Ip4500 Stopped Printing Pgbk Ink

[martin0reg]

I agree, if the problem does persist, throw away the printhead and get a good one - if the printer is doing fine.
In gemany a new printhead costs ca. 75 euro.

 

[Igor Gefter]

I do have another ip4500 that is old and not working. The cartridge in it will not move at all.
Maybe if we can determine what is causing this problem in my current printer, perhaps I could swap that part from the old ip4500?
Unless, of course, if we come to the final consensus that it is the print head, then the old printer will not solve anything.

 

[PeterBJ]

I guess the old iP4500 will not turn on at all? This error is often caused by a short circuit in the print head triggering an over current protection preventing the printer's power supply from turning on. If that is the case, both the print head and the logic board in the old printer are most likely ruined, so I would not test the print head from the old and not working printer in the newer and partly working one.

 

[Igor Gefter]

The old one will always turn on.

Yet, sometimes it doesn't move the head carriage at all, and the lights flash four times, green/yellow.
Other times, it would turn on and the lights will not flash. The green light is stable. Yet, when I try to print, I get an error code 5100.
Attaching a picture of the exact error code it gives.

 

[turbguy]

Error 5100

There are several reasons for error 5100 to appear.

• 
  An ink tank(s) is not seated properly.
• 
  Paper is jammed or there is an object inside the printer.
• 
  The printer needs to be reset.
• 
  The encoder Timing film/strip may need to be cleaned.

 

[Igor Gefter]

None of the links attached work. Could you please try again?

 

[turbguy]

None of the links attached work. Could you please try again?

Try here:

http://kbsupport.cusa.canon.com/sys...ONE_OFFSET=&CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&ARTICLE_ID=47266

 

[PeterBJ]

Check the service manual page 8. The causes and cures for error 5100 are as described by turbguy, but I noticed you also mentioned 4 blinks which could indicate an error with the purge unit. The purge unit might be blocked by dried ink, so try cleaning it with Q-tips and a window cleaner.

The problems with the old printer seem to be mechanical, so there is a chance that the print head is OK. But a defective print head can damage a logic board, and the now damaged logic board can damage a new print head. Swapping print heads between printers for troubleshooting can cause "print head death" to spread like a contagious disease.

If the print head in the old printer was OK before the mechanical problems started, it probably still is. But I cannot give you any guarantee. It is your decision if you want to try the old print head in the newer printer. You might end up with one working printer or you might end up having two defunct printers.

In my opinion the best idea is to try to resolve the mechanical problems with the old printer first, before considering a print head swap.

 

[Igor Gefter]

I am going to try to fix the mechanical problem of the old printer. Just want to clarify about cleaning the lurge unit.
Is the purge unit a part on the very right that is rectangular with a sponge soaked in black ink? There are actually two of them right next to each other. If it is the case, then do i clean them till there is almost no ink present on them?

 

[PeterBJ]

The purge unit does more than suck ink through the print head nozzles. It also wipes the underside of the print head and caps the print head when parked and locks the print head carriage when parked, so it contain some moving parts that must be able to move freely. Dried ink could prevent this free movement and should be cleaned away.

If you use the forum search function and enter "purge unit" you will get close to 200 hits. Here are a few suggestions to start reading about purge units: http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/canon-mp620-not-printing-black.7517/ , http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/autopsy-of-a-purge-unit-canon-s750.7567/#post-58098 , http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/pixma-ip3600-stopped-printing-text.8148/#post-63208