Need some help for Nikon 200mm f:4 lens repair

[Robert Ley]

After my first repair of my 35mm f:2 and my 55mm f:2.8 micro I went through all my lenses to see if I had any other stinkers and found two, a 200 f:4 and a 35-105 f:3.5-4.5 AIS zoom.
The 200 had an aperture that was stuck open and a very stiff focus so probably bad grease. As I am a novice at repair I found a good YouTube video for this exact lens but he only fixed the aperture and didn't show how to re-grease the heliocoid. I was able to get the lens apart and remove the aperture and clean and fix that. I then screwed the lens apart to clean the threads and when I went to put it back together it didn't want to go back together.

The problem that I had is that the pin on the right in this photo has to go into this aperture connector from the lens mount


this is the top and bottom of those two parts on the shot on the left I can see oil and I think it probably needs to be cleaned

I suspect that I will have to remove the three screws in the top section and remove and clean it, screw the lens back together and then put the elements back in but before I do the bull in the china shop move I thought I would check in with the experts.

I would like to thank all the members of the repair section of the forum for all the help they have given me to get me started on my repair adventure.

 

[Nitroplait]

That is such a great but underrated lens - I would much rather carry this along than the heavy 180/2.8.

I hope you have luck repairing it. I had a nice sample that developed the extremely tight focus problem - the price of a replacement was so low that I didn't bother considering repair, but would have if I could do it myself.

 

[Robert Ley]

That is such a great but underrated lens - I would much rather carry this along than the heavy 180/2.8.

I hope you have luck repairing it. I had a nice sample that developed the extremely tight focus problem - the price of a replacement was so low that I didn't bother considering repair, but would have if I could do it myself.

Thanks for your reply. I just got started in lens repair when I had just bought a mint albeit very old 35mm f:2 AF-D lens that developed a sticky shutter. As I was fond of this lens as the 35mm f:2 was my favorite focal length for my analog cameras I decided to try to fix it. With some help from the forum and a couple of YouTube videos I was able to get it running as new.
One of the things that I like about Nikon is that they have kept the same lens mount until the Z cameras. I can use all my lenses AF and MF on all my cameras(D600, D7100, F4, FA, FE2 and Nikkormat EL) and they retain all there functions as long as they are Ai/Ais.
I agree that the 200mm f:4 is a sweet lens and I'm looking forward to getting it back in the stable.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

See

Repair: Nikkor 200mm f/4 (K/Ai)

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richardhaw.com

Repair: Nikkor 200mm f/4 Ai-S

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[ic-racer]

I think the usual recommendation is don't unscrew a helicoid unless you know how to put it back together

I'd like to help as I just got a 'free' 200/4 AI, however, my sample, in spite of looking like a piece of junk, has clear lens elements and a smooth helicoid, so I did not need to take it apart.

 

[Robert Ley]

See

Repair: Nikkor 200mm f/4 (K/Ai)

Hello, everybody! Lately, there has been a shortage of cheaper lenses at the junk shops in Tokyo so I haven’t added anything new into my lens collection for a couple of weeks now. There …

richardhaw.com

Repair: Nikkor 200mm f/4 Ai-S

Hello, everybody! It’s really cold now as it’s the middle of winter, not a good season for birding if you ask some people but this is a good chance for me to take photos at the marsh be…

richardhaw.com

Thanks for this as it will be a resource for other repairs too.

 

[Robert Ley]

I think the usual recommendation is don't unscrew a helicoid unless you know how to put it back together

I'd like to help as I just got a 'free' 200/4 AI, however, my sample, in spite of looking like a piece of junk, has clear lens elements and a smooth helicoid, so I did not need to take it apart.

Now you tell me
Hopefully I will learn as this is my first lens needing a re-grease.
BTW I appreciate your posts as I have learned quite a bit...thanks!

 

[ic-racer]

Without knowing the lens in detail, sometimes you need to take it apart a little further toget it back together. That is, in terms of aligning things as it goes together. For example in some Nikkors the lens group pops out the front, without taking off the back. But, to get it back together easier, removing the back allows one to align the interlocking pieces.

 

[Robert Ley]

I think that I'm going to have to remove that lens group with that aperture pin. Doing a little research before I forge ahead.