Hello,
I have an Exa 1B that was working perfectly. All of the sudden the film advance lever got stuck at the top of the crank and will not return as it usually does. Anyone know how I can attempt to fix this? Thank you
The shutter seems bunched up in front of the mirror? I feel like this shouldn’t be like that can anyone confirm that this may be the heart of the issue?
Ok so by holding down the shutter and bringing back the lever at the same time the mirror became unstuck. You can then operate the camera as usual but you must manually push the lever back each time. To get the lever to return on its own, I had to loosen the screw in the Center of the film counter. Only problem is as you wind film, the screw tightens again and over time the problem reoccurs. Maybe replacing the compression washer beneath the film counter could be a fix?
The problems you describe sound typical of a camera that's overdue for a CLA (Clean, Lubricate & Adjust, with most emphasis on the first two). Original factory spring tensioning is generally plenty adequate once old grime and stale lubricants have been flushed out and replaced with fresh lubricants. Your camera appears to be relatively simple as 35 mm SLRs go, but camera repair in general can be challenging for folks with average mechanical skills.