Help Needed > Yashica GSN Not Working

[pradeep1]

I want to second the notion of cleaning the shutter with lighter fluid. It's not that difficult and very satisfying when you get the shutter working.

By the way, the Yashica clunk is caused by a rod that catches on a pawl after you depress the shutter button. When you cock the camera, the rod "clunks" as it is knocked off by the shutter advance mechanism. You can see this work if you take the bottom off the camera.

Without the pad, the rod does not move far enough to catch on the pawl.

I hear the "clunk" when I use the wind lever. I hear a "tick, tuck" when I press the shutter release. Don't you love these sounds.

 

[pshinkaw]

Agreed. If it goes "clunk" when you advance the wind lever, the Pad of Death is probably OK.

If you can't get any satisfaction from the Seller, you may want to invest in some Ronsonol, and perhaps some electrical contact cleaner.

-Paul

 

[pradeep1]

Agreed. If it goes "clunk" when you advance the wind lever, the Pad of Death is probably OK.

If you can't get any satisfaction from the Seller, you may want to invest in some Ronsonol, and perhaps some electrical contact cleaner.

-Paul

Good idea. Will do. I wouldn't mind fixing this camera and having it usable, but this Ronsonol rinse seems to be a complicated matter, and I am not confident of how to do it properly.

 

[pradeep1]

I now need to get another GSN. And then I can do an in depth repair article.
I'll even do the "pad of death".

I might send you mine if things don't work out to do a post mortem.

 

[fotofanatic]

Rob, you saved me time and money and made me smile. I bought a mint gsn on ebay - I mean this thing looks like it was made yesterday - the clunk was happening, etc. I bought the battery adapter from yashica guy - and unless you noted that the battery test can work with the battery in backwards - i would have this thing completely apart checking the pad or circuits. I just would not have troubleshot the battery since the test worked. THANK YOU!!!! the battery was in backwards. why the test worked is beyond me.

 

[btgc]

Uh oh, those Electros we love

If shutter doesn't open, POD isn't issue - Brian gave good advice on cleaning blades (though there can be something else wrong with shutter). In case of "no repairs myself" Mark Hama comes to mind, and Russ from this forum, too (though I don't know how much he charges to tell if he is economical alternative).

Just to note - presence of "clunk" is not guarantee of healthy POD. I have seen messy remains of POD giving "clunk". I'm not to convince anyone, though.

 

[ka1axy]

I, too, recently purchased a Yashica Electro 35 GSN off "the bay". It arrived with nice clear glass, but the shutter did not release. The "Yashica thunk" was there, and I could feel the shutter trying to release when I held the lens barrel, but the blades did not move. I removed the lens, and applied Ronsonol to the blades, hoping they were stuck, but no joy. After examining photos online, I noticed that the self-timer on my camera was stuck in the fully-cocked position. Perhaps, I thought to myself, this is what is keeping the shutter from releasing. After loosening the lens barrel and swinging it aside, so I could get a view of the shutter mechanism, I poked and prodded the self-timer escapement, but was unable to get it to activate. After further inspection, I discovered the self-timer pawl that prevents the shutter from activating. When this was swung clear, the shutter worked! After reading the Yashica Electro 35 service manual, I discovered that the entire self-timer system can be removed by taking out a single screw. It is an independent subsystem, and removing it has no ill effects on the rest of the shutter mechanism (quite the opposite, in fact!). I can now work on it, outside the camera, at my leisure. I may choose to repair it, but I don't plan on using it, and the consensus appears to be that the self timers are a weak link, so I'll probably leave it out.

Hopefully, my experience will help someone else to get a jammed Electro 35 working again!