Salvaging a Minolta MC II 58 1.4

[Ste_S]

I have a Minolta MC II 58 1.4 that has had some issues. Initially the aperture blades wouldn't stop down at all and I've managed to sort that by getting some lighter fluid in there and working them back and forth. The blades are now nice and snappy.

Now the focusing has failed. It was always a bit 'gritty', and now turning the focus ring doesn't move the lens at all. What's happened here?

 

[xayraa33]

I have a Minolta MC II 58 1.4 that has had some issues. Initially the aperture blades wouldn't stop down at all and I've managed to sort that by getting some lighter fluid in there and working them back and forth. The blades are now nice and snappy.

Now the focusing has failed. It was always a bit 'gritty', and now turning the focus ring doesn't move the lens at all. What's happened here?

Barring any loose screw jamming the focus action...The lighter fluid could have migrated to the focus helical and loosened chunked grease and lacquer that has re-hardened in the wrong place and that could be holding up your focus movement.

Try a bit of lighter fluid on the focus helical to see if you can move it.

Only proper dis-assembly and cleaning and greasing with the proper no flow no melt grease and and accurate reassembly will fix that lens....anything less is asking for trouble.

 

[dcshooter]

Know this thread is over a month old, but adding my 2 cents for anyone else looking at this in the future:


It sounds like what has happened is the screws holding the outer focus ring tight to the helical have worked their way loose, and now the focus ring is just spinning freely. If the helical was tight/gritty before, this could be as a result of the greater-than-normal pressure needed to turn it.


To access these screws, you need to remove the front name ring using a rubber tool, and then remove the screws securing the front barrel. Once you've pulled the barrel, you'll be able to see the screws I am talking about. Depending on the variant, they will either be through a single large washer or have small individual washers, and the screws will be either flat heads or JIS cross-types. Tighten them down first and see if the helical moves well. If not, you'll want to do a full relube. You'll also have to set infinity at this point.



Here's a video on youtube showing the full relube procedure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxQhmQ_NHhM


At about 11:00 you can see the screws attaching the focus ring to the helical. You don't have to pull out the lens cells/inner barrel like this guy does to adjust them, but you will if you want to a full relube.