Fixing a Nikon D80 with err problem


The motor indicated by red arrow is the motor responsible to drive the shutter and mirror, some call it charging motor
There's another motor indicated by yellow arrow, it's the AF motor.

 

fatigue said:
The gear has an index. The index has to be within the range (yellow arrows)
My photo is not so clear, but if you look closely on the actual part, you will see the arrows.
In fact, there are 3 arrows. The index does not have to be in the middle arrow. As long as it's with the range, it should be fine
Click to expand...

Thanks. I did line up the index on the gear with the arrows before reassembly. But I noticed there are 2 index marks on the gear, so which one is supposed to be used? Also, can it be simply manually aligned after connecting the motor, or does it need to be aligned prior to putting the motor gearbox back in?
 

Seeker of Truth said:
Thanks. I did line up the index on the gear with the arrows before reassembly. But I noticed there are 2 index marks on the gear, so which one is supposed to be used? Also, can it be simply manually aligned after connecting the motor, or does it need to be aligned prior to putting the motor gearbox back in?
Click to expand...

Yes, it can be simply manually aligned after connecting the motor. On the right side ( the shutter is facing you), there's a gear window. turn the gear counterclockwise until the arrow is aligned with the range. I'm not sure which particular index mark to use. I just turn the gear until the mirror goes down then align the index
 

I found this thread quite helpful. I did this gear contact fix gluing it back to plastic gear. But now my D80 still blinks err message. When pressing shutter, it will make ~3 shots in a row. I have tried tens of times aligning the shutter-mirror gear arrows as shown here, im sure i've done it right but no use. Before (with broken gear) it did only one shot, sometimes left mirror in upper position, but usually not. Now the mirror will stop in random positio, rarely in bottom position. Also menu functions for sensor celaning are not active. Any ideas? Could it be worn motor brushes as shown on previous page?
 

Last edited:
Just encountered the same error, which happened very suddenly. Just last week I was taking pictures, now suddenly display error. Quite apprehensive to open up the camera.

David do you still fix cameras?
 

Hi Fatigue,

My D80 just got the same "err" error message. will try to DIY the fix.
CAn you let me know what are the tools required to start my own fix.

tks in advance,:thumbsup:

Denis
 

dsaints said:
Hi Fatigue,

My D80 just got the same "err" error message. will try to DIY the fix.
CAn you let me know what are the tools required to start my own fix.

tks in advance,:thumbsup:

Denis
Click to expand...


Welcome to Clubsnap kabayan Denis.
All you need are the following tools:
- screwdriver #00
- 30W soldering iron
- a pair of tweezers
- safety pin – to remove the ornament on AF and diopter dials
- 2k Ohms 2W/5W resistor – to discharge the capacitor


David
 

Hi everyone,

I just successfully completed this gear fix on my d80. However, I now have the blinking err message. Any ideas what I should try next?
 

fatigue said:
Are you able to release the shutter but with "err" message? If yes, probably it's still the gear/switch problem.
Click to expand...

Yes, I can release the shutter, but no pictures are taken. So I'm pretty sure the gear is fixed at this point.....should my next step be to replace the whole aperture control unit? Or is there another way to troubleshoot what might be the issue? I didn't try to de-grease the gear, but it didn't look greasy. Should I try that?
 

McFarnell said:
Yes, I can release the shutter, but no pictures are taken. So I'm pretty sure the gear is fixed at this point.....should my next step be to replace the whole aperture control unit? Or is there another way to troubleshoot what might be the issue? I didn't try to de-grease the gear, but it didn't look greasy. Should I try that?
Click to expand...

The metal switch may look nicely mounted on the gear, but once the gear is assembled, there is some spring pressure which could cause the plastic rivet to come off. You should also ensure that the metal switch and contacts are free from oil for good electrical connection.
Replacing the aperture control unit is a short-cut, just make sure to remember the wire connections. Take a picture before desoldering the wires
 

Last edited:
Thanks to all who were so kind to gather this information here.
In exchange I will give you my experience on repairing a D80

I bought a D80 with "ERR" just for fun, managed to repair two D70s 's earlier

With this tutorial all went well. I used loctite epoxy glue for the gear.
Installing the gear I found out it had been out off place before taking it apart
So I inserted the gear with the arrow aligned to the upper ring of the arm behind it
It was aligned perfectly after reassembly

I had the mirrow up and the shutter released so there was no tension on both when reassembling
The D80 works perfectly, so thanks again and enjoy repairing cameras

Hans, The Netherlands
 

Last edited:
Hello.

