Olympus 35 RC - shutter won't fire

[anders.g]

Ran in to this problem when i was loading a new roll of film.

I was advancing the new roll and depressing the shutter release. Suddenly the shutter didn't fire when i pressed the shutter release.

- The advance lever won't move any further.
- The shutter release can be depressed completely. But the shutter fails to fire.
- The self-timer works and the aperture blades open according to the f-stop selected but as mentioned above the camera fails to fire.

I'm planning on taking it apart completely as I found a couple of resources that shows the process. But if anyone knows more or less where the problem lies, it would be very helpful.

Thanks

 

[mconnealy]

If you have it set for Automatic exposure and the meter is not working the needle swings all the way to the end and the shutter does not fire. Set the f-stop and the speed manually, advance to cock the shutter, and then see if the shutter works. Could be something else happening, but that is the first step I would try to narrow down the problem.

 

[anders.g]

If you have it set for Automatic exposure and the meter is not working the needle swings all the way to the end and the shutter does not fire. Set the f-stop and the speed manually, advance to cock the shutter, and then see if the shutter works. Could be something else happening, but that is the first step I would try to narrow down the problem.

Thanks Mike. Unfortunately that doesn't work either. The advance is stuck in the position of having the shutter cocked. And it won't move any further. I've tried playing around with different aperture settings. But the result is the same. The shutter release depresses all the way when aperture and speed are good, but the shutter does not fire.

 

[charjohncarter]

Have you removed the film and manually rotated the take up spool? The sprocket gear is a single (not two as most cameras), it is easy to have the film jump out of the gear; check that too and rotate forward.

 

[anders.g]

Have you removed the film and manually rotated the take up spool? The sprocket gear is a single (not two as most cameras), it is easy to have the film jump out of the gear; check that too and rotate forward.

The roll is out. But I get no feedback from the camera by manually rotating the spool. Meaning it doesn't change anything.

It feels like there's some connection missing. The advance lever won't move and the shutter won't fire. I'm thinking that either something is stuck or something has jumped out of place inside.

 

[charjohncarter]

Sorry, I'll remember to never hold the shutter button down while advancing the film (it sounded like that in your post). Sometimes a simple removal of the bottom plate will show something. I really like my 35RC but it has been one thing after another so I'm afraid to take it on vacation.

 

[farlymac]

One thing you can try, Anders, is to put a release cable on the shutter button, and see if that will trip it.


PF

 

[charjohncarter]

One thing you can try, Anders, is to put a release cable on the shutter button, and see if that will trip it.


PF

Excellent idea.

 

[anders.g]

One thing you can try, Anders, is to put a release cable on the shutter button, and see if that will trip it.

Unfortunately didn't help.

 

[anders.g]

Spent the morning disassembling the camera. Used this guide to help me.

When I had the camera in parts the advance mechanism was working, the self-timer working etc. But again i couldn't get the aperture to fire.

It's back together now but it's still not working as it should.

I might give it another go some other day when I have more time on my hands.

 

[farlymac]

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of, or notes during the repairs I did to my first one. I think it worked okay, but had some dings to work out, and a loose viewfinder window.

Looking at the photos from the Kiev Survival site jogged my thinking of what the problem is. It's somewhere in the path of the shutter release shaft, and may be something is bent, or a return spring has broken. I don't know how far you've gone with the tear down, but you may have to go a bit further to see where the blockage is. At least take the left front panel off so you can see all the levers and springs for the shutter release, then work your way through the progression until you find what is holding back the release shaft.

Operational note: If the aperture setting ring is at OFF, it blocks the shutter release.

PF

 

[anders.g]

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of, or notes during the repairs I did to my first one. I think it worked okay, but had some dings to work out, and a loose viewfinder window.

Looking at the photos from the Kiev Survival site jogged my thinking of what the problem is. It's somewhere in the path of the shutter release shaft, and may be something is bent, or a return spring has broken. I don't know how far you've gone with the tear down, but you may have to go a bit further to see where the blockage is. At least take the left front panel off so you can see all the levers and springs for the shutter release, then work your way through the progression until you find what is holding back the release shaft.

Operational note: If the aperture setting ring is at OFF, it blocks the shutter release.
PF

It was in bits and pieces.. But I actually had the aperture ring in the OFF position when I disassembled it. That was probably a stupid decision. I will have to do it all over again soon.

 

[Perry_B]

Here is another site that you might find useful for tackling the 35RC:
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-134.html

 

[anders.g]

Here is another site that you might find useful for tackling the 35RC:
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-134.html

Thank you!