epson 9900 trouble

[jlm]

have not been able to remove a clog from the green channel. tried several cleaning cycles, many nozzle prints,O/G pair cleaning, wiper cleaning. used the windex/paper towel under the head soak overnight a couple of times, been reading eric's website, etc.
may try the ultrasonic cleaning, but that would be a last resort

getting nothing on green. will try a re-charge of all ink lines tomorrow (had to get another cart of lt-lt black, as it was too low to proceed) to try and flush a lot of ink through the nozzles.

so if this doesn't work, looks like a new head will be required.

has anyone had to do this out of warranty?
is there any advantage to get it done by epson (like a warranty extension)?

 

[Don Libby]

My only thought is Oh Crap!

Keep us posted. My other thought is if it were me I'd go with Epson so that if something else related to the repair were to happen it'd be on them...

 

[alajuela]

Hi
Well - not want you want to hear - I had similar problem with my 4910 - needed a new head. Best I could get was trade in allowance for the old one - about 30%.

I will add the extended warranty when this new one is 11 months old - end of this year.


Phil

 

[jlm]

had to get a new LLbk cart (old one didn't have enough to allow a init refill command)

damned if it didn't work!

now getting a great nozzle pattern. problem solved

by the way, "init refill" is in the service menu and is what you use with a brand new machine to fill the lines. it pumps a load of ink through all the lines, (nozzles off). here i am using it as a purge, so a lot of ink goes down the drain. costly, but it did seem to work!!

 

[alajuela]

had to get a new LLbk cart (old one didn't have enough to allow a init refill command)

damned if it didn't work!

now getting a great nozzle pattern. problem solved

by the way, "init refill" is in the service menu and is what you use with a brand new machine to fill the lines. it pumps a load of ink through all the lines, (nozzles off). here i am using it as a purge, so a lot of ink goes down the drain. costly, but it did seem to work!!

That is great news -- Happy for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS. thanks for the tip

 

[jlm]

in case you don't know it...this is the x900 guru:
myx900.com

 

[alajuela]

in case you don't know it...this is the x900 guru:
myx900.com

Thanks - just spent some time there reading - Good to know

Thank you

Phil

 

[Jack]

A great tip about a month too late for me. I had a 7900 with a sqwaked LK nozzle that no amount of cleaning could clear. Did not know about the line purge. Ended up getting a quote from a 3rd party for a new head, $1500! In the case of a 9900, totally worth it. In the case of a 7900, I donated my old one and bought a used but good shape one for $1900.

I do now print a color patch image once or twice per week made of 1" squares of all the ink colors -- apparently takes that much to pull fresh ink into each nozzle. Anyway, since doing that, every nozzle check has been perfect, even after a week of sitting.

 

[tsjanik]

Glad to hear the problem is solved, but just for possible future reference: I had clogs in my 4900 that would not clear. I tried AIS cleaning solution, which is applied in the docking station. Worked for me; the solutions cost around $30. I'm not affiliated with AIS, just happy to have my printer back. I'm sure cleaning solutions from other suppliers are effective too and it's a simple fix to try. (I tried Windex before the cleaning solutions - it made the problems worse YMMV)

Tom

Cleaning Fluid for All Inkjet Printers

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Hey Jack,
How did you get that color patch image? I would be curious how to ensure that each color patch represents a single color. Is there any specific color numbers that ensure that you are printing just from that ink? I bet this is possible using a RIP, but I am not sure how one would go about it when just using photoshop etc. Or are you just trying to get close?

I once had a totally insurmountable clogged nozzle, and it turned out to be a loose bit of tubing in my cleaning unit. You can't get the individual part from Epson (at least that I am aware of), but you can order a cleaning unit. I got mine from Germany...it was about 230 euros I think. The local tech wanted a lot more to replace it. I had watched him take out the old one to test it (he diagnosed the original problem by seeing a bit of ink around the tube which connected the cleaning unit to the maintenance tank). It was really not complicated at all...just a bunch of screws and around 9 color-coded connectors. I bought the part and did it myself. Since then the printer rarely clogs.

After four years with it, I would say it might not even be that bad of an idea to replace it if you are having a lot of problems with recurring clogs. The head clearly caps better now and I don't come back to clogged nozzles as often as I used to. It could just be the fixed tube, but I think it could have been wear and tear as well...