Image Specialists Ink, CLI-221 Yellow ink is coagulating!

[stratman]

Have you tried a different Yellow cartridge? Best to try a new OEM cartridge but any known working yellow cartridge is better than none. Also you could try flushing the yellow cartridge, refill and try it again. Sometimes cartridges need a good flushing to return proper function. If the sponges are separated then ink will not flow properly either, just as was written in the link you provided.

It is always best to post a nozzle check of your own instead of someone elses when trying to describe your own problem. Please post your own nozzle check if possible.

 

[twcinnh]

Yes, I've tried several cartridges. The one I've tried now is OEM, flushed/purged and filled with my usual ink (ink that has been reliable for a couple of years).

I recently performed a 2nd nozzle check. I promise no drugs or alcohol (except for a glass of wine with dinner) have been used - on the 2nd nozzle check I had no magenta print, but in place of the location where the dark magenta would have been, is a rather nicely placed yellow band. I'll try this again tomorrow and see what happens. Will try to post the nozzle checks since I find it hard to believe what I'm looking at.

Tom

 

[twcinnh]

Here are the nozzle checks. The first was after I used a hair dryer to dry the print head, the second was about 6 hours later when I went to check again. I've since done a third nozzle check and it is the same as the seond.

http://www.ridma.com/MX860/index.html

Thanks again,

Tom

 

[stratman]

Here are the nozzle checks. The first was after I used a hair dryer to dry the print head, the second was about 6 hours later when I went to check again. I've since done a third nozzle check and it is the same as the seond.

http://www.ridma.com/MX860/index.html

Please provide as much detail as you can to the following questions.

1) What inks are you using? How old are the inks?

2) Are you using all OEM Canon cartridges? If not, what are they?

3) If refilling, what method? Did you swap chips?

4) Is your purge system working properly? Test by using syringe, eye dropper, soda straw to pool water onto the two rectangular purge pads. The pads are found at the extreme right inside printer. The print head parks itself over the purge pads when at rest or turned off. After fluid pools, close lid and perform a cleaning cycle. Then lift lid to check the pads. The fluid should be gone and the pads less black/dark. If the fluid does not pool or does not disappear then the purge system is malfunctioning. Report your experience/findings.

5) The nozzle checks are dark appearing and seem like there is something printed on the other side. It is best not to print on both sides if you post it for diagnosis. I cannot definitively tell if there is any issue with Cyan in either nozzle check of if Magenta in the first nozzle check is completely normal, though both of these seem to be OK. I also cannot tell if there is no Yellow at all or if there is a thin streak in the first nozzle check.

6) Pigment Black nozzle check shows multiple clogged nozzles. This may or may not bother you when printing and may be reversible with further soaks/flushes.

7) The yellow in the Magenta may be due to major malfunction in the print head that is not fixable. How hot was the hair dryer you used to dry the print head?

8) The missing Yellow in the nozzle checks may be due to a massive clog or a print head malfunction of an electrical nature.

9) I suggest never using heat from a hair dryer to dry the print head. You may melt plastic with catastrophic results. A can or compressed air to clear water from electrical contacts and circuitry is the most I would do.

10) You may continue with soaking/flushing with water/ammonia or your favorite concoction, but I don't think detergent is going to help you. If you see no improvement whatsoever after several days, then either your soak is wrong or your print head is borked.

11) Prepare yourself for the need to buy a new print head. I would want to keep the MX860 running as long as possible to. It is a good printer. Call Canon USA Sales and inquire on the cost of a new print head. I find Canon to have the best prices, but still check the internet.

12) If you refill, use only Canon OEM cartridges for refilling and refill with high quality ink like you'll read about on this forum to decrease your risk for problems.

 

[twcinnh]

1) Inks are HobbiColors, about 1 year old

2) All OEM cartridges

3) Top fill using squeeze bottles, use chip re-setter on original chips

4) I'll be checking tomorrow and will report after. I'm reluctant to do much cleaning given I've been receiving warnings about full pads the past 2 weeks.

5) Nothing on other side of nozzle check paper except blank paper. It's cloudy and I had a hard time getting decent exposure, had to use flash.

6) Yeah, I saw the black issues and expect future cleaning attempts will take care of that. Color problem seems to be the more significant challenge right now.

7) Mostly the warm setting. Compressed air, wish I'd thought of that, but the problem existed before this last cleaning and use of the hair dryer, although it appeared to be a starvation of yellow.

8) Right now I'll go for a long soaking.

9) Compressed air, now that's a good idea, wish I'd thought of it.

10) see 8).

