ip4000, stopped working and shows 5 orange flashes

[jbclem]

My ip4000 had been working fine since I put in 5 new original cartridges. Yesterday it refused to print and the power light started giving 5 orange flashes, then one green, the 5 orange flashes again...it keeps repeating this when it's turned on.

I pulled out the print head and looked at it. On the underside there was some extra black goop, not on the copper colored nozzle section, but around part of the other copper slot (narrower and longer than the nozzle section). I cleaned this off with some rubbing alcohol and put it back in place. The problem continued.

I next tried what I read was a nozzle check, holding the resume button down until I got two green flashes of the power light. It then printed out a 3eBK nozzle check that looked pretty good. I did this twice. Then I tried to print something off an internet page and instead of reverting to the 5 orange flashes the printer started to print this internet page. It got halfway through and stopped, and the 5 orange flashes returned.

Now I'm back with the 5 orange flashes...but I think if I let it sit a while (turned off), I should be able to run the 3eBK nozzle check again.

Could someone venture an opinion about this? Could it be a bad printhead, or some other weirdness? I'll try to run a test print once I can figure out the combination (holding down the resume button?) to trigger that.

John

 

[The Hat]

Hi John
No matter how many times you try to clear this error it will keep returning till you replace your print head.
The five orange flashing lights in nearly all Canon printers means a defective print head and that is what your printer is indicating to you.

It can happen any time and for no particular reason and when it does it tends to P** you off ,
but there is nothing you can do about but yell and cuss then after you have calmed down go check on-line for another replacement, Ouch

Sorry..

 

[PeterBJ]

The Canon part number for the print head is QY6-0049-000, so a Google search for this number or just "qy6-0049" or "printhead ip4000" might find a replacement. But the print heads are no longer produced, and the Pixma 4000 was a very popular printer, so a new, reasonably priced print head might be difficult to find.

 

[jbclem]

I see the ip4000 print heads available from about $70 to $150. The $70 ones are from Hong Kong. Does anyone have an opinion about these Chinese print heads?

What exactly happens to a print head to cause it to go out suddenly? Are there wires that burn out, or could it also be something from the control board?

 

[jbclem]

When I mentioned Chinese print heads for sale on Ebay, they are shown as authentic Canon print heads, even the boxes(or packaging) look original. But I'm wondering if anyone knows if these are knock-offs or the real thing.

 

[The Hat]

I see the ip4000 print heads available from about $70 to $150. The $70 ones are from Hong Kong. Does anyone have an opinion about these Chinese print heads?

What exactly happens to a print head to cause it to go out suddenly? Are there wires that burn out, or could it also be something from the control board?

The print head can go bad for any number of reasons, wear and tear, high usage, old age, abuse, poor ink flow,
cheap or bad inks and last but not least just pure bad luck.

If you cant get a print head from anywhere else then try the ones from Hong Kong,
some say the Chinese ones are second-hand but this has never been confirmed by anyone. (They do work)

 

[jbclem]

Here's something interesting...I just discovered that if I print in draft mode and grayscale, the 5 orange flashes don't occur and I get a black and white print. Then I tried unchecking grayscale and I still got a black and white print. I then tried the same in Standard mode, both with and without grayscale, and still got black and white prints.

So at least temporarily, the 5 orange flashes have stopped, but so has the color printing. Does this change the diagnosis possibilities at all?

 

[The Hat]

Here's something interesting...I just discovered that if I print in draft mode and grayscale, the 5 orange flashes don't occur and I get a black and white print. Then I tried unchecking grayscale and I still got a black and white print. I then tried the same in Standard mode, both with and without grayscale, and still got black and white prints.

So at least temporarily, the 5 orange flashes have stopped, but so has the color printing. Does this change the diagnosis possibilities at all?

It sounds like you have reached the end of useful life for your print head,
there is probably nothing actually wrong with the head but Canon put a software limit on how many times the heads can fire.

So if you continue to use it the orange lights will come up again pretty soon, which is a shame sorry.

Ill tell you what if you email me your address I could send you one of my print heads
that got the same end of life error as yours did its out of an i865 but the code is the same QY6-0049.

 

[jbclem]

Do you think the print head from your i865 might fool the ip4000 software limit? I'm in California, is there an inexpensive way to send it that far...

This software print head limit must be tied into some kind of print head identification, otherwise what would happen if I put a new print head on this old printer.

 

[The Hat]

Do you think the print head from your i865 might fool the ip4000 software limit? I'm in California, is there an inexpensive way to send it that far...

This software print head limit must be tied into some kind of print head identification, otherwise what would happen if I put a new print head on this old printer.

The Canon print head may have a built-in memory chip and it may not,
so do you think its worth a try, as far as the costs are concerned its just postage..