Nikon FM2 advance lever was totally frozen. Got it moving.

Lever was stuck solid. Took off the bottom plate and found a tiny spring had snapped. Swapped in one from a donor body. Works perfect now.

4 comments

4 Comments

hannahjohnson4mo ago

Shock me to learn that spring is a known weak spot. You'd think Nikon would have made it stronger from the start. Good tip about checking the tension on the replacement.

sandra_flores854mo ago

Short take: Classic FM2 thing. Longer reply: Nice save! That spring is so famous for failing, it's a miracle they all haven't snapped by now. My buddy's FM2 ate two of them before he finally got a good one in there. Real tired of that little spring going bad in such a solid camera. Still, once it's fixed right, that thing keeps on ticking forever.

the_anthony2mo ago

Read an article once that said Nikon actually knew about the spring issue early on but thought it was acceptable because the failure rate was low enough. Guess they figured most people would just send it in for repair anyway. Still drives me nuts knowing such a tiny part can kill a whole camera if you don't catch it.

claire3004mo ago

That little spring is a known weak spot in the FM2. Worth checking the tension on your donor spring to make sure it's up to the job. A weak one will just fail again pretty quick.