Canon AE-1 mirror wont stay down

[Woutervg97]

I recently bought an old CANON AE-1 for 15,-
It seemed in good condition and when I installed a battery the shutter fired normally. However, a few attempts later, the mirror retracted and did not return to position making the viewfinder go dark.

What is wrong
- Lever won't work
- Mirror stays up

What I've tried
- new battery was working (checked the lightmeter etc)
- Removing the lens and manually putting the mirror down worked, but than it immediatly retracts again
- Removing the bottom and moving the parts also causes it to go down, but after firing it stays up again

 

[Woutervg97]

Help! Either I found the broken piece or I´ve broken something during the repair attempt. What the hell is this thing?

 

[Andreas Thaler]

View attachment 392243

Help! Either I found the broken piece or I´ve broken something during the repair attempt. What the hell is this thing?

A tungsten wire to connect adjustment elements.

Unfortunately rethreading is not easy.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

There are excellent technical service documents for the Canon AE-1:

Learn Camera Repair

learncamerarepair.com

 

[Woutervg97]

There are excellent technical service documents for the Canon AE-1:

Learn Camera Repair

learncamerarepair.com

Yeah, I was following this only video for removing the top.

Could the broken wire have anything to do with the mirror sticking up?

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Yeah, I was following this only video for removing the top.

Could the broken wire have anything to do with the mirror sticking up?

I don't think so, I suspect that the exposure metering system and ASA wheel are connected in this way.

Nothing against videos, but valid information is always (!) available in the service documents from the manufacturer, NatCam, SPT Journal, Camera Craftsman, C & C Associates. The competence and quality are undisputed. Not easy to read but it's worth it.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

A „good“ video