FE Meter issue

[orourke]

<p>I have a Nikon FE and an FE2. The other day I installed brand new batteries in the FE, which hasn't been used for awhile. It was stored without batteries and I cleaned the contacts. I ran it through it's paces and all seemed to be fine, meter, shutter speeds, battery check light, yada, yada, yada. Then yesterday I pulled the camera out, loaded a roll of film and...........nuthin.....dead.......no light. no meter, shutter fires at every setting but seems to be clicking off at 1/1000 regardless of where the shutter speed dial is set, with the exception of M90, which is discernably slower than the rest. So I thought MAYBE I inadvertantly left the film advance lever out leaving the meter on, although I didn't notice the lever outside the camera body when I pulled it out. Then I thought maybe I just did a three day time exposure (the shutter dial was set to AUTO) when I put the camera away in a dark case with the lens cap on. So I took the two 1.5 volt batteries out of the FE and put them in the FE2. Aha!!! Nothing, batteries dead. So....then I took the single 3 volt battery (from my FE2) and placed it in the FE.......nothing. I recleaned the contacts, fiddled with the lever, spun the shutter dial all to no avail. Then I put the single three volt battery back in my FE2 and that camera works just fine. To be sure there wasn't a voltage issue that I was overlooking I trudged off the the battery store and bought two more brand new 1.5 volt batteries for the FE just as I had done a few days ago, popped them in and............ nuthin. The guy at the battery store said they felt warm (hot) to him when I yanked them out but I didn't observe that, in fact, they FELT fine to me. What's my next step? Any ideas?</p>

[john_tran14]

<blockquote>

<p>shutter fires at every setting</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's strange. If the batteries are dead, the mirror should hang (except B and M90) see this:<br>

<a href="../nikon-camera-forum/00KLOU">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00KLOU</a></p>

<p>First try shooting at 1/4 sec without batteries, then with good batteries, and tell us what happens</p>

 

[orourke]

<p>Ok I just did. This is what I know. Without any batteries at all the camera fires at every shutter speed setting and the mirror goes through the full cycle, no hang. ALL SHUTTER SPEEDS APPEAR TO BE THE SAME SPEED......INCLUDING M90. Bulb works as it should, mirror goes up when shuttter is depressed and comes down when released. Obviously no battery test light would or could come on.<br>

New batteries.........nothing changes, same scenario. Somewhere along the line here I think the clue to the puzzle lies with the new batteries that I installed the other day being completely dead now despite working just fine when I put them in. Something had to have drained them. Could it be an internal short in the camera? Where would I look if I wanted to break out a screwdriver?</p>

[john_tran14]

<p>If so, your shutter speed dial is broken, the mechanism is stuck at manual speed M90 no matter how you turn the dial. <strong>Normal FE must hang without batteries</strong>. Weak batteries is a total different story</p>

[orourke]

<p>Why no battery check light then and why did the batteries drain in two days? Also I just opened the back and looked at the shutter with a lens attached from a dark area out into the light. M90 is definetly slower than the rest. So it doesn't appear to be "stuck" at M90. I can see the open iris of the lens on that setting (M90), where as the others I can't. All other shutter speeds are very fast and appear to be the same.</p>

[john_tran14]

<blockquote>

<p>Why no battery check light then</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So did you really try without batteries? If the battery check light is not on, it only means the voltage is under 2.8V which is still enough to run "normally". That is only a warning for weak batteries. Like you said, you may leave the meter on over night to wear out your battery</p>

[orourke]

<p>John, I tried it without the batteries, with new batteries, with the battery from the FE2, without batterries again, with new batteries and with the battery from the FE2 again and finally, without the batteries. Batteries aren't the issue, something in the camera is. Therein lies the question.</p>

[john_tran14]

<p>At least we have the following:<br>

1. If an FE or FE2 can shoot at any speed setting without batteries and without mirror hanging, then it is seriously broken. My guess is the shutter magnet is dead</p>

<p>2. No battery check light only means batteries are weak or contact is not good. It happens in many cases that you think you cleaned the contacts but they are still not clean enough</p>

[orourke]

<p>Contacts are super clean and were cleaned after being cleaned. Brand new batteries (voltage tested at the store) won't work so the battery check light is not getting the juice at all. Seems odd that a shutter magnet AND battery check light would simultaneously fail in the course of two days hiding in a case.</p>

[ian_gordon_bilson]

<p>Bill - one more thing you might like to try - this relates to the FE2,but the cameras are not radically different. I had a similar problem with mine,and the service bill said "cleaned shutter magnets".<br>

I believe this item is located under the bottom plate : not a big deal to remove.</p>

<p> </p>