Printer Overhauls?

[(PeteCresswell)]

How are printer overhauls done?

Sent it to some central location?

Local guys subcontracting for computer stores?

Users are on their own?

I've got an HP 4000 whose rollers are gone and which is printing
grey stripes on the output. The rollers I can live with. The
grey stripes are eventually going tb a problem with printing
checks that have tb scanned by banks/clearing houses.
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Warren Block]

(PeteCresswell) <x@y.Invalid> wrote:

How are printer overhauls done?

Sent it to some central location?

Local guys subcontracting for computer stores?

Users are on their own?

I've got an HP 4000 whose rollers are gone and which is printing
grey stripes on the output. The rollers I can live with. The
grey stripes are eventually going tb a problem with printing
checks that have tb scanned by banks/clearing houses.

That's an easy printer to maintain. Print a test page to find out how
many pages are on it. Rollers are mostly tool-less for replacement.
There are lots of places you can get parts and supplies for those
printers. I've used printerworks.com and feedroller.com. Both of those
have online parts references.

As for the stripes, that could be several things. The easiest test is
swapping the toner cartridge. Well, easy if you have a spare cartridge.
If you don't, look for a local toner refill place that might let you use
a test cartridge.

The type and spacing of the stripes can identify what is causing them.

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

 

[D Yuniskis]

(PeteCresswell) wrote:

How are printer overhauls done?

Sent it to some central location?

Local guys subcontracting for computer stores?

Users are on their own?

I've got an HP 4000 whose rollers are gone and which is printing
grey stripes on the output. The rollers I can live with. The
grey stripes are eventually going tb a problem with printing
checks that have tb scanned by banks/clearing houses.

Are the stripes *down* the page or *across*?

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:09:39 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:

How are printer overhauls done?

Carefully.

Sent it to some central location?

Nope. Shipping and handling of large printers is too expensive. Most
overhauls are done on site (at least the one's I do). The fun part is
dragging my air compressor to the printer, and then making enough
noise to wake the dead and the employees. If I'm not in a hurry, I'll
take the printer outside before I give it a blow job.

Local guys subcontracting for computer stores?

Some. I used to work for such a subcontractor. They had a contract
with a very big bank. My job was to make sure the printers never
died. However, they couldn't stand my presence during business hours,
so I did the printer rotation trick. I had a spare, which could be
substituted for the one that needed cleaning. I would the filthy
printer to my palatial office, clean it up, and drag it back. The
problem was I was getting paid a fixed price per printer, so this
extra work was really a pain. So, I often did the rebuild in the
parking log with a long extension cord for testing.

Users are on their own?

Could you turn that into a real question? The users (or lusers) are
not really involved in the preventive maintenance exercises.

I've got an HP 4000 whose rollers are gone and which is printing
grey stripes on the output.

No problem. There are rebuilt kits (with instructions) available
almost anywhere:
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220385300243>
<http://www.printerworks.com/Printers/MaintenanceKits/MK_4000MKA.html>

The rollers I can live with. The
grey stripes are eventually going tb a problem with printing
checks that have tb scanned by banks/clearing houses.

The grey smear is from the foam tranfer roller being saturated with
loose toner. It can be cleaned but since your printer apparently has
never had any maintenance, I suggest a replacement. Do not bother
trying to clean or use "rubber restorer" on the rubber parts. Just
replace them. Remove the paper trays and toner cart. Hit it with
compressed air to remove the accumulated filth. *REMOVE* and inspect
the fuser assembly carefully. Any crud, filth, or melted toner on the
fuser will cause problems. It can also be a defective toner
cartridge, some crud on the plastic lens in the laser scanner
assembly, or toner on any of the feed rollers.


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Jeff Liebermann:

I've got an HP 4000 whose rollers are gone and which is printing
grey stripes on the output.

No problem. There are rebuilt kits (with instructions) available
almost anywhere:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220385300243
http://www.printerworks.com/Printers/MaintenanceKits/MK_4000MKA.html

I'm guessing that replacing only the rollers (first link, $20)
could be chincing out and I'd regret it.

Am I on the right track? i.e. pony up the $110 for the more
comprehensive "4000MKA-AEX" in the second link?
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:50:00 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:

Per Jeff Liebermann:
I've got an HP 4000 whose rollers are gone and which is printing
grey stripes on the output.

No problem. There are rebuilt kits (with instructions) available
almost anywhere:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220385300243
http://www.printerworks.com/Printers/MaintenanceKits/MK_4000MKA.html

I'm guessing that replacing only the rollers (first link, $20)
could be chincing out and I'd regret it.

Yep. All the rollers, all the D shaped feet, separation pad, and
transfer roller are the minimum. You also need to clean out the crap
from the machine with an air hose or can of compressed air.

