After replacing the pump and capping station, all the dampers (purchased through InkJet Mall) and the flush box, I fired up my printer for the first time after all of that and ran a couple of power cleans. Then I did a nozzle check and found that there was almost no ink deposited on the paper. By the way, while I was doing the work, I had the print head parked over paper towel with piezo flush so it wouldn’t dry out. After the power cleans, I looked in the printer and saw that the capping station was still clean, no ink had run through it. Am I correct to assume that during the power clean, ink is sucked through the head via the capping station and so there should be ink stains on the new cap? There was some on the flush box but not much. The next night, I ran one more power clean and watched the ink lines as it ran. On the left side (only side I can see coming from the carts) I noticed a few small bubbles in the line and they never moved for the entire cleaning cycle, so there was no ink movement. During the cleaning cycle, everything sounds normal to me and there are no error messages. I primed the carts before using them and they are filled with ConeColor ink. I didn’t “prime” the dampers if that is something that is supposed to be done. I can’t tell without taking things apart again if there is any ink in the dampers but I suppose that is one of the next steps. I’m not really sure what to do next, but like everybody else, I really need to get my printer working again. Any advice/help would be appreciated. Before I did this work, the printer worked well but I felt that it was important to do the maintenance since I didn’t know if had ever been done before. Thanks!
Based on your order history, I assume you’re using a 7800/9800 printer model- correct?
Although we don’t provide instructions or support for printer repair or replacing parts, etc… I can give you some feedback and suggestions based on my experience.
If NO ink is printing from any channel or flowing thru any channel when you do power clean cycles, then there’s either a physical restriction (such as loose connection or pinch) or it could be electrical.
DON’T do any more cleaning cycles, or you could burn out your head since no ink is flowing thru it.
A few questions and my suggestion for moving forward:
How was the printer working before you replaced all these parts?
Did you make sure to connect everything tightly/correctly when installing the new pump cap assembly unit (esp elec. cable + make sure ink lines lead to the waste ink tank and aren’t pinched)
Did the paper towel you had under the print head come out in one piece (and not leave a chunk on the print head)?
Was there any dripping or excess fluid when working on your printer? If so, it it possible the print head electronics got wet?
When I have replaced dampers in our x800/x880 printer models over the years, I make sure the o-ring is in place and end of the ink line is clean to fit straight into the damper point, then finger-tighten the plastic nut to connect the ink line (don’t over-tighten with a wrench). It’s important that the dampers fit well on the print head, and all screws go in smoothly- if screws or nuts don’t tighten easily, then the pieces aren’t together correctly and need to be taken apart/put together correctly.
I recommend taking the damper unit (black plastic that holds all 8 dampers together) off the print head. I only remove the top metal panel from the printer when replacing dampers or cleaning a head (not the whole side cover like the repair manual instructs you to do). Raise/unlock both cartridge locking levers to stop ink flow before starting. With the head moved to around the center of the printer, place a paper towel draped below the head/damper unit over the ink lines (to catch ink that may drip from the dampers when disconnected from the head). Unscrew the two side screws that hold the damper box onto the print head, and carefully pull the damper unit off the print head. With the damper unit over the paper towel, look at the side of the dampers to see if you can see any ink inside, then lower/lock the cartridge locking levers to open ink flow and see if ink starts dripping from the dampers (if it does, raise/unlock the levers again to stop ink flow). If ink doesn’t easily flow/drip from the dampers, then use a syringe to check flow thru the line by closing one side cartridge lever, insert the syringe tip into the end of the damper and gently pull the syringe plunger to draw ink thru. If ink flows thru the line and damper well, then the problem isn’t there, and is in the head or connection to the head.
I hope this helps, and you’re able to get your printer working well again.
Hi Dana, thanks for the quick response.
Yes, my printer is a 7800. I bought it used several years ago so felt it time to replace the items above.
Before doing the replacements, it printed fine, although nozzle checks were a little intermittent and that’s why I figured it time to replace the dampers. Don’t know if they had ever been replaced before. But in terms of print quality, it had been very good.
I thought everything was good and tight when I finished installing the pump and cap assembly. The waste lines were properly routed. If things aren’t working, I’ll have to take off the right side cover again, would prefer not to have to but only way to check connections. How would I know if the pump part of that assembly is not working? Everything sounded normal during the power cleans.
Is it correct to assume that the pump pulls ink through the head, into the cap during a power clean cycle if it is working and ink is getting to the head? Should the new cap have ink on it as a sign that the system had worked during the power clean or does it just go through the flush box? There was some ink on the flush box but not a lot.
The paper towel I had under the print head definitely came out in one piece.
I’m not aware of any dripping or excess fluid that came out in the print head area while I was working on it.
To pull ink through the dampers, can I use the syringes with the priming tips that came with my Inkjet Mall cartridges?
Bottom line, is how can I tell for sure the new pump and capping station is working? If it is, then it’s probably a problem with the dampers not being secured properly on the print head or something like that.
Finally got my printer working. I think the issue had to do with tightening the fittings on the new dampers a little to much. Couldn’t get ink through them until I loosened them. Have to be careful though, because too loose causes ink leaks (had to do some clean up). Big relief to finally have it printing again with all the new parts. It was a frustrating process but I learned a lot about the printer.
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