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12-20-2019, 02:56 PM   #1
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Yet another adventure: Restoring a K2

Hello,

Ok, somebody stop me before I hurt myself.....

About 50 cameras ago I said "That's it! No more cameras"
So I just took a gamble on eBay. I found a K2 film body with the wrong description (of a different body). But the photos were clearly of a K2. Contacted the seller and confirmed the photos are of the actual item. "As Is" as the seller has no idea if it works or not. What the heck, I sent a lowball offer and it was accepted.
That's it! No more cameras! (After this one I got a KX and another K1000, each with its own threads here)

So this is what I got:

Looks very tired, but complete










There is a prominent ding in a corner. It rubs the advance lever. That will have to be addressed.


The battery holder was hard to remove but fortunately there were no batteries there. Put fresh batteries but nothing happened.
This will be next after the KX.

Thanks,

12-20-2019, 03:54 PM   #2
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Have fun with the restoration. The K2 is IMHO one of the best-looking of all Pentax cameras and is the one I most frequently put a film through. Mine has a K50/f1.2 on it at the moment.
12-20-2019, 10:56 PM   #3
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Doesn't look half bad, just a little dirty. Congrats.
12-21-2019, 10:47 AM   #4
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Anybody has any idea on the following problem?

The battery holder was slightly corroded. Cleaned it up and it completes the circuit now. I put batteries and the battery indicator lights on. Perfect! The meter responds and it seems to be working fine. Perfect!
BUT: The shutter only fires at mechanical speed regardless of shutter speed selection. Bulb works as it should so that tells me the shutter speed knob is working.
Any idea? The service manual I got is not helping much.
HELP!!!

Thanks,

12-21-2019, 02:37 PM   #5
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A well-designed camera is a thing of beauty forever. My ME Super doesn't work, but it's so Gorgeous! Good luck with the restoration.
12-22-2019, 07:12 PM   #6
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Even after a few firings?
maybe it works only after the 2nd or 3rd to allow you to load the film
Manual here: http://www.pentax-manuals.com/manuals/mf/pentax_k2_manual_s.pdf

QuoteOriginally posted by ismaelg Quote
Anybody has any idea on the following problem?

The battery holder was slightly corroded. Cleaned it up and it completes the circuit now. I put batteries and the battery indicator lights on. Perfect! The meter responds and it seems to be working fine. Perfect!
BUT: The shutter only fires at mechanical speed regardless of shutter speed selection. Bulb works as it should so that tells me the shutter speed knob is working.
Any idea? The service manual I got is not helping much.
HELP!!!

Thanks,
12-22-2019, 07:15 PM - 2 Likes   #7
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Hello,

This camera is beating me up without mercy. There were little signs of previous attempts to remove the advance lever, an important step to remove the top cover. So I tried, and tried..... and kept trying. I know it is reverse thread. Rubber stopper, nothing. Pliers, nothing. A little PB Blaster. Tried again, nothing. So I went to DEFCON 2: Sacrifice the top cover of the lever. Drilled 2 little holes. Tried with spanners, nothing. Pliers, nothing. So at the end I realized I had to go totally destructive: carved a slit with the Dremel and used a big flat screwdriver. After hours it moved about 2mm! Yay! Progress! Kept at it and then.... It snapped. Broke the top from the screw. I don't think I can get much further at this stage. Even if I get it to open, I have no idea what to look for to make it work. Putting it aside to think what's next. Continue destroying parts and bulldoze my way in, hoping to get a replacement lever assembly? That sounds very risky and far fetched.
So I'm open to suggestions. Yes, I can always just clean it up for display only or send to Eric to see if he can save it.
Crawling back under my rock, all bruised up, well beaten and humbled by a K2...