Am I on the right track? i.e. pony up the $110 for the more
comprehensive "4000MKA-AEX" in the second link?

That includes the fuser assembly, which you probably do NOT need. I
can't tell from here. AS you may have noted from my comments and from
some of the other questions, your description of the strip is
inadequate. I can't tell from here if the fuser is good, bad, or just
plain dirty.


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Jeff Liebermann:

AS you may have noted from my comments and from
some of the other questions, your description of the strip is
inadequate. I can't tell from here if the fuser is good, bad, or just
plain dirty.

When I get home from work, I'll post a scan.
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:29:41 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:

Per Jeff Liebermann:
AS you may have noted from my comments and from
some of the other questions, your description of the strip is
inadequate. I can't tell from here if the fuser is good, bad, or just
plain dirty.

When I get home from work, I'll post a scan.

This might be useful:
"Laser printer print defects"
<http://www.printertechs.com/tech/print-defects/print-defects-index.php>
I've probably seen most of these (and more).
<http://hpmaintenancekit.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/laser-printer-page-defects-common-causes/>

Also include the page count (from the self test page).

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per (PeteCresswell):

When I get home from work, I'll post a scan.

Scan wasn't getting it - contrast issues.

So I snapped a photo.

This is a pretty good representation of the page:
http://tinyurl.com/ykkjvqv
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:05:53 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:

This is a pretty good representation of the page:
http://tinyurl.com/ykkjvqv

Yech. My guess(tm) is that there's toner and crud everywhere, mostly
in the transfer roller. It's not repetative so it's either coming
from multiple filthy rollers. If it were an electronics or laser
scanner failure, it would print black or white, not gray.

See:
<http://www.printertechs.com/tech/repdef/ruler4000.php>
See if you can match up the pattern. There's a better copy of the
page in the HP4000 manual.

I'm not getting decent answers to my questions, so I'll try again,
this time in detail, with a few additions. In the future, the more
information you supply about the symptoms, condition, situation,
history, and diagnostics run, the easier it is to diagnose.

1. How many pages are on the printer test page?
<http://www.mlsd.net/helpdesk/docs/hp4000.pdf>

2. Are there any stripes on the *BACK* of the page?

3. Is there toner all over the inside of the printer? Have you been
using refilled toner cartridges, which are often overfilled with
toner, and dump toner everywhere? Have you moved the printer with the
toner cart still inside? Is there loose toner on the paper that
smears off when you rub it with your finger? If you're not sure if
there's toner all over the printer, just take a piece of towel paper,
add some alcohol, and wipe the black plastic area under the fuser.
Stay away from the transfer roller. If the rag comes out black, it's
toner.

4. Is this with a new toner cartridge? Have you tried a different
toner cartridge? Did the stripes start when you replaced the toner
cartridge?

5. Are you using MICR toner? Just curious as I've noticed that it
tends to make a bigger mess than ordinary toner.

6. Have you inspected the fuser assembly?
<http://www.imagingsupplies.com/fuser-assembly-instructions/HP_4000_FUSER.pdf>

7. Do you have an air compressor? If so, use it (outside the house).

I'm still recommending wholesale replacement of the rubber parts and a
general cleaning.


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Jeff Liebermann:

This is a pretty good representation of the page:
http://tinyurl.com/ykkjvqv

Yech. My guess(tm) is that there's toner and crud everywhere, mostly
in the transfer roller. It's not repetative so it's either coming
from multiple filthy rollers. If it were an electronics or laser
scanner failure, it would print black or white, not gray.

Rings true to me. Dunno when I bought the printer, but it
must've been at least 10 years ago and it's never, ever been
serviced or had the toner cartridge replaced. It's for home use
and I don't print all that much.

1. How many pages are on the printer test page?
http://www.mlsd.net/helpdesk/docs/hp4000.pdf

I don't see a "Test Page" in the menu map - except for "PRINT
PAPER PATH TEST" which produces one page.

There is a "PRINT CONFIGURATION" which produces two pages: one
for the printer and one for the JetDirect card.

2. Are there any stripes on the *BACK* of the page?

Yes, but very faint - maybe 5% of what's on the front.

3. Is there toner all over the inside of the printer? Have you been
using refilled toner cartridges, which are often overfilled with
toner, and dump toner everywhere? Have you moved the printer with the
toner cart still inside? Is there loose toner on the paper that
smears off when you rub it with your finger? If you're not sure if
there's toner all over the printer, just take a piece of towel paper,
add some alcohol, and wipe the black plastic area under the fuser.
Stay away from the transfer roller. If the rag comes out black, it's
toner.

