Nikon FE aperture coupling ring / lever woes

[Joseph Bell]

Hello there!
I have a much-cherished Nikon FE whose aperture coupling ring (or lever, or both?) keeps detaching from my lenses, rendering the meter useless unless I remove the lens, slide the coupling lever/ring back into place with a pencil or some other slim spiky tool, and reattach the lens. If I adjust my lenses' aperture very slowly and cautiously, the camera's coupling lever will stay where it's supposed to, but otherwise, the camera and lens will lose their coupling capabilities every few pictures.
I was wondering if anyone has any advice. I realize I can buy a "new" FE for less than the price of a CLA plus shipping, but perhaps there is something I can do to on my own to ameliorate the situation. Perhaps there's some grime or dirt or dust in there, who knows!
Sincere thanks for your time and attention. This is such a wonderfully helpful photo forum!

 

[BrianShaw]

The meter coupling lever on the FE can be flipped up to use non-AI lenses. Check to make sure that the meter coupling lever is locked in the down position. The meter couling release button is on the top of hte meter coupling ring.

 

[MFstooges]

Like Brian says, it has to be locked down. The lever has release/lock button to keep its position up or down. There's a chance that the internal spring is dislocated causing the button to stay down. In this case you can remove the lens mount and inspect.