ZENIT E - problem with take-up spool?

[margarina]

I bought a Zenit E from eBay, the film advance lever is a bit slow and could probably need some grease and I discovered what I guess is the same problem with the take-up spool. When advancing the film the sprocket moves but the spool does not rotate, so the film eventually loosens.

I can rotate the spool with my fingers but it has a lot of friction (just like the film advance lever). Do you think the solution is as simple as just putting a little bit of suitable grease around the spool or could the problem be something more internal? Could it have something to do with the take-up spool spring?

 

[Peltigera]

I wouldn't put grease or oil anywhere near the parts of the take-up spool that you can see - it is likely to migrate onto the film. I would take the top plate off and apply a small amount of oil (not grease) to mechanism under there.

 

[margarina]

I didn't even think about the grease getting onto the film so thank you for that reminder! Do you know what sort of oil is suitable for this? I've read about vaseline and silicone spray but I find it tricky to understand what I should be using for this.

 

[Peltigera]

I use clock oil purchased from a professional clock repairer in Lincoln. Cost me £5.00 for more than I shall ever use.

Silicone spray (any spray) will not be confined to a small enough area - you want a very small amount only on the actual surfaces moving past each other - less than a drop.

 

[Dali]

I guess both spockets and spool axles are driven by the winding mechanism through gears: when one turns, the other should turn too unless there is a mechanical issue oil and/or gease won't solve.

 

[Peltigera]

The take-up spool is driven through some sort of clutch - it cannot turn at a constant speed. As the amount of film already on the spool increases, the effective diameter increases and the take-up spool must turn less to add one frame.

 

[Dali]

And what tells the amount of film already spooled?

 

[Peltigera]

Nothing. The spool is moved through a clutch so will only turn enough to take up the film moved by the sprockets.

 

[Dali]

You might be right but looking at a FED 1 winding mechanism (and Zenit SLR were designed from FED and Zorki's rangefinder cameras), everything is driven by gears, spool axle like sprockets. The only clutch I see is to hold the spool on its axle and I doubt it plays a role in the winding process...

 

[Peltigera]

With four of my SLRs ( Contax F, Pentax SV, Pentax ME Super and Zenit E) I just tested and I can wind on with the back open and my thumb on the take-up spool - the sprocket shaft turns and the take-up spool does not. That means the take-up spool cannot be directly connected to the advance lever by gears.

Sent from my A1-840 using Tapatalk

 

[margarina]

Exactly where should the oil be applied? I'm having a hard time figuring out where the friction is, so to say. Should I open the top plate, remove all rings on the right side that is located above the spool and just put a drop of oil around that area? This would be my first time trying to repair a camera and I get the feeling that Zenit E isn't the easiest. Are there any other disassembly guides out there except for the Tom Tiger one?

 

[margarina]

The problem seems to be that the spool isn't connected to whatever it should be connected to since it doesn't move at all when advancing the film. The sprockets pushes the film into the spool but the spool stands still through out this process and eventually the film loosens. Could this be an easy problem to fix? Does anyone know anything about this?

Also, I'm trying to get the top plate off but the inner ring around the shutter that should be rotated counter clockwise to be removed is impossible to budge. Does anyone have any advice on how to do this?

 

[Peltigera]

Given the price of Zenit E cameras, the most effective solution is going to be to buy another one.

Sent from my A1-840 using Tapatalk

 

[leicarfcam]

If you got the camera off eBay with the problem, send it back. When you buy you should expect it to work...