Epson Ecotank Cyan damper

[Ledene]

Good morning,

I'm hoping you can assist me, I have a L4156 Epson ecotank printer. I'm having problems with the damper. I'm from South Africa and can't find replacement dampers so I need a way to fix or clean this one.

Problem:
Cyan prints are completely blank, all other colours are fine.

What I already tried:
Cyan purge pages
Numerous head cleans
2 power cleans
Letting the printhead soak overnight on paper towel wet with homemade cleaning solution (5ml of rubbing alcohol and 20ml of distilled water)
Removing damper and using a syringe to try and push cleaning solution through the damper. (I can't get it through) Tried to let the solution sit for a while, tried to warm the solution up, still doesn't work it does not go through.
(Damper works in reverse - I can pull the ink out from the top. And I can push water with a syringe in from the bottom. But not the other way around.)

Is there anything else I can try? I know the problem is with the Cyan damper I just don't know how to fix it so the ink runs through the damper into the printhead.

If you can assist me in anyway, I would really appreciate it.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Do not push ink into the damper in the reverse direction - that may loosen the wire mesh filter.
Connect the damper to the ink tube and pull ink at the ink outlet until the little round reservoir is filled by about half, you need to keep some air in that round reservoir. Insert the damper into the printer , do a cleaning cycle and print a nozzle check.

 

[Ledene]

Do not push ink into the damper in the reverse direction - that may loosen the wire mesh filter.
Connect the damper to the ink tube and pull ink at the ink outlet until the little round reservoir is filled by about half, you need to keep some air in that round reservoir. Insert the damper into the printer , do a cleaning cycle and print a nozzle check.

Ok thanks, I'll try that.
If I connect the damper to the ink tube on the printer, how do I pull ink at the ink outlet?
Are you talking about the ink outlet as in the ecotank or the outlet as in the bottom of the damper? (If it's the bottom of the damper, I have tried yesterday using a syringe to pull out the cleaning solution I inserted into the damper but it was giving me a lot of resistance and I didn't want to damage anything? I couldn't get anything out.)

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

If I connect the damper to the ink tube on the printer, how do I pull ink at the ink outlet?
Are you talking about the ink outlet as in the ecotank or the outlet as in the bottom of the damper?

I'm referring to the ink outlet at the damper - at the bottom. Just push the tube of a syringe into it and tilt it a little bit, there is a spring loaded valve in the outlet which has to open to let the ink to get through. If you take the damper out of the printhead carriage the valve closes and prevents that the ink is flowing back in the ink tube.

 

[Ledene]

I'm referring to the ink outlet at the damper - at the bottom. Just push the tube of a syringe into it and tilt it a little bit, there is a spring loaded valve in the outlet which has to open to let the ink to get through. If you take the damper out of the printhead carriage the valve closes and prevents that the ink is flowing back in the ink tube.

Ok thank you so much, I'll try this.
Keeping my fingers crossed