Epson 3800 with a clogged magenta channel

[W. Fisher]

Nice work!

Been there few times now on three printers. If the top pads are white then the hoses are clear. The bottom of one of mine was a sludge of goo over where the two hoses are by the drain part.

I didn't use the software, and don't have it either. Never has been an issue even when I pull the heads out to flip them over and clean the underside.

Don't forget to plug the wires back in (I made that mistake and got some error code and had to take it apart again.). I had an issue a couple of times with that CN 1 flat cable that goes to the LCD panel where it refused to make a good connection with the power switch. I used a fiberglass scratch brush and some DeOxit Gold and that fixed it.

W.F.

 

[stratman]

Brilliant images and a great walk through. Well done. On to the test!

 

[Nigel Harris]

OK, so would appreciate some suggestions now, as this is where I am at:

1. Capping station etc cleaned
2. Magenta cartridge filled with cleaning solution (dyed)
3. Nozzle check gives the following result, which is same as last check.

Now, there are a couple of things I’m a bit confused about: I added a small amount of dye to the cleaning cartridge, I was hoping to see it as it came through... but given the cartridge shows that the volume of fluid has reduced, so what’s going on?!

I’ve taken a photo of the cleaning cartridge in case there is something basic I’ve done wrong...

Next steps? Run a cleaning cycle with the clean blade, see if that helps...?

 

[Nigel Harris]

Ha, identical nozzle check following a power clean from the printer. So no progress on the main issue.

So next step? Assuming the magenta *is* actually coming through, then I can’t tell if the cleaning solution has sorted it or not. I suppose I could put the original magenta back in, and print a purge image a million times again, then do a nozzle check...

P.S. One thing I would say is that these machines are AWESOME. I mean, when you take them apart and see how many mechanisms have been built into a small volume, it’s incredible really. And I’ve not even seen the print head (yet... shouldn’t have said that, I can see where this investigation is heading...!)

 

[stratman]

the cartridge shows that the volume of fluid has reduced, so what’s going on?!

I don't know Epsons, so...

Could it be that there is a bit of a maintenance purge of ink when you insert a new cartridge that causes the ink level to drop?

Seems like there is enough colorant added to your cleaning solution such that it should show on the white paper. If that is correct then there is either a blockage in the print head or tubing, an irreparable electrical malfunction within the printer or print head, the cartridge is malfunctioning, or maybe an electrical contact issue that needs cleaning. Could it be there is something left unplugged or needing a snugging up on its connection?

 

[W. Fisher]

The solution in your cleaning cart is pretty faint. I ran into that before and it takes a lot darker solution to show up on plain typing paper. Might explain why it is going down, but you just cannot see it as the solution may be flowing out through the paper fibers and evaporating more than if it were darker ink. The Piezoflush solution is almost blood red.

Sometimes on certain papers I cannot see the faint yellow ink. If I hold the photo paper at an angle I might barely see the nozzle check using a magnifier.

W.F.

 

[stratman]

Unless Epson is different, I have used cleaning solution cartridges in the past and the colorant I added seemed no more that OP's. I could see it just fine on 96 Brightness copy paper.

While I would agree that using more of the "magenta" dye in the cleaning solution would not hurt, I doubt the red dye is evaporating so that it cannot be seen. We also do not know if the color of the paper the nozzle check is printed on is accurate. It looks like the image is taken in indoor lighting and may not be white balanced.

 

[The Hat]

I examined the nozzle check carefully and found no ink was deposited in the area where the X was marked, not one single dot...

Conclusion the channel is completely blocked, or the cleaning solution is to transparent to register an image..

click to enlarge..
@ Nigel Harris, great photos..

 

[Nigel Harris]

Well, I thank you all for your help and feedback, very much appreciated! So, as a plan, it sounds as though increasing the concentration of the dye in the magenta cleaning cartridge would be the first thing to try, as that's fairly straightforward to do. I guess I will need to run more purge images off to pull the new solution through. Otherwise, based on your ideas it sounds as though I am going to have to learn more about how to troubleshoot the print head...

 

[pharmacist]

Use a black light to shine on the magenta lines, probably it would excitate the dye molecules to shine in a visible wave length.