Original toner cart. Can't recall if the printer's been moved.

Gotta find out what the fuser looks like. The pics and text in
/HP_4000_FUSER.pdf arent' getting it for me. Not enough def in
the pix and the text isn't enough. This is a valuable
exercise, though. Before I guy any kit, I'll review the
instructions first to see if they're clear enough.

I wouldn't say toner is "all over" by any means, but there is
some on one of the rollers - which, when I eyeball it, looks
suspiciously like the pattern on the pages. I *think* it's the
transfer roller.

4. Is this with a new toner cartridge? Have you tried a different
toner cartridge? Did the stripes start when you replaced the toner
cartridge?

5. Are you using MICR toner? Just curious as I've noticed that it
tends to make a bigger mess than ordinary toner.

6. Have you inspected the fuser assembly?
http://www.imagingsupplies.com/fuser-assembly-instructions/HP_4000_FUSER.pdf

7. Do you have an air compressor? If so, use it (outside the house).

I'm still recommending wholesale replacement of the rubber parts and a
general cleaning.

I'm a believer: Replace everything except maybe the fuser and
blow it all clean while doing the replacements.

Thanks for the help. You have de-mystified this issue for me.
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:21:15 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:

Rings true to me. Dunno when I bought the printer, but it
must've been at least 10 years ago and it's never, ever been
serviced or had the toner cartridge replaced. It's for home use
and I don't print all that much.

You don't have to do much printing to dump toner all over the printer.
Just moving it around with the toner cartridge inserted will do that.

1. How many pages are on the printer test page?
http://www.mlsd.net/helpdesk/docs/hp4000.pdf

I don't see a "Test Page" in the menu map - except for "PRINT
PAPER PATH TEST" which produces one page.

There is a "PRINT CONFIGURATION" which produces two pages: one
for the printer and one for the JetDirect card.

See the title on the above PDF page. It how to print a configuration
page. You've done that. Congrats. Now, please read the first page
and kindly disclose how many pages your printer has run.

2. Are there any stripes on the *BACK* of the page?

Yes, but very faint - maybe 5% of what's on the front.

That's enough. There's toner all over the transfer roller and
probably the red rubber roller in the fuser assembly. Cleanup time.

3. Is there toner all over the inside of the printer? Have you been
using refilled toner cartridges, which are often overfilled with
toner, and dump toner everywhere? Have you moved the printer with the
toner cart still inside? Is there loose toner on the paper that
smears off when you rub it with your finger? If you're not sure if
there's toner all over the printer, just take a piece of towel paper,
add some alcohol, and wipe the black plastic area under the fuser.
Stay away from the transfer roller. If the rag comes out black, it's
toner.

Original toner cart. Can't recall if the printer's been moved.

Original? How many pages has your printer test page show?

Gotta find out what the fuser looks like. The pics and text in
/HP_4000_FUSER.pdf arent' getting it for me. Not enough def in
the pix and the text isn't enough. This is a valuable
exercise, though. Before I guy any kit, I'll review the
instructions first to see if they're clear enough.

Those instructions are about as clear as you're going to find. I'll
see if I can find something better or with larger images, but for now,
that all there is.

I wouldn't say toner is "all over" by any means, but there is
some on one of the rollers - which, when I eyeball it, looks
suspiciously like the pattern on the pages. I *think* it's the
transfer roller.

The transfer roller is directly under the toner cartridge. Keep your
finger oils off the foam. Only handle my the metal ends.

4. Is this with a new toner cartridge? Have you tried a different
toner cartridge? Did the stripes start when you replaced the toner
cartridge?

5. Are you using MICR toner? Just curious as I've noticed that it
tends to make a bigger mess than ordinary toner.

6. Have you inspected the fuser assembly?
http://www.imagingsupplies.com/fuser-assembly-instructions/HP_4000_FUSER.pdf

7. Do you have an air compressor? If so, use it (outside the house).

I'm still recommending wholesale replacement of the rubber parts and a
general cleaning.

I'm a believer: Replace everything except maybe the fuser and
blow it all clean while doing the replacements.

Thanks for the help. You have de-mystified this issue for me.

I'm beginning to think you may be out of your depth. You're not
answering my questions, you seem reluctant to volunteer info, and the
few answers you supply are unrelated to the question. I'm trying to
save you the cost of a fuser replacement, but without info, I can only
guess. I give up. I suggest you send the printer to a professional
HP repair service shop or hire someone with experience to do the job.

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:21:15 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:

Original toner cart.

