How broken is my M6?

[Botswana Boogy]

I purchesed a used M6 two weeks ago and all was fine with the first couple rolls of film. About 1 week ago i was in the middle of a roll when I took a shot and tried to advance the film but the lever was stuck. The only way to alievate the problem was to rewind about a frame and fire off two or three frames with my hand over the lens as to not double expose any previous exposures.

Now,the problem has become chronic. I can only shoot 5-6 frames and then im stuck again. To make matters more weird and confusing, the problem only happens when there is film in the camera.

I took it to a friend who also owns an M6 and he noticed right away that my film advance lever was tighter than his. At first i thought i was loading the film incorrectly but that is not the case as he loaded my last roll of film and the same thing happened. I dont want to force the lever because i am afraid of stripping the gears. All i know is something is clearly wrong with the winder/clutch mechanism but i just dont know what exactly.

Has anyone had this type of problem before, would a basic CLA help solve this? or is a much deeper degree of investigation needed?

thanks for your time.
-The Ubiquitous Botswana Boogy Jr.

 

[FrankS]

I'd send it in for a cla with a description of that specific issue so they can check it out.

 

[FrankS]

If you've only had the camera for 2 weeks, perhaps you could contact the seller and tell him about the issue. Was the camera described and sold as "functioning perfectly"?

 

[Paulbe]

BB jr--I had that happen on an M6 too--make SURE there are no film chips anywhere in the camera. Open it up best as you can and examine it closely. Judicious use of canned air, a sqeeze type blower and a brush will work wonders. Be careful of the shutter curtains. The chips may be in the gears or in the film channel. I was lucky and when the chips were gone--it worked perfectly and has to this day. If you can't see any chips--best to send in for a CLA. Leica, Sherry and DAG are all excellent. Good luck! It really is a great camera.
Paul

 

[Ronald M]

Never use canned air inside a camera as you blow debris into the shutter tracks. Never pull a last frame that will not go or the film sprocket hole may tear and create a chip.

If you see torn film, clean the camera before it gets where it does not belong.

That 37 or 38 frame is NOT worth it.

 

[Botswana Boogy]

hmmmm i hope i can get to the bottom of this problem with a little bit of canned air. I will try it and see what the problem is. Everything else seems to be working properly. The camera has a warranty but i just dont want to be without it for a month.

i will try the canned air techinque in the morning as i do not have any air here at the moment.

god i hope i dont have to sent it in.

 

[Ben Z]

One reason I bought both my used M6 bodies from KEH was even after 2 weeks there was repair-or-replace warranty up to 60 days. Usually they have more than one of them in stock and could do a swap rather than make you wait for repairs.

If you do have to send it in, the good news is that DAG is a great guy and your M6 will come back like new mechanically. If you can deal with the seller to co-op on the cost of the overhaul, that would be something to pursue.