"I would in particular examine the linkage that ties the type bars to the vibrator (it's on the right side at the very bottom between the rbbon spool and keyboard) because if it isn't moving freely the returning typebar won't reset it."

Hey Uwe, I'm having the same problem with my Splendid 33. I seem to have found the cause of the issue, the linkage to the keyboard is not returning when a key is typed. I don't have the same problem when the shift is engaged. Not an expert on typewriters, so forgive my lack of understanding but how do I fix this?! Driving me crazy!

Hi guys, newbie to both the forum and to the world of typewriting, so please excuse my lack of technical knowledge...from some of the previous posts in this forum (I think) I've diagnosed the problem my Olympia Splendid 33 that I purchased this weekend. 

When I type for the first time , the ribbon vibrator goes up and doesn't come back down. It also stops the ribbon from moving along too. I noticed, when I put shift lock on, there is no problem and everything works perfectly. I have cleaned the area with denatured alcohol and the arm seems to be moving well. 

The second problem, the margin (rail?) is not connected to the machine, so I can't move the margins along. It looks like there are 2 screws that are missing on the rail, but the screw hole machine is twice the width? 

Any help would be really appreciated as I am scratching my head to figure this out!