stuck shutter, curtain film advance lever an easy fix?!

[ed1234]

Have own a CL for 5 months, I had the shutter and curtain and advance stuck twice, first time it was fixed by a local camera man at no cost.
For the 2nd time, I felt bad about taking it back so I took it apart. Both happened when I pressed the shutter release when the camera is neither laying flat in it's back or it is up side down, when I was putting or replacing the battery.
It is actually an easy fix if you are a DIY type of guy, with the top plate and the front plate off, u can study how the bottom of the shutter release pin that move a few things to move the meter arm and releases the curtains.
For my case, I found out the shutter release pin came out of it position, so after fitting it back, manually wind both curtains up, using a flat head screwdriver to move the both gears( not the gear that is on the curtain roller as that will only move the first curtain) on the top, manually and carefully move the meter arm out and push the meter arm locking mechanism back to lock it.
Then press the shutter release again, and things are back to normal, the film advance is able to wind and pull the curtains back up and swing the meter arm out.

Tried a few more times with the camera up side down, it locks up again.

My guess is due to its old age, there are free play within the shutter mechanism that will make the pin come out of place to create the lockup.

 

[PentHassyKon]

Any chance you can share pictures to make it "clearer" for us?
I'm also curious if folks can point out the meter contact mechanism on the advance lever.

 

[ed1234]

Sure give me a few days, I need to borrow a digital camera that can take close up. Phone camera will not work and I don't have a digital camera anymore. Get you a pic of the meter contact as well.

 

[ed1234]

OK, this is the first 2 pics for the items need to take off the top plate, didn't take pic for taking off the front plate as it involved 4 screws only

 

[ed1234]

Now the pic for the contact for power to the meter. As you advance the film, the metal (sliver in color) on the film count dial will be push out (between dial #4 and #8), this will mate the 2 contact (copper color) together to feed the power.

 

[ed1234]

Now on the first pic, I had a small flat head screw driver holding the mechanism that lock the meter in place. But first you need to pull the meter out carefully. I used a paper clip to bring the meter out a little, then use another hand to use the screwdriver to push out the locking mechanism.

For the bottom of the shutter release pin, I cannot take a good pic of it, but one will be able to see it once with the camera open like the pic, the location is right next to the shutter speed dial, and of course straight down from the shutter button, play with the shutter button and will be able to see the pin (copper color) moving around and suppose to go through a hold on a small metal.

Now the next pic is from taken from the top of the camera, sorry for the bad quality again, I was holding a small flat head screwdriver with my left hand the tip of the screwdriver is pointing at 2 gears that drive the curtain, if curtains are stuck, you need to wind both as one is for the 1st curtain and another one is for the 2nd curtain.

Hope my post will help some. Feel free to add any suggestion, as I am not a camera repair guy, I am just an average DIY guy that enjoy taking things apart when they don't work. Plus I may not explain clearly in the first place.

 

[PentHassyKon]

ed1234-
Thx for the pictures!

How did you take the wind/advance lever and shutter release collar off?

Without the camera in front of me - in the 1st picture in post#4: what is that a shot of? Are these 2 of the screws that one needs to take off to get the top cover off?

 

[ed1234]

A pair of plyers will do, but place a piece of cloth in between so you won't stratch the paint, and trun anti-clockwise.

For the pic, u will see 2 screws already taken out, those are the 2 screws that are needed to take out, nothing more.

And make sure you don't loose those tiny red plastic on the meter needles and on the shutter display, as the CL is old and the glue will be weak, plus the viewfinder window as well.

 

[SamuelM42]

Thanks very much for this guide. Im not sure what element specifically, but it un-jammed my CL. Maybe it was the meter arm or the curtains because I do not know if i fixed the shutter pin by accident as I did not touch it aside from the dissembly of the top plate. I always thought the problem with my camera came up by pressing the film rewind release, but I cannot know as it was a while ago and I was none-the-wiser. All I can add is you will need 2 screw drivers to reset the shutter as it slips back when you go to crank it again, you will need to bunny hop one after the other with the screw drivers to maintain tension. Thanks again! My CL lives!

 

[Landshark]

The removal of the top plate is all it needs if the force is with you. When it's not the sequence could be on-off-on -off etc. Put it down, start again later.
There doesn't seem to be any positive way of keeping the pin in alignment when replacing the cover.