Also, if this really is a 10 year old toner cartridge, methinks it
might also be a problem. Toner is somewhat hygroscopic and will
absorb a little moisture from the air. The result is caking and
packing inside the cartridge, resulting in anything from blotchy
printing, difficulties feeding, and occasionally a scratched drum
surface. That's why they're sealed in air and light tight aluminum
foil bags. Shakeing and heat drying does work but takes a while.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Jeff Liebermann:

See the title on the above PDF page. It how to print a configuration
page. You've done that. Congrats. Now, please read the first page
and kindly disclose how many pages your printer has run.

Page Count: 9680
Pages Since Last Maintenance = 9680

2. Are there any stripes on the *BACK* of the page?

Yes, but very faint - maybe 5% of what's on the front.

That's enough. There's toner all over the transfer roller and
probably the red rubber roller in the fuser assembly. Cleanup time.

Those instructions are about as clear as you're going to find. I'll
see if I can find something better or with larger images, but for now,
that all there is.

I wouldn't say toner is "all over" by any means, but there is
some on one of the rollers - which, when I eyeball it, looks
suspiciously like the pattern on the pages. I *think* it's the
transfer roller.

The transfer roller is directly under the toner cartridge. Keep your
finger oils off the foam. Only handle my the metal ends.

4. Is this with a new toner cartridge? Have you tried a different
toner cartridge? Did the stripes start when you replaced the toner
cartridge?

Thanks for the help. You have de-mystified this issue for me.

I'm beginning to think you may be out of your depth. You're not
answering my questions, you seem reluctant to volunteer info, and the
few answers you supply are unrelated to the question.

"Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by
misunderstanding, stupidity, or incompetence."

Not reluctant, probably out of my depth.

I write software for a living... so I'm not dumb or, at least,
not *too* dumb. Incompetent in the context of printers: for
sure.

But thanks for all the effort you've contributed.

Once I get to end-game, I'll let everybody know how it came out -
not that anybody probably cares... but it seems like the right
thing to do.
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Bob Larter]

(PeteCresswell) wrote:

Per (PeteCresswell):
When I get home from work, I'll post a scan.

Scan wasn't getting it - contrast issues.

So I snapped a photo.

This is a pretty good representation of the page:
http://tinyurl.com/ykkjvqv

The wiper blade in your cartridge is stuffed. Try a new cart.

--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Bob Larter]

(PeteCresswell) wrote:

Per Jeff Liebermann:

This is a pretty good representation of the page:
http://tinyurl.com/ykkjvqv
Yech. My guess(tm) is that there's toner and crud everywhere, mostly
in the transfer roller. It's not repetative so it's either coming
from multiple filthy rollers. If it were an electronics or laser
scanner failure, it would print black or white, not gray.

Rings true to me. Dunno when I bought the printer, but it
must've been at least 10 years ago and it's never, ever been
serviced or had the toner cartridge replaced. It's for home use
and I don't print all that much.

Replacing the cartridge will fix the problem.


--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:41:27 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:

Page Count: 9680
Pages Since Last Maintenance = 9680

That's almost nothing for these printers. The HP LJ4000 should go for
at least 100K pages or more. However, the toner cartridge is
officially rated at 6000 pages (or 10,000 pages if you believe the
refillers who tend to overfill the cartridges). Either way, you're
overdue for a cartridge replacement. It's also possible that ONE of
the sources of the smear is the cartridge. I can't tell for sure
because of the non-repetative nature of the test page.

"Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by
misunderstanding, stupidity, or incompetence."

No malice ever even suggested. However, I can't tell if you are able,
willing, qualified, or interested in doing the work yourself. It's
really not that difficult. The document I previously found describes
all of the important steps:
<http://www.imagingsupplies.com/fuser-assembly-instructions/HP_4000_FUSER.pdf>
Once you have it disassembled, hit with an air hose (outside) to clean
out the loose toner. Make sure there's no rusty water in the
compressor tank (my favorite mistake). With only 10K pages, the
rubber parts might still be ok. Clean with just ordinary household
cleaner (e.g. 409) and dry.

Not reluctant, probably out of my depth.

Yep. Of course, you could treat this as a learning experience.
Perhaps a manual will be helpful?
<http://www.feedroller.com/Store/Service%20Manual/LASERJET%204000,%204000N,%204000T,%204000TN%20Service%20Manual.pdf>
<http://www.hylink.com/web/LaserJet%204000,%204050%20Service%20Manual.pdf>

I write software for a living... so I'm not dumb or, at least,
not *too* dumb. Incompetent in the context of printers: for
sure.

I avoid programming at all costs.

But thanks for all the effort you've contributed.

Once I get to end-game, I'll let everybody know how it came out -
not that anybody probably cares... but it seems like the right
thing to do.

Start with "I saved $xxx.xx by rebuilding my own laser printer.


--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558