My Pentax MX has fallen and can't get up

Logan Becker · Jul 10, 2017

Recently got what was, up until a few hours ago, my favorite camera to walk around with. My puppy jumped onto my bed where the body was laying and it somehow dropped it about 3 feet onto the hardwood floor, accompanied by a painful metallic noise. Thankfully it didn't pop open, so I rewound my film, and tried the lever to test the shutter and got gritty feedback so immediately stopped. Carefully removed the top plate of the body, followed by the lever assembly(?) to see if a spring had jumped, etc. what I found was this (see images). Is it able to be repaired, or sold for parts? By the way, the weird squiggles on the broken piece and the plate is a bit of solid grease I dabbed to make it stick for the picture.Dead Link Removed Dead Link Removed

AgX · Jul 10, 2017

In theory that part can be welded.

paul ron · Jul 10, 2017

how much strain is on that part?... what does it do? does it engage with that gear and pivot at the top?

what is it made of? id say it can be brazed by a jewler.

try looking for that module from a parts camera.

GRHazelton · Jul 10, 2017

Another avenue would be to send it to Eric Hendrickson pentaxs.com He is the Pentax Master in the US. Estimates are free, and I think he has a supply of spare parts. As we speak my AsahiFlex IIa is in his healing hands.

4season · Jul 10, 2017

I've got a beater MX with a flakey meter that you can have for the cost of postage (say $8). PM if interested.

Vonder · Jul 10, 2017

GRHazelton said:
Another avenue would be to send it to Eric Hendrickson pentaxs.com He is the Pentax Master in the US. Estimates are free, and I think he has a supply of spare parts. As we speak my AsahiFlex IIa is in his healing hands.

Eric is good, but beware. His warranty on repairs doesn't cover anything but the repair. Nothing in a CLA is covered, so if it breaks in a month, expect to pay for repairs again.

Logan Becker · Jul 10, 2017

paul ron said:
how much strain is on that part?... what does it do? does it engage with that gear and pivot at the top?

what is it made of? id say it can be brazed by a jewler.

try looking for that module from a parts camera.

From what I saw, it looks like when you cock the lever, the rachet somehow engages with it during it's pivot to push a sliding plate out of the way of the shutter on the reverse side, which allows you to depress the shutter button.

Logan Becker · Jul 10, 2017

4season said:
I've got a beater MX with a flakey meter that you can have for the cost of postage (say $8). PM if interested.

I am not sure I can PM you on apug, but if you have facebook you can add me there.

MattKing · Jul 10, 2017

Logan Becker said:
I am not sure I can PM you on apug

Click on his/her user name, and then Start a Conversation.

Logan Becker · Jul 10, 2017

MattKing said:
Click on his/her user name, and then Start a Conversation.

System won't allow it :/

MattKing · Jul 10, 2017

Logan Becker said:
System won't allow it :/

He/she has probably disabled that functionality.

4season · Jul 10, 2017

Logan Becker said:
System won't allow it :/

PM'd you.

Logan Becker · Jul 10, 2017

paul ron said:
how much strain is on that part?... what does it do? does it engage with that gear and pivot at the top?

what is it made of? id say it can be brazed by a jewler.

try looking for that module from a parts camera.

Jeweler doesn't want to touch it

paul ron · Jul 10, 2017

must be a young guy.

GRHazelton · Jul 11, 2017

Wolfeye said:
Eric is good, but beware. His warranty on repairs doesn't cover anything but the repair. Nothing in a CLA is covered, so if it breaks in a month, expect to pay for repairs again.

Isn't this analogous to having the water pump replaced on your car and then trying to blame the mechanic when a rod bearing spins six months later? AFAIK there's no way to predict rod big end bearing failure.

E. von Hoegh · Jul 11, 2017

paul ron said:
must be a young guy.

Must be a smart guy.
Heating that part enough to silver solder it will soften it, if tempered. Then, you'll have a butt joint which equals weakness. Weakness + softness = failure. If there is room, it could be reinforced with a piece of metal silver soldered over the break, but this would entail filing and fitting, which equals expense. I wouldn't touch it either.
The OP needs a parts camera, repairing that part would make sense only if you were marooned on a remote island and felt a compelling need fill in the time.

Vonder · Jul 11, 2017

GRHazelton said:
Isn't this analogous to having the water pump replaced on your car and then trying to blame the mechanic when a rod bearing spins six months later? AFAIK there's no way to predict rod big end bearing failure.

Just pointing it out, and it's more directed towards CLA's than repairs. If you send a camera in for a CLA you might think he's saying "I warrant this camera will work for 6 months." which is wrong. To me a CLA means a camera has been inspected and adjusted to factory specs. Cameras come with at least a 1 year warranty when they are brand new, so you might assume a used one, one brought to factory specs, could legitimately be entitled to a 6 month warranty. I simply can't think of any situation where you could claim on his warranty, making it pretty useless.

