Olympus Om2n shutter problem

RLangham · Aug 22, 2020

I just got a non-functional OM-2n, probably to sell, for not a lot of money. Now I can sell the lenses and the body for parts if I have to and still make a little money but I wanted to know if there's something I can do to fix this shutter and sell it in working condition.

So I'll attach some pictures to show you what it's doing. There seems to be friction in the top shutter curtain track that causes both shutter laths to tilt to one side. It fires but obviously not in a usable fashion, and sometimes it doesnt complete the cycle. The mirror locks up and the shutter has to be reset.

Is this something I can fix?

shutterfinger · Aug 22, 2020

Here is a copy of the factory service manual https://learncamerarepair.com/downloads/pdf/Olympus-OM-2n-repair-manual.pdf
The usual cause of problems like this is trash in the shutter channel. With the shutter locked open on B inspect the channel with a good flashlight and tweezers.
I would remove the bottom plate and inspect the gears and levers as well.

RLangham · Aug 23, 2020

shutterfinger said:
Here is a copy of the factory service manual https://learncamerarepair.com/downloads/pdf/Olympus-OM-2n-repair-manual.pdf
The usual cause of problems like this is trash in the shutter channel. With the shutter locked open on B inspect the channel with a good flashlight and tweezers.
I would remove the bottom plate and inspect the gears and levers as well.

Ok, I looked in both the channels and there's nothing in there. However, it seems like the upper string that pulls on the leading curtain when cocking has too much slack in it, so the upper half of the curtain isn't pulled taut. I'm about to read the maintenance manual but do you have any specific info on this problem?

John Koehrer · Aug 23, 2020

I've seen that happen when Mr allthumbs somehow pushes the curtain and introduces slack in the curtain tape and
the tape* slips off the transport roller. The hardest part is exposing the roller to just put the tape back in place.
Since your camera uses string it may be a grooved roller.

RLangham · Aug 23, 2020

John Koehrer said:
I've seen that happen when Mr allthumbs somehow pushes the curtain and introduces slack in the curtain tape and
the tape* slips off the transport roller. The hardest part is exposing the roller to just put the tape back in place.
Since your camera uses string it may be a grooved roller.

Hmm. I hadn't thought about it being off a roller but since it's not completely detached that really must be it.

I have great trepidation about opening this camera... has anyone got experience exposing the shutter crate on this model?

crumbo · Sep 4, 2020

The front casting of your camera will need to be removed from the body to effectively repair this problem. Unless the upper curtain string (Olympus uses nylon string, not tape) is broken, it will need to be re-situated into it's roller, and other work done to reduce the likelihood of it happening again. Of course, during such a thorough disassembly, all switches and contacts should be cleaned and adjusted, etc, in other words a complete overhaul. Of course, hopefully the curtain fabric isn't damaged. Don't wind and fire it any more than necessary.

In other words, it's not an easy fix.

RLangham · Sep 6, 2020

crumbo said:
The front casting of your camera will need to be removed from the body to effectively repair this problem. Unless the upper curtain string (Olympus uses nylon string, not tape) is broken, it will need to be re-situated into it's roller, and other work done to reduce the likelihood of it happening again. Of course, during such a thorough disassembly, all switches and contacts should be cleaned and adjusted, etc, in other words a complete overhaul. Of course, hopefully the curtain fabric isn't damaged. Don't wind and fire it any more than necessary.

In other words, it's not an easy fix.

I have Mike Trost in Topeka doing exploratory surgery on it. If the string is intact, which I think it is, he thinks he can fix it for 80 with no spare parts. Otherwise he has offered to replace the shutter for about twice that... I'm considering what I'll decide in that circumstance.

crumbo · Sep 8, 2020

RLangham said:
I have Mike Trost in Topeka doing exploratory surgery on it. If the string is intact, which I think it is, he thinks he can fix it for 80 with no spare parts. Otherwise he has offered to replace the shutter for about twice that... I'm considering what I'll decide in that circumstance.

