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irvin

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm DIY Fix

Jul 25, '09 4:14 AM
for everyone

Nikkor Fix: The kit lens that came with my Nikon D70, which is now almost 5 years old, was getting jammed while zooming. I first assumed it to be sand inside the lens mechanism since I use my SLR on the beach and in dusty / sandy places.

But googling how to fix this, I discovered the zoom problem was quite common and that the usual culprit was a loose internal screw. The fix seemed doable but was complicated by the fact that I only found rough paragraph-form guides online. The more common recommendation was still to have the lens repaired at an authorized service center lest you get stuck with an "expensive paperweight".

I was able to fix my lens and I'm posting pictures and a rough guide just to pay it forward.

Symptoms: Zoom is rough or gets jammed.
Total Time: 1hour 17 minutes. (although I had to figure out things along the way)
Skill Level: This is my first time to disassemble a camera lens. But I am familiar (and confident / crazy) enough with disassembling toys and electronics.
Tools Required: Small philips screwdriver, small flathead screwdriver, good lighting.

Procedure: I found two procedures online, one seemed more complicated and involved removing screws from the metal mount and taking out electronics (http://www.lesliewong.us/blog/2008/01/25/nikon-af-s-dx-zoom-nikkor-18-70mm-repair/). The other, which I used, involved removing the zoom rubber ring and working on the screws from there (http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Pegi). Here's how I fixed mine:

Step1: Remove the rubber ring using a small flat screwdriver to expose a screw.

Step2: Extend the lens to its 70mm full-zoom position. (This is important to allow you to access the internal screws)

Step3: Remove the screw.
Step4: Move the black rings towards the front end of the lens to expose three screws. Tighten any lose screws.

Reassembly (this is the more difficult part because a lot of components have to be aligned)

Step5: (optional) you might want to clean the lenses internally since dust particles might fall on the inside glass surfaces when the assembly is opened. I used a microfibre cloth and used my finger to apply pressure on the cloth. There might be better cleaning tools, but I was happy enough with the microfibre option.

(note that the next three steps might be interchangeable and would need a fair amount of trial and error and a great deal of patience.)

Step6: Align the two ring components to each other. First make sure that the hole for the screw in the outer ring aligns with the indentation in the inner ring. Then make sure that the notches on one ring align with the gaps on the other and gently push the rings together.

Step7: Align the inner ring with the front-end of the main lens assembly. The main guides for this are two semi-spiral ridges on the inner ring, and two diagonal notches on the front-end of the lens assembly. Once aligned, rotate the rings to interlock the notches to the ridges.

Step8: Align the screw hole on the outer rings to the screw hole on the main lens assembly by rotating the rings.

Step9: Put the screw back. Put the rubber ring back. Test the zoom mechanism, it should be smooth again. Clean the lens externally.

Hope this helps anyone who might have a similar problem :)

Tags: d70, camera

Prev: D70 Disassembly

16 Comments

jcmmarcy wrote on Jul 27, '09

bangis

isaacrivera wrote on Jul 27, '09

Bili na ng isa sa trinity lenses! hehehe ;-)

ridvan wrote on Jul 28, '09

alagang alaga mo pala cam mo, sana umabot din ng 5 years cam ko. hehe.

kristinemacaraeg wrote on Jul 29, '09

good job baby! =)

irvdabird wrote on Aug 4, '09

Thanks! I'm not particularly too careful though, like I don't put the lens cap and I bring my camera to the beach. But I try to extend the useful life of my gear so I wouldn't have to shell out on new things too often. I want to wait until significant advancements before I have to buy again (I'm waiting for a mid-range Nikon dSLR with a broader dynamic range that will have HD video with good audio or one that allows for an external mic). I'd love to get a trinity lens but I'll probably hold out a bit longer since my current lenses pretty much still suit my needs :)

kalansing wrote on Aug 11, '09

great tutorial sir! i was just suspecting that there's something underneath the rubber rings then got me reading on the net then bumped into your site! i'm also have some trouble with my kit (18-55), zooming isn't smooth. hopefully i could lube it up when i have the time. kudos to you bossing!

famerlor wrote on Aug 18, '09

You just saved me a lot of money. In and out in 15 minutes.Sweeeeeeeeeeet!

