In article <4hcnkk$lkr@cello.hpl.hp.com>, jacobson@cello.hpl.hp.com says... [most deleted]

>But anyway, a couple of years ago I bought an FM from an ad on the
>net. I was just playing with it before I had even loaded the first
>roll of film and the mechanism jammed. In this case the symptom was
>that someting blocked the wind cycle at the point where the winder was
>about 1/3 of the way from start to finish. Is this the same failure
>mode you observe, or is it something else. Do you get yours repaired
>by Nikon or an independent, and what do they do (it could vary all
>the way from just using a dental pick to release some catch, to
>replacing the whole shutter) and what is the usual cost? [....]

People occasionally bring me FE-FM's that are locked up (I check the
functionality of FE's on "B" before proceeding - a bad battery on
FE's [and FG's] will look like a mechanical lock-up). About 50% of
the time gently playing with the advance lever and shutter release
while turning the sprocket wheel will clear the lock-up, I find.
I suspect the problem is often caused by a film chip that has found
its way to the camera innards.
Hope This Helps