I used to clean every Canon shutter magnet with alcohol but stopped after wrecking a 5D Mark II

For years I hit every sticky shutter with 91% isopropyl like it was gospel. Changed my mind after a 5D Mark II came back with intermittent ERR 20 codes 6 months later. Switched to dry cleaning with a microbrush and only use alcohol if the foam is actually gooey. That was probably 3 years ago and my repair success rate bumped up from around 80% to 95% easy. Anyone else find alcohol does more harm than good on those ribbon cables?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie94013d ago

Wow, that's wild that you got a 5D Mark II back with ERR 20 codes that far out. I've had the same thing happen but with a different body, a 70D that I cleaned with alcohol and it started throwing intermittent shutter errors maybe 8 months later. I thought I was the only one who had that bad luck with the alcohol trick. It's crazy how something that works so well right away can mess things up down the road.

west.richard13d ago

But @jamie940, what kind of alcohol did you use? I've always wondered if the percentage matters for this sort of thing.

susanb3412d ago

Honestly, I've seen this pop up more than you'd think with the 5D Mark II specifically. The ERR 20 is usually a mirror or shutter mechanism issue that can get finicky after cleaning if you're not careful with the dampness. I always use 99% isopropyl alcohol and let it fully dry for at least a few hours before even turning the camera back on. Rushing it is a good way to get moisture trapped in the shutter assembly and cause problems later. That's probably what happened with your 70D too.