Reviving a Pentax ME Super

[ajuk]

I bought a job lot of photography equipment, 8 Items all for £16. In amongst it was an ME Super, at first it seemed like it was a brick, you could just keep cranking the lever and the shutter release did nothing, also the electrics seemed dead. That is until suddenly I couldn't crank it and so I tried the shutter release *click* but then I was back to the lever just doing nothing again until after a lot of cranks it wouldn't go again, I opened the back and the pressed the shutter release, the shutter did seam to open and shut just fine and it would always cock after the first pull, but then the shutter wouldn't operate and I could just keep pulling the crank again. I managed to get the electrics working after cleaning the contacts.
I carried on just cranking until something caught and then firing the shutter until it only took two cranks for the lever to stop being able to be pulled the the button would work, it stayed like this and for a while it was consistently taking two pulls to work until eventually if I pulled the lever very slowly it would fully cock every time, If I pulled the lever quick it would take two pulls, so I carried on slowly cocking and releasing the shutter until even if I cock it as fast I can it now consistently works. It looks like I now have a fully functional Pentax ME, but what was that about, is that a normal thing to happen to MEs that have suffered from lack of use?

 

[dehk]

If you are familiar with mechanical, open the bottom cover and observe if anything is not catching.