Help with strange Nikon FE light leak

[bgetty]

Hey folks,

I really, really want to love my Nikon FE. I picked it up from KEH (BGN condition) in early November. It's small, slick, in great condition and can mount my favorite non-AI Nikkors. Problem is, the last two rolls I've put through it are marred by some pretty weird light leaks. The thin leak near the top of the frame/sprocket on one frame kind of trails into the larger splotch which covers the following frame. I want to say that the occurance is random, but on this particular roll I noticed it every 6 or so frames.

After the first roll I replaced the seals, which were still in pretty good shape, with a set from Jon Goodman. To no avail--the leaks remain and appear even worse this time around. Here are some pictures of the leaks as they appear on the negs, and a few of the inside of the camera body just for kicks:

New door seal:

Door hinge:

If anyone has any suggestions as to the source of the problem and how I might go about troubleshooting/fixing it, I'd be grateful. I believe I purchased the camera before KEH's 60-day return policy was enacted, so I doubt I'll be able to return/exchange it. Thanks RFF!

 

[antonandreas]

One of my cameras had a bent hinge and it would not have occurred to me that was the source of the problem. Your back might not be completely closing.

 

[bgetty]

Thanks for the suggestion, Anton. Door closes snugly shut with an audible 'click' and hinge appears straight as an arrow, so I doubt that is the problem.

I've sealed both the door latch and hinge sides with electrical tape to see if this fixes things. May just have to invest in a roll of gaffer tape to keep in my bag...

 

[Landshark]

Did you replace the seal in the mirror box?
It appears the struck area is at the bottom of the camera. And because it's coming from the image area I would look at the top front area of the camera.

Have you tried the "put the camera in the dark & shine a light at the front while you look through the film gate? If you hold the strip of fogged film at the film gate it may give you a hint

 

[nikon_sam]

Not sure what is going on but I do see this...
You have nice clean edges on the frames shown then what would appear as an exposure to light after the images were taken...I'm guessing it's a factory rolled roll of film...
Have you tried a roll of color that a lab developed...???
Was this roll developed by you or a lab...???

 

[bgetty]

Landshark: I did indeed replace the mirror box. I'll double-check to ensure that it has not come loose. Will also need to do the film gate test once I finish the current test roll.

Nikon Sam: This is a roll of factory-rolled Arista Premium that I developed myself. I've not tried a roll of lab-developed color...maybe I should check my changing bag for holes!

I noticed on the underside of the FE's prism a small aperture indicator window. Presumably it shows the aperture you've selected at the top of the viewfinder. As I'm not using an AI or AI'd lens, the window is left wide open--could this be where the light is entering from?

 

[_goodtimez]

I would check the dev tank and other dev stuff. The cam seems good to my eyes. FE's rarely leak.
What you can do it place a 2 inch pièce of film inside the camera (in complete dark of course) and then put the camera under light. Process the film and see what you get.