[photogem]

K5 / K5II / K5IIs / K7 / K3

The E-Dials of the professional Pentax bodies are different to those in the entry cameras.
I haven't checked yet on the K30/50/500 nor K-S1/K-S2/K-70 but those will either be similar as you can read in THIS TUTORIAL or similar to the K5/7/3 etc.

Disassembling is straight forward if you just need to work on the back E-Dial because only the TOP needs to come off!

If you need to work on the front E-Dial as well, then you have to do more disassembling,
because the front-cover needs to come off as well. (K5; K5II and K5IIs! Not K7 and K3)


Best to make some simple drawings or better photos of all sides and glue those onto a piece of cardboard.
Markings where the screws are located, pinch 2mm holes and then stick the screws inside there.

Tools:
- JIS 00 or 000 screwdriver: I use the Vessel 9902-set because I like the length which is usefull for the solenoid repairs as well as for the screw inside the battery-chamber. I don't like the Vessel T-Series very much, too flimsy and not strong enough. But a PH00 will do as well!

- DeoxIT FaderLube: But no contact cleaner. Avoid like hell!
- very small flat-blade screwdriver if you want to clean the ISO and EV buttons as well (which is sensible)

Flash-capacitor:
- If you just work on the back E-Dial and thus just the top needs to come off, you won't come near the flash-condensor.
Just "don't poke around" inside the flash-compartment itself
- But if you take off the front for the front E-Dial, there is one contact just above the capacitor which can hold up to 320V DC (but pretty low amperage and yet, enough to give you a nasty jolt).
Then you follow instructions given HERE (1.st option, because option #2 does is too critical because the leads of the capacitor are insulated and the solder point which carries + (plus) is very close to - (minus)! Using a resistor or lamp there only for the very advanced! But option #1 works very well!


Here first the instructions if you intend just to work on the back E-Dial:

1. Two screws behind the rubber eyecup:


2. Open pop-up-flash: Two screws there:


3. One screw deep inside the battery-chamber:


4. Two screws right side (grip):


5. Three screws left side (one is hidden underneath the rubber = green arrow):


Here the hidden one again (left red arrow):

You don't need to unscrew the one right behind the X-Sync-Socket (blue arrow) ! Only necessary if you want to take the front off!)

Now you can lift the TOP of your Pentax but be carefull, there are wires and flat-ribbon-cables!
Carefully place it on the left side without bending/hurting the cables/wires! Not difficult, just some care needed.

6. Three screws for the Top-LCD:


7. Two screws for the "Back-E-Dial":


- Spray a tiny amound of "DeoxIT FaderLube" onto this tiny potentiometer which sits on the green board.

- Clean the leftovers right away ioff and mount it back onto the wheel with the 2 screws, turn the wheel several times into both directions!

- Same procedure for the front-E-Dial (I would always do both, even if it is just one not working alright!)

8. As you are already that far and the top-cover is lose, you now can clean the EV- and ISO-Buttons as well,
remove the three screws and clean them just with some isopropyl-alcohol or similar:

Each button is fixed with a tiny retaining ring (radial e-clip). You just losen it with a tiny flat-blade screwdriver and make sure, it doesn't jump off!
So this white blanket under the camera is a good idea.


Of course it makes sense to clean the ON/OFF-SWITCH at the same time at the same time with isopropyl-alcohol as well:
Use a cotton-swab and rub the lower-part carefully, another cotton-swap for those 3 fingers with 2 contact-points on each but only from the back to the front, so that you avoid bending them! They are a bit sensitive and must stay exactly in their position! Not that one bends them easely but they are made out of gold-plated beryllium-copper (spring-copper) which is strong and durable but I have seen some bent ones, then they need to be replaced. So just some care is needed.

Re-assemble everything and enjoy how smooth the E-Dials work again.


Now instructions if you need do clean the front E-Dial as well (or just this one:


1. Take the bottom cover off (Li-Ion D-LI90 battery out!)
8 screws + 2 screws behind the battery-door (green arrow)
1 screw deep inside the battery-chamber as shown before.


2. All three screws right side:


3. Four screws left side:

The green arrow points to the hidden screw behind the rubber which must come off as well!

4. All other screws as shown for just lifting the top-cover (behind rubber-eye-piece and below pop-up-flash).


5. Two screws fixing the front E-Dial from the front-side:


6. One screw fixing the front E-Dial from the top:


Cleaning is the same as with the back E-Dial

Re-assembling same steps backwards, but when you place the front-cover back, first align the external part of the AF.S-C-MF switch:




with the inner counterpart which looks like this:


External part on AF.S and inner part downwards so the screwdrive-mechanism pokes out (in MF position it retreats)

Right away when you placed the front-cover back into position check the AF.S-C-MF switch for proper function!


Enjoy your work and a great camera!

---

Last edited by photogem; 07-15-2021 at 01:02 AM.

[photogem]

Further information added, particular specific photos showing the difference between the front E-Dial of the K-5 and K-7.


The information provided by D.H.Cook using only DeoxIT FaderLube proved to be very right and is of utmost importance!

I had cleaned the front E-Dial of a Pentax K-7 with a tunerspray and the problem came back but worse!

Luckily I had another E-Dial for replacement which I treated with the Deoxit-spray and it works perfect since!

Tunerspray and other contact-cleaners are as D.H.Cook mentioned not designed for plastic-conductive potentiometers and will speed up their decay!

As all E-Dials of the K-5 are plastic-fim potentiometers this is utmost important.