Thanks,

12-23-2019, 06:25 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by ismaelg Quote
Continue destroying parts and bulldoze my way in, hoping to get a replacement lever assembly?
ismaelg,I have a K2 you could have for parts,just for the price of shipping,if that would help you out.I've been impressed with your
progress on the other bodies you've resurrected.I'd have one big pile of broken parts if I attempted repairs.
12-23-2019, 11:10 AM   #9
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For frozen threads I've had great success with a product called Liquid Wrench. It's similar to WD-40 but I think it works much better on loosening threads. Apply liberally (well, not on a camera) and wait 24 hours. I remember one rusty muffler clamp whose nuts wouldn't budge after vehement persuasion. Liquid Wrench, tried again next day, nuts came off like the clamp was brand new.
12-24-2019, 06:31 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by 17dew Quote
ismaelg

ismaelg,I have a K2 you could have for parts,just for the price of shipping,if that would help you out.I've been impressed with your
progress on the other bodies you've resurrected.I'd have one big pile of broken parts if I attempted repairs.
Thank you very much! That is very nice of you! That is definitely a Plan B to consider.
I'm out of town but I should be back home the day after Christmas. I'll take a fresh look at it and determine course of action. I applied some PB blaster penetrating liquid. I hope it does its thing while I'm out. I'll keep you updated.
Merry Christmas!

Thanks,
12-24-2019, 07:52 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by ismaelg Quote
Hello,

This camera is beating me up without mercy. There were little signs of previous attempts to remove the advance lever, an important step to remove the top cover. So I tried, and tried..... and kept trying. I know it is reverse thread. Rubber stopper, nothing. Pliers, nothing. A little PB Blaster. Tried again, nothing. So I went to DEFCON 2: Sacrifice the top cover of the lever. Drilled 2 little holes. Tried with spanners, nothing. Pliers, nothing. So at the end I realized I had to go totally destructive: carved a slit with the Dremel and used a big flat screwdriver. After hours it moved about 2mm! Yay! Progress! Kept at it and then.... It snapped. Broke the top from the screw. I don't think I can get much further at this stage. Even if I get it to open, I have no idea what to look for to make it work. Putting it aside to think what's next. Continue destroying parts and bulldoze my way in, hoping to get a replacement lever assembly? That sounds very risky and far fetched.
So I'm open to suggestions. Yes, I can always just clean it up for display only or send to Eric to see if he can save it.
Crawling back under my rock, all bruised up, well beaten and humbled by a K2...

Thanks,
The thread for the winder cap is RH not LH like previous models, threw me off also the first I took apart a K2. Since the K2 is one of my favorites, bought a couple "AS-IS" bodies from KEH to learn how to work on.
12-24-2019, 10:40 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by ismaelg Quote
I'll keep you updated.
Merry Christmas!
Sounds good! Merry Christmas to you and safe travels!
12-24-2019, 10:46 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by longbow Quote
The thread for the winder cap is RH not LH like previous models, threw me off also the first I took apart a K2. Since the K2 is one of my favorites, bought a couple "AS-IS" bodies from KEH to learn how to work on.
Now you tell me!
I did try both ways but it was pretty stuck.
I could not find any disassembly instructions online. Only a service manual with the parts list but it had no info or procedure. Then google found a very old post from over 10 years ago on who knows what forum saying it was reverse thread. But now I know.

Thanks!
12-26-2019, 10:58 AM   #14
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Hello!

As a Christmas present a tiny drop of PB Blaster did its job and I was able to remove the advance lever! After that, removing the top was easy.



Like the fish in Finding Nemo at the end of the movie: Now what?

OK. I don't see anything obvious. However, I noticed the take up spool is not moving with the advance lever. No idea if that is related to the shutter speed issue.
Finding online references is quite hard.
Any idea where to look to make the spool move with the lever?

Thanks,
12-26-2019, 03:42 PM   #15
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Did you remove the bottom plate to check operation. I have a full K2 repair manual at home will check for information later tonight. Make sure not make any adjustments to any of the variable resistors, these control the shutter speeds and need to be done on testing equipment. Not the best camera to work on if you don't proper testing equipment, same with any of the electronic cameras. Spotmatics, KX, KM, K1000 & MX better for tinkering with basic tools. The K2s' I'm working on, the meters and shutter speeds are accurate, just need light seals, foam and cleaning. You can make a simple shutter tester or buy a Cam-Lite II Shutter off of Amazon (what I have), unfortunately it just gives shutter open speeds, not individual curtain travel speeds, but good enough for personal use. So far all the ones I've repaired so far have film tested good.
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