Pioneer · Jul 11, 2017

Wolfeye said:
Just pointing it out, and it's more directed towards CLA's than repairs. If you send a camera in for a CLA you might think he's saying "I warrant this camera will work for 6 months." which is wrong. To me a CLA means a camera has been inspected and adjusted to factory specs. Cameras come with at least a 1 year warranty when they are brand new, so you might assume a used one, one brought to factory specs, could legitimately be entitled to a 6 month warranty. I simply can't think of any situation where you could claim on his warranty, making it pretty useless.

I am not too sure how that logic holds up. The camera may be adjusted to work correctly as it did when it came from the factory, but it is still a much older camera. Even if the factory did the CLA themselves they wouldn't warranty the camera, only the repair.

If you pay someone to do a complete overhaul of the camera then it is not uncommon to get a short warranty period. But a simple cleaning, lubrication and adjustment is most definitely not a complete overhaul.

E. von Hoegh · Jul 11, 2017

GRHazelton said:
Isn't this analogous to having the water pump replaced on your car and then trying to blame the mechanic when a rod bearing spins six months later? AFAIK there's no way to predict rod big end bearing failure.

Bearing metal in the oil filter, low oil pressure, noise (knock) when the engine is under light load, light knock at idle that disappears when the engine is pulling; but all these mean trouble is already at hand and failure is likely imminent. A good mechanic with normal hearing would spot any of the noises, and there's a neat gadget that zips open oil filters in the same time it takes to open a can of beans.

paul ron · Jul 11, 2017

E. von Hoegh said:
Must be a smart guy.
Heating that part enough to silver solder it will soften it, if tempered. Then, you'll have a butt joint which equals weakness. Weakness + softness = failure. If there is room, it could be reinforced with a piece of metal silver soldered over the break, but this would entail filing and fitting, which equals expense. I wouldn't touch it either.
The OP needs a parts camera, repairing that part would make sense only if you were marooned on a remote island and felt a compelling need fill in the time.

I'll bet the part is cast, not milled or stamped steel with any hardness to be tempered. I've braised parts like that with great success. just need a micro torch and fine braising wire n flux.

GRHazelton · Jul 11, 2017

E. von Hoegh said:
Bearing metal in the oil filter, low oil pressure, noise (knock) when the engine is under light load, light knock at idle that disappears when the engine is pulling; but all these mean trouble is already at hand and failure is likely imminent. A good mechanic with normal hearing would spot any of the noises, and there's a neat gadget that zips open oil filters in the same time it takes to open a can of beans.

Note that I said SPIN a rod big end bearing, perhaps I should have bolded SPIN. We had this happen on a Pontiac V-6, at about 90K miles. Engine had been regularly serviced, oil and filter at about 4K intervals. Oil pressure was good, proper oil level, no knock under light load, etc. until the bearing spun, then lots of knock, but oil pressure still adequate, although that would have soon changed I know the warning signs of bearing failure, and as an auto hypochondriac I would have noticed them. Our mechanic who was very familiar with the car told us that there was no way to predict spinning a bearing.

paul ron · Jul 11, 2017

Pioneer said:
I am not too sure how that logic holds up. The camera may be adjusted to work correctly as it did when it came from the factory, but it is still a much older camera. Even if the factory did the CLA themselves they wouldn't warranty the camera, only the repair.

If you pay someone to do a complete overhaul of the camera then it is not uncommon to get a short warranty period. But a simple cleaning, lubrication and adjustment is most definitely not a complete overhaul.

CLAs has a very limited warrantee. I've overhauled shutters and while in my shop, they were perfectly fine. then a week later the customer complains its not working again.

upon inspection, I find another part failed for absolutely no reason. I'll eat the repair in good faith, but it happens to the best of them.

AgX · Jul 11, 2017

E. von Hoegh said:
Must be a smart guy.
Heating that part enough to silver solder it will soften it, if tempered. Then, you'll have a butt joint which equals weakness. Weakness + softness = failure. If there is room, it could be reinforced with a piece of metal silver soldered over the break, but this would entail filing and fitting, which equals expense. I wouldn't touch it either.

I had it about micro welding. Heat load then can be kept more local.

A smart jeweller should be able to do that...

John Koehrer · Jul 11, 2017

Use a parts camera & swap the entire wind plate.
I'm pretty sure that any jewelers time is worth more than a couple of parts cameras.

I'd also bet money the part's simple stamped steel any bearings or posts
will be swaged on.

Logan Becker · Jul 11, 2017

John Koehrer said:
Use a parts camera & swap the entire wind plate.
I'm pretty sure that any jewelers time is worth more than a couple of parts cameras.

I'd also bet money the part's simple stamped steel any bearings or posts
will be swaged on.

Thats probably what I'll end up doing. In order to install it correctly, what sort of position does everything have to be in?

My Pentax MX has fallen and can't get up

Logan Becker

AgX

paul ron

GRHazelton

4season

Vonder

Logan Becker

Logan Becker

MattKing

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Logan Becker

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4season

Logan Becker

paul ron

GRHazelton

E. von Hoegh

Vonder

Pioneer

E. von Hoegh

paul ron

GRHazelton

paul ron

AgX

John Koehrer

Logan Becker

My Pentax MX has fallen and can't get up

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