Sometimes when a string jumps off it's roller and the curtain goes crooked like this, the rubber gets abraded resulting in pin holes in the rubberized cloth. Sometimes, the shutter curtains develop holes just due to old age. To check for holes, we'd hold up the mirror and fire a small strobe pointing at the film rails while peeking through the lens mount -- any holes in the curtain look like tiny light pricks. Do this with the shutter wound, and with it released to check both curtains.

One trick we discovered to fix pin holes was to spray some of that "aerosol rubber" (you know, the stuff in a can, "but wait, there's more!") into a cup and brush the liquid over the holes on the inner/rubber side of the affected curtain. Then, without winding or firing the shutter, we'd leave it overnight to dry. Sure beats having to try and harvest used curtains from a donor body, especially since the star nuts on the bottoms of the curtain shafts are super-glued on.

RLangham · Sep 8, 2020

crumbo said:
Sometimes when a string jumps off it's roller and the curtain goes crooked like this, the rubber gets abraded resulting in pin holes in the rubberized cloth. Sometimes, the shutter curtains develop holes just due to old age. To check for holes, we'd hold up the mirror and fire a small strobe pointing at the film rails while peeking through the lens mount -- any holes in the curtain look like tiny light pricks. Do this with the shutter wound, and with it released to check both curtains.

One trick we discovered to fix pin holes was to spray some of that "aerosol rubber" (you know, the stuff in a can, "but wait, there's more!") into a cup and brush the liquid over the holes on the inner/rubber side of the affected curtain. Then, without winding or firing the shutter, we'd leave it overnight to dry. Sure beats having to try and harvest used curtains from a donor body, especially since the star nuts on the bottoms of the curtain shafts are super-glued on.

I looked for pinholes and didn't see any offhand. I've avoided cocking it and firing it except a couple times to see what was wrong with it and then to inspect the curtain, so we may have caught it in time. It just went in the mail about ten minutes ago to Mike at Phototronic.

I feel good about this. I look at it like this: I bought it for forty with two lenses. That forty bought me two OM lenses. 80 for a working OM-2n in black is not bad, and that's what he quoted me for a repair without replacement parts. If he can't fix it without parts he's agreed to do the diagnosis for free and send it back for just the cost of shipping. Then I have a body to sell for parts (maybe sixty?) and I can spend the 80 I set aside for repairs on a working OM with no lenses.

EDIT: oh, silly me, I said all that already!

omtech1 · Oct 13, 2020

RLangham said:
I just got a non-functional OM-2n, probably to sell, for not a lot of money. Now I can sell the lenses and the body for parts if I have to and still make a little money but I wanted to know if there's something I can do to fix this shutter and sell it in working condition.

So I'll attach some pictures to show you what it's doing. There seems to be friction in the top shutter curtain track that causes both shutter laths to tilt to one side. It fires but obviously not in a usable fashion, and sometimes it doesnt complete the cycle. The mirror locks up and the shutter has to be reset.

Is this something I can fix?
View attachment 252958 View attachment 252959 View attachment 252960 View attachment 252961 View attachment 252962

Looks familiar. One or more curtain strings have come off the pulley's (each curtain, opening and closing ((2 strings each) rides on a pulley. A time consuming job if done according to the factory way.

thuggins · Oct 14, 2020

There is a youtube channel called Fix Old Cameras where he addresses this exact problem. In his case, it is caused by the string coming off the roller. The fix is pretty involved, but he goes thru it in detail. Here is the URL

RLangham · Oct 14, 2020

omtech1 said:
Looks familiar. One or more curtain strings have come off the pulley's (each curtain, opening and closing ((2 strings each) rides on a pulley. A time consuming job if done according to the factory way.

Turns out there's wear on the roller that's gonna make it happen again. Mr. Trost told me that he wouldn't spend money on it and I let him keep the body for parts.

Olympus Om2n shutter problem

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