Epson 9800 Random Nozzle Clogs

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1

I am having an issue with an Epson 9800 that I acquired. The printer had sat up for several years with minimal use. In fact the ink carts that were in there were from 2012. When I first got it I did a few power cleans and I was able to get a good nozzle check and have successfully printed with it.

However, it has been giving me intermittent nozzle clogs and never the same nozzle on the nozzle check. In fact, it would seem to get worse with the regular/auto clean cycle during the nozzle check and like I said, never the same nozzle clogged.

I have replaced the capping station, flushed all the ink lines and even removed the printhead and manually flushed it to make sure all the nozzles were spraying. When I was flushing the ink lines I noticed that I was getting some air in the lines, especially when the ink levers were raised and lowered during the initial fill and during power cleans.

After letting it sit and then inserting new carts, I did an initial fill and noticed again that small air bubbles were getting in the ink lines. The nozzle checks were again random clogs and didnt get better with auto clean. I hate to keep doing power cleans and wasting so much ink!

What would be causing this? I have not replaced the dampers. Could this be the issue? Or would it be an issue at the cartridge inlet point?

Thanks for your help!

Robert Gecy

2

Hi Robert

I run a couple of 9800’s. If the clogged nozzle is moving around that is a good sign. The same missing nozzle on repeat checks is more of a cause for worry.
I find that a single regular clean will often make nozzle check worse. But 2x regular cleans in straight succession often gives good results.
Yo can also check if when you go into ‘self-testing mode’ if you get an error message about 'pressure pump micro leak. This error only shows up in self testing mode and refers to the air pressure pump turning on constantly. A common cause/solution is the o-rings (or lack thereof) on the air pressure nozzle on the carts.
Replacing dampers on these old machines is always a good idea I reckon. Worth stumping for the expensive ones though, I have wasted time and money buying the cheaper ones (online) and then having to redo.

good luck
Neil