Leica M3 "Latch" Issue

[jrose125]

Hello Folks!

The "latch" on my M3 is a little slack and I was wondering if there is an easy fix for the issue. It latches tight but when it's in the close position, it has the tendency to fall slightly out of position. Nothing detrimental to the function obviously, but it is a slight annoyance. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[peterm1]

Are you referring to the exterior "D" ring dropping down from a horizontal into a more vertical position? If so I would simply use a small piece of tape across the bottom to hold it in position as a temporary fix. I imagine it would be annoying though. Alternatively a smaller piece of thick (foam cored) double sided tape under the D ring would also help. Either would need regular replacing as they lose their "stickiness". I no longer have my M3 but on my M8 the D ring is held by a metal rod through the central axle of this latch. To fix this permanently would need disassembly and tightening which could be achieved by careful tapping with a hammer to make the D ring tighter against the axle.

 

[jrose125]

Are you referring to the exterior "D" ring dropping down from a horizontal into a more vertical position? If so I would simply use a small piece of tape across the bottom to hold it in position as a temporary fix. I imagine it would be annoying though. Alternatively a smaller piece of thick (foam cored) double sided tape under the D ring would also help. Either would need regular replacing as they lose their "stickiness". I no longer have my M3 but on my M8 the D ring is held by a metal rod through the central axle of this latch. To fix this permanently would need disassembly and tightening which could be achieved by careful tapping with a hammer to make the D ring tighter against the axle.

Yeah, the D ring is what I'm referring to. I was thinking about the tape option as well but like you said, I could see it being a little annoying. I'm clumsy as hell so I can't see myself disassembling anything to do with my M3 but that might be an option. Any tips on how to do that?

 

[peterm1]

Yeah, the D ring is what I'm referring to. I was thinking about the tape option as well but like you said, I could see it being a little annoying. I'm clumsy as hell so I can't see myself disassembling anything to do with my M3 but that might be an option. Any tips on how to do that?

"Any tips on how to do that?" I will leave that to others - I have not had to do it myself and because my M3 is long gone I have no way of checking to see if its different to my M8 in this department.

 

[rulnacco]

I had that happen once--and it was a fairly easy fix which I figured out myself.

On the inside of the latch, there is a screw right in the center of the plate that rotates and (a) locks the bottom plate on and (b) opens up the old reloadable cassettes. If you remove that screw, beneath the latch plate itself is a sort of washer that acts as a spring--it is flexible, and part of it is bent downward (if I recall correctly) and pushes against the inside of the bottom plate, keeping the D-ring pulled tight against the outside of the plate, ensuring it stays in place when pushed flush against it.

The solution is to exaggerate the bend a bit by giving the flexible washer/spring a little squeeze in the right place, thereby creating a bit more tension when you put everything back together.

I say the solution was simple, but there are a few things to watch out for. It's been so long since I've done it--the fix has held up for several years now--that I can't recall exactly what all they were, but I think that you need to pay a bit of attention to the orientation of the spring washer (you definitely, I think, need to put it back on right-side up, so have a close look when you take it off) and the latch plate, there may be another small washer or two that you have to keep track of (can't recall now), and the little pin that holds the D-ring in place can easily slip out (don't lose it!) and I seem to recall it being a bit of a pain to thread it back in.

But really, assuming you don't drop anything that goes bouncing off to parts unknown, it's less than a 10-minute job.

 

[peterm1]

I had that happen once--and it was a fairly easy fix which I figured out myself.

On the inside of the latch, there is a screw right in the center of the plate that rotates and (a) locks the bottom plate on and (b) opens up the old reloadable cassettes. If you remove that screw, beneath the latch plate itself is a sort of washer that acts as a spring--it is flexible, and part of it is bent downward (if I recall correctly) and pushes against the inside of the bottom plate, keeping the D-ring pulled tight against the outside of the plate, ensuring it stays in place when pushed flush against it.

The solution is to exaggerate the bend a bit by giving the flexible washer/spring a little squeeze in the right place, thereby creating a bit more tension when you put everything back together.

I say the solution was simple, but there are a few things to watch out for. It's been so long since I've done it--the fix has held up for several years now--that I can't recall exactly what all they were, but I think that you need to pay a bit of attention to the orientation of the spring washer (you definitely, I think, need to put it back on right-side up, so have a close look when you take it off) and the latch plate, there may be another small washer or two that you have to keep track of (can't recall now), and the little pin that holds the D-ring in place can easily slip out (don't lose it!) and I seem to recall it being a bit of a pain to thread it back in.

But really, assuming you don't drop anything that goes bouncing off to parts unknown, it's less than a 10-minute job.

That sounds absolutely feasible. On looking at my M8 it also has the internal screw so I guess they have not changed the design.

 

[jrose125]

I had that happen once--and it was a fairly easy fix which I figured out myself.

On the inside of the latch, there is a screw right in the center of the plate that rotates and (a) locks the bottom plate on and (b) opens up the old reloadable cassettes. If you remove that screw, beneath the latch plate itself is a sort of washer that acts as a spring--it is flexible, and part of it is bent downward (if I recall correctly) and pushes against the inside of the bottom plate, keeping the D-ring pulled tight against the outside of the plate, ensuring it stays in place when pushed flush against it.

The solution is to exaggerate the bend a bit by giving the flexible washer/spring a little squeeze in the right place, thereby creating a bit more tension when you put everything back together.

I say the solution was simple, but there are a few things to watch out for. It's been so long since I've done it--the fix has held up for several years now--that I can't recall exactly what all they were, but I think that you need to pay a bit of attention to the orientation of the spring washer (you definitely, I think, need to put it back on right-side up, so have a close look when you take it off) and the latch plate, there may be another small washer or two that you have to keep track of (can't recall now), and the little pin that holds the D-ring in place can easily slip out (don't lose it!) and I seem to recall it being a bit of a pain to thread it back in.

But really, assuming you don't drop anything that goes bouncing off to parts unknown, it's less than a 10-minute job.

I'll have to take a look when I'm done the roll I have in there now. Don't want to waste some precious Fuji Acros 100 🙂

 

[jim_jm]

On the inside of the latch, there is a screw right in the center of the plate that rotates and (a) locks the bottom plate on and (b) opens up the old reloadable cassettes. If you remove that screw, beneath the latch plate itself is a sort of washer that acts as a spring--it is flexible, and part of it is bent downward (if I recall correctly) and pushes against the inside of the bottom plate, keeping the D-ring pulled tight against the outside of the plate, ensuring it stays in place when pushed flush against it.

The solution is to exaggerate the bend a bit by giving the flexible washer/spring a little squeeze in the right place, thereby creating a bit more tension when you put everything back together.

I had the same problem with my M2 latch, and the fix was the same as rulnacco described. Just pay attention to the position of the plate and spring as you disassemble. I just gave a little extra bend to my spring washer, and now the latch stays closed without any problem.

 

[jrose125]

I had the same problem with my M2 latch, and the fix was the same as rulnacco described. Just pay attention to the position of the plate and spring as you disassemble. I just gave a little extra bend to my spring washer, and now the latch stays closed without any problem.

Awesome! It's good to know that it's a fairly easy fix.

Thanks for the insight!

 

[nobbylon]

The problem is the wear in the D ring shaft. Drip loctite purple or blue around it and wiggle a few times to work in then close and let set for 24 hrs. I fixed a few like this.