Ilex shutter fires at one speed only

[G Benaim]

Hi all,

I just got a lens in an ilex 4 shutter, and it only fires at one speed. Is this something that a CLA will usually fix, or is it something more serious which should cause me to send this lens back? Thanks,

GB

[Steve Hamley]

Typically yes. Such problems are taken care of in every CLA I've had.

Cheers,

Steve

[Kevin Crisp]

I agree. Every time I have had this issue a CLA does it. Though not elegant, these are real work horses and can be very accurate. They are readily available for not much money if you find you need to swap it out.

[Jim Galli]

The escapement gearset probably just needs a little flood of lighter fluid. If you're the type fellow who can take a carburetor apart and put it back together, try it yourself. That's a most forgiving shutter to begin with. The top pieces come off to expose the escapement. Turn it on it's side so the fluid doesn't go in and foul the aperture blades.

If you're not handy with small mechanical things, your local clock repairman can probably do it.

[G Benaim]

Thanks everyone, I'll just take it to my lens repairman. Another problem I noticed is that the shutter doesn't always close all the way down after firing, but leaves a little pinhole opening. Sometimes. Is this also a matter of lubrication? Thanks.

[Jim Galli]

Thanks everyone, I'll just take it to my lens repairman. Another problem I noticed is that the shutter doesn't always close all the way down after firing, but leaves a little pinhole opening. Sometimes. Is this also a matter of lubrication? Thanks.

Yes. Indicates it needs a deeper cleaning than I suggested.

[lenser]

If you don't find another solution, I highly recommend Carol at Flutot'scamerarepair.com. She has salvaged several old clunkers for me and has very reasonable prices.

[Robert Ley]

Just this last weekend I received back from Carol an Ilex 3 that she CLA'd for me and the speeds are dead on. She has worked on Copal, Ilex and Compound shutters for me and I am highly satisfied.

She is pretty busy and you need to get on a waiting list, but it is definitely worth the wait.

[Brian Ellis]

Thanks everyone, I'll just take it to my lens repairman. Another problem I noticed is that the shutter doesn't always close all the way down after firing, but leaves a little pinhole opening. Sometimes. Is this also a matter of lubrication? Thanks.

That's perhaps a more serious problem than the single speed. I owned a lens in a shutter that wouldn't fully close. My repairman said it couldn't be fixed to a point that it would ever consistently close. IIRC he said the shutter sat around unused for such a long time that it had become gummed up beyond the point that a CLA would do anything (my recollection, if that doesn't make sense blame it on my memory, the repairman was very capable).

[eddie]

If you're the type fellow who can take a carburetor apart and put it back together, try it yourself.

carb repair people are getting old.....everything has been fuel injected since the early 90s. soon it will be hard to get an old rochester tweaked back into shape.....too bad.

the ilex probably has a bad or broken main spring......i think that is what it was called....now i seem to be forgetting......