I am new to this forum and in DSLR cameras as well. Couple of days ago decided to buy my first (used) DSLR camera so I have found Nikon D80 camera with an error but for a really good price (shutter count is only 5100) . Did my research (found this topic as well) so I thought it would be an easy fix and a good buy. Symptoms were blinking error and only motor noise from the camera when I tried to take a picture (it sounded like the motor turns without the transmission gears in place). I do not have a lens for it yet so I am not sure if there can be an operating problem with the camera if the lens is not attached. According to a previous owner, Nikon repair shop said the problem is in one of the gears inside the camera.

Anyway, I took the camera apart and I found out the gear is ok. At least I think so, nothing is broken and I have cleaned it from a grease. Maybe other (oval) side has some minor sign of wear but when I tried to move everything by hand, it seemed shutter and mirror are working fine. I have aligned everything according to your instructions and assembled the camera. When I turned camera on, error was still there but when I pressed shutter release button, shutter/mirror did a couple of cycles and error was gone. After another few tries, mirror stuck on top and again only motor worked without any other movements (of course, error started to blink again). I have manually moved the mirror to the middle and pressed the release button a few times and managed to get the mirror in the middle position without an error on the screen. I do not want to test it further without a lens attached to it.

I would appreciate if you can suggest possible causes for this symptoms. Thank you in advance.
 

Last edited:
After repairing the D80 in March 2015 I had a D70s as spare
My daughter started to be interested, so I gave her the D70s for her birthday

A week ago an other D80 was auctioned on the Internet
The guy lives just a fwe miles from here, so I went over to get it.

The gear looked OK, but the seller told me the camera had been in the hot sun for long
Both sides of the switch / gear were covered with grease from the gears above
I cleaned both up and closed the gearbox.

Next was the shutter, I found one of the curtains had stuck
Maybe as a result of the grease in the gear ...
I took the shutter from the camera to release the curtain
That way the arm from the mirror comes free without tension
I think that is crucial for a startposition of both shutter and miror

The gear had the little arrow in line with the mark on the gearbox (black)
In that position the oval backside of the gear is tight with the upper wheel behind it in the dent on the oval.

The D70s will be sold.
Both my daughter and I will keep our repaired D80's

Thanks to you all for the wonderfull information.

Hans
 

Hello,

Like many others I found this thread after my D80 started flashing the Err message. I had not used the camera for just over a year, it has been stored dry and was working fine when I put it away, but today the Err displayed as soon as I pressed the shutter button. But I am wondering if the problem is actually due to the faulty plastic rivet, or perhaps some dirt / oil on the contacts that the gear has? The reason I think it may be a bad contact is that the camera will sometimes focus and take a picture, but mostly will not, so the fault is not 100%.

Has anyone had any luck with contact cleaner or solvent sprayed, or dropped onto the gear without taking the camera completely apart? I am no stranger to DIY, but I normally work on bigger things like engines so am not sure I have the detail skills needed.

Many thanks to all the posts so far, any help is much appreciated.
 

cancunia said:
Hello,

Like many others I found this thread after my D80 started flashing the Err message. I had not used the camera for just over a year, it has been stored dry and was working fine when I put it away, but today the Err displayed as soon as I pressed the shutter button. But I am wondering if the problem is actually due to the faulty plastic rivet, or perhaps some dirt / oil on the contacts that the gear has? The reason I think it may be a bad contact is that the camera will sometimes focus and take a picture, but mostly will not, so the fault is not 100%.

Has anyone had any luck with contact cleaner or solvent sprayed, or dropped onto the gear without taking the camera completely apart? I am no stranger to DIY, but I normally work on bigger things like engines so am not sure I have the detail skills needed.

Many thanks to all the posts so far, any help is much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Most of the time, the problem is cause by the damaged plastic rivet. Without the rivet, there's no pressure between the metal peace and the
contact points.
 

Great photos!
I just disassembled a D80 and an angled, brass piece, 2 holes in one side and 1 hole at the other end, with a bit of black tape in the middle, fell out of somewhere.
Does anyone know where it goes ???
Thx

------------
Figured it out. It goes on the lower right hole of the metal shield, to connect to the base of the right grip.
 

Last edited:
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