hi there,

Well, I have been living abroad for more than 25 years, but I was an excellent student of languages, including Russian while in high school in Armenia. Although, my Russian is a bit rusty, I can steal read Russian 😀