canon ip4000 bad printhead

[rong]

I've lurked on this forum for years and have learned a great deal about refilling, etc. I have an ip4000 which I have abused for years with refilling, overzealous printhead cleaning (soaking, compressed air, forcing solution through pickups with syringe and straw), leaking cartridges and other things. Just over a year ago, I began having nozzle test problems; one of the cyan bands, I think it was the light one, would print one half (top or bottom) of the band lighter than the other. From reading this site, I deduced that I had an electrical problem with the printhead. Photos and other prints would look fine, however. A few months later, the printer started flashing the orange light five times and would not print, which I believe is the code for a damaged printhead. The printer would sometimes work if I reseated the printhead, but after a while the printer would not work. The printer has not been used for over six months, but I would like to get it to work since it is the best printer I have ever owned, in term of quality printing and speed. Does it look like just replacing the printhead (if I can find one) will work? Are the five blinking orange lights indicative of a bad printhead or could there be another electrical problem? Thanks for any help.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I don't know about the five blinking orange lights but there's a very good chance that replacing the print head will solve the problem--unless it indicates the absorbent ink tank is almost full--but then you should get a message on your computer.

Anyway, a new print head costs a lot of money on ebay. However, another way to get a used print head for relatively little money is to buy a used i860 printer. There are three currently for sale on craigslist in the Los Angeles area at $25, $30 and $49. If you do decide to go that route, make sure you take some paper and a set of cartridges because you don't want to buy another defective printer head and many sellers have printers that are out of ink and/or haven't been used in months or years. You can get the printer to do a nozzle check by holding in the paper feed button until the light flashes twice and then release it.