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Old Canon AE-1 shutter speeds got slower after sitting 8 years, anyone fixed this without a full CLA?
Pulled my dad's AE-1 out of a closet last month, it hadn't been fired since 2016. The 1/1000 speed sounds like 1/250 now, and 1/500 is barely 1/125. The slow speeds below 1/30 seem fine actually. I know the usual fix is a full tear down and re-lube, but the meter works and the glass is clean. I've got a small blower and some lighter fluid but I'm scared to touch the shutter mechanism without a proper jig. Has anyone revived sticky speeds by just exercising the dial 20 times? Or does it need the full CLA no matter what? I'm in Cincinnati if anyone nearby does partial work on these.
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rowan8491mo ago
Did you try just firing it a bunch of times before doing anything else? I read on a repair forum that old lube in these gets gummy and sometimes running through all the speeds a few dozen times loosens things up enough to get you back in range. If that doesn't do it though, lighter fluid is risky because it can wash the lube into places you can't reach, so you may just have to eat the cost of a CLA.
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