Nikon FE self fires . . . ?

Get some CRC Quick Dry (QD) Electronic cleaner and flush the ASA dial with it rotating the full ASA range while wet with the cleaner.
Available at https://www.homedepot.com/p/CRC-11-oz-QD-Electronic-Cleaner-05103/205021975 and auto parts stores.
Remove the camera batteries before flushing and allow to dry out completely before reinstalling the batteries.
Put the tri-chloroethane in the toxic waste dump and the Mobil 1 in your car's engine, and dump the WD40.
Use TriFlow https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Flow-Squeeze-Bottle-Lubricant-Teflon/dp/B00GC54OC2/ref=sr_1_16?crid=3AUY58Y2TDN0M&dchild=1&keywords=triflow+superior+lubricant&qid=1630813346&sprefix=triflow,aps,261&sr=8-16 for camera lubrication, available at bike shops and hardware stores.

ozmoose said:

I now recall... I had a Nikkormat EL that did this, way back in the early '00s. Most annoying, it was.

I took it to my then (now retired, and I do miss him) repair person in Melbourne, who fiddled with it for a bit and then pronounced it to be unfixable - said it would cost too much, and even then being fully electronical (is this a word? I hope) it would likely as not break down again in very short order.

So I took it home and put it away. Ten years later I found it in its box, resting quietly in peace. Took out the battery (I had left it in, silly me, but it still worked, ha!) and cleaned the innards with a cotton bud and a drop or two of methylated spirit. Let it dry, put in the battery, and boom!! it worked again.

Has worked consistently since. I sold it last December to someone who as long ago as last month (August '21) was still using it and very happy with it, all working spot-on. A 46-year old electronic camera, imagine!!

I also have a Contax G1 that developed an autorewind problem, in 2004. Which also fixed itself after about 18 months of having to manually rewind my films using a toothpick, a long and involved story (not what many will think). But then a G1 isn't a Nikon or a Nikkormat, so I'll say no more about it. For now.

Anecdotal? Yes, definitely. But miracles can/do happen.

I do wish I could have accessed this thread back then. So many useful hints and tips. But then I've never, ever opened up a camera to tinker with it, and I never will. My camera repair person made a small fortune out of me...

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I enjoyed reading this. I was thinking to myself, this is sort of the theory of evolution. Put it in a box and wait and in a few million years it will work again. Trouble is, I'll be 70 this time next year. But thanks!

Have you cleansed it with a sage stick yet? I hear that works better on cameras than holy water.

BrianShaw said:

Have you cleansed it with a sage stick yet? I hear that works better on cameras than holy water.

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Not yet, but it's about to get intimate with some sage alright. So close! I thought I had her licked and . . . noooooooooooooooooooo

jimgalli said:

I enjoyed reading this. I was thinking to myself, this is sort of the theory of evolution. Put it in a box and wait and in a few million years it will work again. Trouble is, I'll be 70 this time next year. But thanks!

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I'm told I am full of good stories, a fair few almost printable/quotable. But this is a photo web site and I'm trying to keep myself nice, so no more...

A quick-fix trick many claim serves them well with photo gear, is to clean everything out well with a cotton bud and something alcoholic (not gin or vodka!). Put in new batteries, give the camera bottom a sharp little tap, and as the Aussies are fond of saying, Bob's your uncle. This will sometimes kick-start cameras afflicted with small 'glitches' into working again, for a while - it has worked with me many times but now and then fails, but on a percentage basis it's worth trying.

Note that dropping a camera on the ground is never, ever a recommended way to try to jig it back to life or fix a small problem. Especially with Rolleiflexes. Terminal damage often results. With Nikons/Nikkormats, ditto.

Repairing anything photographic here in Australia is now so expensive, it's often better value to just buy another on the secondhand market, avoiding Ebay which seems to be many Aussies' fantasy to fast money. In pre-Covid times I occasionally took my defective gear to Singapore where common sense seems to prevail and photo repairs are affordable. My older (mostly mechanical) can be CLA'd there in one or two working days by very competent repair persons who believe in giving value for money. Not so much selling used cameras, tho' - old Nikons and even Nikkormats in working order and often CLA'd are on display with asking prices that lead me to think they are minted from 24K gold.

As for other matters, Sage I will pass on, not really my sort of, ah, herb. Basil I'm more inclined to, especially fresh from our kitchen garden and in salads - but then one of our cats is named Basil, so again, enough said.

ozmoose said:

Repairing anything photographic here in Australia is now so expensive, it's often better value to just buy another on the secondhand market,

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That's the problem and solution in a nutshell. Old Nikons are plentiful and patrons who want / need them are few. A single hour repair bill will easily surpass the value of the camera, soft spot or no. So this old jewel will likely be offered up as junk / parts and I'll recoup what I can and move along to the next fools errand. But I did enjoy giving it a go and that's worth something . . . I think.