Nikon FM2 gritty film advance?

[Incongruent Phonon]

Good evening all. I got a FM2n in really good condition. Except the film advance lever feels a bit crunchy.

when not loaded with film. The lever is butter smooth. When loaded with samsung brand 200 iso film, each full stroke has several little stops that I could perceive. 
 

it seems to be a bit smoother with kodak gold 200. 
 

camera works fine and film spacing is correct.

The take up spool turns both ways, one way it clicks, other way it doesn’t, and has more resistance. Is this normal?

initially I also noticed the take up spool feels gritty when I turn it opposite to the direction where it clicks. i spun it a bit more and the grittiness went away. However advance lever is still crunchy when using the samsung film.

 

any ideas?

i do have a FM body with a smooth take up spool. Are these two compatible between? What kind of screw driver I need? 

 

sorry for all the questions. Have a good night!

[CvhKaar]

5 hours ago, Incongruent Phonon said:

 

The take up spool turns both ways, one way it clicks, other way it doesn’t, and has more resistance. Is this normal?

To my knowledge the pick-up spool needs to provide some resistance  to keep tension on the film, until you do depress the rewind lock, otherwise the film wil not stay flat and in exact position, so it is better not to turn the pickup spool back umnles the rewind lock is depressed, it may even cause some damage if you do..

[Incongruent Phonon]

4 hours ago, CvhKaar said:

To my knowledge the pick-up spool needs to provide some resistance  to keep tension on the film, until you do depress the rewind lock, otherwise the film wil not stay flat and in exact position, so it is better not to turn the pickup spool back umnles the rewind lock is depressed, it may even cause some damage if you do..

Thank you foe the input. I did not force it at all. Seems like the take up spool just turns the other way. My FM also does that. The crunchy feeling when winding the advance lever almost feels like the spool slipping, just like how it would grind when i turn it the other way at first. 

[orsetto]

You really haven't had much luck with your Nikon purchases over the past weeks... 😉

The FM/FE bodies can be a little weird sometimes: on the one hand, they are very well made, on the other some elements can feel tinny and crap in operation despite the nice build. Wind-on feel can vary from one example to the next, some are like butter while others are wiggly and grindy. As long as the body seems to be working reliably and frame spacing is totally consistent roll to roll, I wouldn't worry about slightly grungy wind feel unless it seems unusually poor.

When hunting for manual exposure gear today, beware the apparent "bargains" - there aren't any. If its going for cheap, something is off with it. That something could be a minor "feel" issue, or it could run deeper. Repair service can be costly, so if in any doubt about a recent purchase its probably best to return it within your trial window.

[glen_h]

Many of the Nikon bodies aren't so cheap, though the older Nikkormats aren't so bad.

Many old Canon bodies are pretty reasonably priced, though.  FTb are not hard to find for $10 or $15.

But most often, it is cheaper to buy another one, than to fix the one you have.

 

I just got out my FE2, to remember how it sounds.

There is a ratchet sound in it, but it is smooth, not random like grit.

If you wind slow, you can hear the individual tic-tic-tic-tic sound.

There is also a sound that I remember from my FM, which I always thought was related to sprockets and sprocket holes.

My Canon rangefinders wind so smooth compared to the FM and FE2.   There is no ratchet sound.

[erichsande]

Not sure how well film is made these days but it could be the film cartridges themselves.  I recall some that advanced a little rough with my FE2 but it was rare when film was king.