I think I mentioned the ink absorber warning. I'm hoping the replacement pads arrive soon so I can replace them and do some deep cleaning. Right now I'm minimizing printing since the messages are becoming more frequent. I'll check the pads. I'm hoping pad replacement will help with the problem. Would excessive ink on the pads cause a problem such as the one in the jpegs?

Thanks for the response.

Tom C

PS By the way, does anyone know how to stop the warning of full ink absorber pads?

 

[stratman]

Check your purge pads before taking apart your printer to replace the ink absorber "diaper" pads. Report your results per my previous post. A single cleaning done in checking the purge pads/system is unlikely to result in a leak of ink from the bottom of the printer due to full waste ink pads. However, if you want to be safe, put something under the printer to catch potential ink. To be frank, I usually just close the lid, let the print head park and, after all the noise has stopped, then open the lid to check the pads. My purge pad checks seem to be fine without a cleaning, but it is recommended to do the cleaning portion to make sure all is functioning well.

You can reset the ink absorber warning. You will need the Service Manual or someone to give you instructions on the correct order of button pushes.

Soak and flush as long and as many times as you can stand it. Patience is a virtue here. At this point, either you will see progress on nozzle checks or you won't. No progress means time for new print head.

 

[PeterBJ]

For resetting the absorber value you will need to have the printer enter service mode, then use the Canon service tool v2000: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=7416 . Note the link for download doesn't work anymore. For a working link scroll down to post #4.

On the main tab of the tool you can preset absorber value in steps of 10% from 0% to 100%. 0% means new absorber. I have described the procedure for entering service mode on an MP540. This procedure also works with the Pixma 3600, but I cannot tell if it will also work with your printer.

If the procedure for entering service mode doesn't work, you will need the service manual. I tried a Google search, but found no free download, but you can buy a download of the service manual + parts catalog here for 12$ : http://www.printcopy.info/?l=en&mod=docs&brand=Canon&prefix=PIXMA&gID=17008

The service manual and parts catalog will be useful if you are going to take the printer apart to change the absorbers.

 

[twcinnh]

OK, first, this is an amazing group and I would like to thank everyone who has been helping. Stratman, I don't want to embarrass you but you are amazing. I don't know what happened, but I used a syringe to put a few drops of water onto the two pads. It was absorbed rather quickly, then ran the cleaning cycle (not deep cleaning). As far as I'm concerned I don't think the color print out has looked better. Black has some issues.

http://www.ridma.com/MX860/

What does all this mean? Purge is working and I should focus on cleaning the print head?

I'm looking forward to your feedback.

Tom C

 

[stratman]

I used a syringe to put a few drops of water onto the two pads. It was absorbed rather quickly, then ran the cleaning cycle (not deep cleaning). As far as I'm concerned I don't think the color print out has looked better. Black has some issues.

http://www.ridma.com/MX860/

What does all this mean? Purge is working and I should focus on cleaning the print head?

I, too, am surprised by your most recent nozzle check. Regardless, I am happy for you!

Checking the purge pads involve flooding the pads until fluid pools on top of them. A few drops does not sound like it was enough to "pool". If you are unable to pool fluid then a purge tube from the pads is disconnected. Fluid pooling that remains after a cleaning cycle means the tubes are clogged or the purge system is otherwise malfunctioning. This is why it is important to check the purge system before disassembling the printer - you want to know where to concentrate your efforts. However, despite not using enough fluid to see if it would pool or not, the fact that your nozzle test came out good is proof that your purge system is in fact working!

So, what happened? Dunno, but it could any of the following or combination thereof:

- More soaking/flushing finally worked

- Electrical contact areas making proper contact

- Purge pads/tubes cleaned up enough from the fluid you added and with the cleaning cycle

- Gremlin in the printer gone or taking a nap.

What to do?

- The Pigment Black still shows signs of a few nozzle clogs. If this does not bother you then continue to use the print head without further intervention. Otherwise, soaks/flushes with nozzle checks to look for progress. Cleaning/Deep Cleaning cycles may help after more soaking but use sparingly if at all.

- Consider changing Pigment Black ink. Hobbicolors was identified by ghwellsjr as more clog prone than other inks. I used Hobbicolors Pigment Black for a year without issue, but have been using only Image Specialist inks for several years since with good results. It's up to you. FYI - using a different Pigment Black will not screw up your colors as colors are determined by your Dye-based inks.

- Make sure all your cartridges are in perfect working condition. Consider new OEM Canon cartridges, or, all refilled OEM Canon cartridges that have been flushed and refilled, or new aftermarket cartridges used once only and then discarded.

- Consider a few drops of water, isopropyl alcohol, or a solution like original Windex with Ammonium D on the purge pads every week to keep them clean and the purge tubes from gumming up.