Mamiya 6 - shutter release won't fire, film advance won't stop

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[FONT=verdana,sans-serif]Hi. Please take a look at the problem I'm having with my Mamiya 6 and let me know if you think you can help me out. I'm in a bad spot and really need to figure this out as quickly as possible...


This is the description of the problem:

[/FONT]I loaded a roll of 120 film in the camera, shut the back and started winding the film-advance lever. The film did not stop as it normally does when it reaches frame number 1. Also, the shutter release button will not fire. I can just keep winding until the whole roll winds over to the other side without clicking the shutter release button (which doesn't work).

Things I've noticed:

1. When I press on the shutter release button, it will not click and I see the red warning LED light up in the top-right corner of the viewfinder.
2. When the back of the camera is open - the shutter release button will fire normally. I can see the shutter open and close at the set speed. So the shutter mechanism seems to be fine. Only when the back is shut (regardless if there is film in the camera or not) it will not fire.
3. When winding the film in the camera with the film-advance lever, the frame counter advances as it normally does, but as mentioned, it does not stop at frame one and it does not require the shutter to be released to keep winding.
4. According to the manual the shutter release button will fail to fire and the red warning LED in the viewfinder lights up in the following cases:
   • when lens mount is retracted
   • when light-shield curtain is closed
   • when film is not loaded (or not loaded properly)
   • when shutter is not cocked

Things I've tried:

1. I retracted the lens and extracted it again, confirming that it is fully extracted.
2. I closed the light-shield curtain and re-opened it to confirm that it is properly open.
3. I removed the lens and wiped the gold connectors with a clean cloth (both on lens and body).
4. I tried 2 other rolls of film, all had same results.

Since the shutter release DOES fire normally with the back open I tried some tests to possibly narrow down the problem:

1. With back of camera open, and lens mount retracted - shutter release button will NOT fire (which may indicate that camera knows when lens mount is retracted or in extracted position).
2. With back of camera open, and light-shield curtain closed - shutter release button will NOT fire (which may indicate that camera knows when curtain is open or shut).
3. With back open, I used a pencil tip to press the small pushable pin located in the crease where the camera back snaps into when closed. I believe this pin lets the camera know if the back is shut or not. So I basically tricked the camera in thinking that the back is shut - and the shutter release would not fire. This indicates to me that I assume it is not a matter of the camera not registering that the back is not completely closed.

I spoke to Manfred Mueller from ICT Camera on the phone today and described the problem to him. He was very kind and patient and mentioned that he's run into several of these Mamiya 6 models with shutter release problems or problems related to both shutter release and the film-advance mechanism. But he never had such a case as mine where the shutter release button will not fire (as if the camera doesn't recognize there's film in it), yet the film frame counter advances (which happens only when THERE IS film in the camera). So he did not have any ideas for me and also told me that My best bet would be to take the camera to Mamiya.

So I called MAC Group in Elmsford, but they would not let me speak to a technician on the phone (their policy I guess). My only option is to bring in the camera and wait 7-10 business days for the lab check outcome.

Normally, I wouldn't think twice and give them the camera. But currently I'm in the middle of an international photography residency in NYC, with an exhibition coming up...

and I'm lost without my favorite camera...

If anyone has ever run into this kind of problem, or has any idea as to what I might try to troubleshoot it and possibly save myself the trip to MAC Group and the wait for their diagnosis and/or repair - it would really save my life here.

Thanks! and sorry for the long post...