Nikon FE shutter issue

[Airy]

I got a mint-looking copy a few days ago. I put a pair of new silver oxide batteries (SR44), battery indicator lights up.
The cell does not appear to work properly (it overestimates the incoming light to the point that the metering is not usable, even when shifting the ISO setting from 400 down to 12 and exp. comp. to +2). But that's an expected, and minor, issue.

The real problem is that the shutter would stay open, and the mirror up, on speed settings below 1/250. At 1/250 and up, or on Auto, the mirror and shutter seem to work properly (I'm not saying that the speeds are ok, and I could not process a single roll so far). Therefore the usual suspects (foam pieces, crud, lack of lubrication, etc.) do not seem to be the culprits here.

I saaw several reports regarding jammed shutters etc., but this specific problem was never mentioned. Any idea ?

[longzoom]

If in Auto everything is OK, so, the problem is in the barrel commutator, under the shutter speed shield. Something shortened circuits to the B position. It could be a drop of water or oil or a very small area of corrosion. If you have some skills and proper gear, there is no big deal to open and clean problematic areas. Good luck!   LZ

[Airy]

That soulds like a plausible explanation. Richard Haw's website provides some instructions. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks a lot.

[David H. Hartman]

The mirror staying up seems like a battery issue. It's been so long I'm not sure. Have you tried to download an FE manual?

Dave

[David H. Hartman]

This is a possibility...

"If you keep shooting long after the test light stops lighting, when the batteries drain to 2.8V, the meter and the FE still shoots, but the mirror stays locked up after the exposure. Spin the shutter dial to M90 to get the mirror back down, and replace the batteries!" --Ken Rockwell

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Has the foam become sticky? There is a foam bumper for the mirror. The mirror might be sticking to the foam.

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There is a issue with a mechanism accessed by removing the base plate of the camera. A friend made a tool from a paper clip to un-jam the camera. The camera might have been an FE2 but the procedure which I don't remember would likely be the same.

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This is the issue my camera repairman friend made a simple paperclip tool to un-jam the camera.

YMMV!

FE...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ljbTWPl3M

FE2...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s7VB9p8woQ

Good luck!

Dave

[David H. Hartman]

I fond a Nikon FE, FE2 Repair Manual...

https://learncamerarepair.com/downloads/pdf/nikon-fe-fe2-service.pdf

Dave

[Airy]

Hi David,
No, apparently, there is no foam issue on this one and the mirror and shutter work properly at all settings except below 1/250s. Looks like LZ got the most plausible explanation, i.e. an electric shortcut that "translates" all low speeds to "B". Thanks for the link to the repair manual.