Minolta SLR - Stuck Film Advance Fix!

[Mark Vaughan]

Hello All,

I have recently acquired one of the greats - a Minolta XE-7 - and it had the problem with the stuck film advance crank.

I HAVE SOLVED THIS PROBLEM and if you happen to encounter this on any of your Minoltas (XD, XE, or SRT) let me know and I'll be happy to let you know how to fix it. It's much simpler than you may think, but not for anyone with poor eyesight or shaky hands..! It boils down to this:

* Old NITENOL springs in the advance catch mechanism get tired and need to be exercised
* There is a catch mechanism that requires a micro spot of oil
* Minor disassembly/reassembly required

I will photograph and detail the fix at a later date, but please don't toss out the Minoltas with stuck cranks just yet. Give me an email and I'll get you the fix!

Best regards,
Mark

[vintageslrs]

Hi Mark

I have a couple of XE-7's and I think there are one great camera!
Mine are working fine but......
When you have the time please post the fix and the photo.
I'm sure several of us would love to know the details.

thanks
Bob

[Mark Vaughan]

Bob -

Let me pull it apart again and photograph the process. I got excited working on it and forgot that I probably should have documented it..! Before I knew it, it was back together. Either way, it's pretty easy and I'll get the info out for all to see.

I found another problem with the ON/OFF switch: mine was moving up and down freely, with no click-resistance to either the ON or OFF positions. I pulled the switch with a spanner (the chome plated bolt in the middle of the switch with two spanner index dots) and found that my plastic switch cover had a broken pole. I am now looking for a junker XE, XE1, XE5, XE7 for parts. I was tempted to take the good one off my XE-5, but that thing is a jewel... will have to wait for a parts camera.

Have a good week,
Mark

[johnw]

Hi, Mark, I just got a minolta XG-A at a goodwill store for $10, with a 50mm 1.7 lens. Both camera and lens look almost unused. The catch, however is the stuck crank. Do you still have this info about the repair? I'd appreciate any help you can give me.
Thanks in advance JohnW.