seerixpix wrote on Dec 23, '09

WOW, I had left mine for dead when the zoom jammed. I was really bummed too because these lenses are pretty good performers for the price range, I didn't want to upgrade. With these instructions I was done in under an hour. To quote famerior "sweeeet", You just saved me a lot of money!! The one thing I would add that will reduce some alignment frustration is, after lining up the two rings like Step 6 and getting them to slip over one another, I found it easier to slip the outer most ring into final position and then push the lens in and then line up the spiral groove and cog. Thanks for the GREAT picture tutorial.

dessie66 wrote on May 2, '10

That's great, but what do I do if the lens won't extend to its 70 mm position?

seerixpix wrote on May 17, '10

Sounds like a classic example of the problem, the screws have backed themselves out enough to jam and restrict full travel of the zoom. If you haven't tried the DIY repair yet, you should. Good Luck

irvdabird wrote on May 17, '10

Sorry for not being to help you out in a timely manner, the past weeks have been hectic. If you haven't tried it yet, not being able to extend to the 70mm position shouldn't prevent you from fixing the lens, but it might take you a bit longer. Try extending it without forcing the lens, but this isn't absolutely necessary.

I can't remember why exactly, but when I fixed mine, I didn't know about extending to the full 70mm position and it just made it a bit more difficult.

gammaflat wrote on May 9, '11

I just did this procedure. Thank you so much. I was sure my 18-70 was cooked. I just finished and I'm still seeing spots (close work does that to me).

I have 3 comments.
#1 Clean the lens before you start and clean as you go. As it comes apart, I'd recommend a vacuum to collect debris on the dust rings. As I look in the big end of my lens now, I wanna cry. There's so much dust in there now and I'm sure most, if not all of it is from the dust rings (fuzzy strips that ride between the rings). This cannot be emphasized enough. I'll probably take mine apart again but will first test at some super high aperture numbers to see if the dust matters.
#2 Step #6 in the instructions is really the key to reassembly. The inner ring has a cutout that must align with the hole in the outer ring. Once you've got them close, you'll see that there are small teeth on the inner ring that need to fit into slots in the outer ring. Once this is done, the rings together need to get oriented so the hole in the outer ring is "just past" hole in the lens body. This is tricky because you need to disengage the inner ring from the front of the lens (move rings toward front) ever so briefly so you can "skip" to the correct orientation - (screw hole lines up).

#3 ALL OF THIS CAN BE AVOIDED if you disassemble slowly. Move the outer ring toward the front of the lens less than 1/4 inch and look for your loose screw - tighten, then put the outer ring back home. This will probably avoid introducing most of the dust as well. Once you disengage the outer ring from the inner ring, you're really asking for dust inside because your attempts to re-engage them scrapes dust off the dust ring and deposits them nicely into your lens. If you can avoid that, YAHOO!

Again, Thanks!
John

vortipor wrote on Aug 12, '11

Irvin,
You are a hero. Thanks to your public sprited work you have saved me from a repair that would probably cost more than the lens was worth.

I like this lens because, apart from being a good performer for the price, it has a distance scale which is useful at night when the autofocus won't work.

The only tricky bit is getting the two plastic rings aligned. This took me most of the 20 minutes that I spent on the repair.

I am in your debt.

Best,
Chris..

seongtatt wrote on Dec 9, '11

Irvin,

I have not done the procedure in your blog yet. I am so happy to have found this page. Having read it I will definitely do it one day for sure. I also like to take things apart but never done so with my camera lens. I also have the same lens and there appears to be some dust marks on the photos taken with this particular lens. I have tested its due to some dust specks or rather tiny foreign matters on the lens rather than the sensors on the camera.

Thanks for selflessly recording and detailing the procedure. Keep up the great work and wish me luck, lol.
Seong Tatt

irvdabird wrote on Jan 2

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it. It's good to know that people find this post useful and helpful. Good luck with your project!

nikvision wrote on Mar 13

Just cured my 18-70 from the 'loose screw disease' - the procedure worked exactly as outlined, using John's comment #3 from above. With a little caution there's hardly any dirt getting into the lens while you're fixing it.
Now my lens is back on line again - and I have no justification for buying a new 16-85....

Thanks to both of you!!
Wolf

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