Today I had a good day: I was able to put the first 9000 AF from my repair collection into service 
It's the 9000, whose shutter I accidentally and irreversibly misaligned. Today I installed a replacement.
I had previously also replaced the counter base plate because the switch contact for the AEL measurement memory was defective.
I had already cleaned this shutter with acetone from the outside as a first attempt, but didn't disassemble it, which is absolutely necessary for that. Remains of the sticky damper still needed to be removed.
I cleaned the individual parts with acetone and cotton swabs, and I also bathed the shutter curtains in acetone.
Using blotting paper strips soaked in acetone, you can clean gently and thoroughly between the slats.
To replace the rotten damper, I put narrower cut pieces of a rubber band into the bottom of the shutter housing. Glued with Loctite 401. This is where C2, the closing curtain, is cushioned.
Rubber dampers are installed for C1, the opening curtain, and they're in good working order. A rubber washer also serves as an additional damper for C2.
And this time, too, a screw wouldn't budge. This was particularly inconvenient because the shutter shouldn't be subjected to pressure from the screwdriver.
Using the Dremel and a diamond burr, I was able to remove the screw head and loosen the cover.
Since the screw residue was firmly in place, I secured this corner of the shutter housing with a drop of epoxy. Soft soldering isn't possible with this metal.
I don't have a reference for the curtains travel times, so I adjust the slower C1 to C2. This worked very well.
This should ensure that the shots are evenly exposed, which is the most important thing.
If the shutter speeds don't exactly match the specifications, it's not a problem, provided they're just shifted evenly in one direction (faster/slower).
Once I had assembled the 9000 enough to fire it, things got exciting again. Are the curtain travel times still correct, and what about the shutter speeds?
Here's the result for the fastest and therefore most critical shutter speed, 1/4000 of a second. This isn't quite achieved, but both shutter curtains (C1, C2) run almost synchronously.
The remaining exposure times were also a bit too slow, stabilizing at 1/60 of a second. Everything was within the limits and definitely sufficient for negative film.
The test of the exposure metering system, here in program mode, shows that the 9000 converts brightness correctly.
Does this expired Elitechrome also pass a test?
I'm now going on a photo trip with this 9000 AF and am excited to see the results
Conclusion
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All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
It's the 9000, whose shutter I accidentally and irreversibly misaligned. Today I installed a replacement.
I had previously also replaced the counter base plate because the switch contact for the AEL measurement memory was defective.
I had already cleaned this shutter with acetone from the outside as a first attempt, but didn't disassemble it, which is absolutely necessary for that. Remains of the sticky damper still needed to be removed.
I cleaned the individual parts with acetone and cotton swabs, and I also bathed the shutter curtains in acetone.
Using blotting paper strips soaked in acetone, you can clean gently and thoroughly between the slats.
To replace the rotten damper, I put narrower cut pieces of a rubber band into the bottom of the shutter housing. Glued with Loctite 401. This is where C2, the closing curtain, is cushioned.
Rubber dampers are installed for C1, the opening curtain, and they're in good working order. A rubber washer also serves as an additional damper for C2.
And this time, too, a screw wouldn't budge. This was particularly inconvenient because the shutter shouldn't be subjected to pressure from the screwdriver.
Using the Dremel and a diamond burr, I was able to remove the screw head and loosen the cover.
Since the screw residue was firmly in place, I secured this corner of the shutter housing with a drop of epoxy. Soft soldering isn't possible with this metal.
I don't have a reference for the curtains travel times, so I adjust the slower C1 to C2. This worked very well.
This should ensure that the shots are evenly exposed, which is the most important thing.
If the shutter speeds don't exactly match the specifications, it's not a problem, provided they're just shifted evenly in one direction (faster/slower).
Once I had assembled the 9000 enough to fire it, things got exciting again. Are the curtain travel times still correct, and what about the shutter speeds?
Here's the result for the fastest and therefore most critical shutter speed, 1/4000 of a second. This isn't quite achieved, but both shutter curtains (C1, C2) run almost synchronously.
The remaining exposure times were also a bit too slow, stabilizing at 1/60 of a second. Everything was within the limits and definitely sufficient for negative film.
The test of the exposure metering system, here in program mode, shows that the 9000 converts brightness correctly.
Does this expired Elitechrome also pass a test?
I'm now going on a photo trip with this 9000 AF and am excited to see the results
Conclusion
- I'm convinced that every Minolta 9000 AF now has problems with a sticky shutter, which makes the camera unreliable. Either images are underexposed or there's no exposure at all because the shutter doesn't open.
- To solve the problem, the mirror box must be removed and the shutter disassembled and cleaned.
- It's a lot of work and requires dedication and concentration, but it's doable.
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
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