iP4500 Suddenly Stopped Printing PGBK Ink

[turbguy]

Sounds like a classic purge unit issue to me!

Wayne

 

[The Hat]

Sounds like a classic purge unit issue to me!

Wayne

I cant argue with you on that but that doesnt explain the non compliance of his ink status.
I am at a loss to explain it and it frankly leaves me scratching my head..

 

[bankerjohn]

The unavailability of your ink monitoring is a bit of concern and I am wondering if that happen
at the same time as the black failing to print then you have a much bigger problem.

I'm thinking that losing the ability to view ink levels probably disappeared BEFORE I lost the ability to print black from the PGBK cartridge. The reason I say that is because I used to get a pop-up saying the printer was preparing to print a document using the iP4500 printer before the printer actually started printing ... and, there used to be an icon in the system tray for the iP4500 printer that I could right-click and bring up My Printer (I think) .... and seems like I "lost" both of these items some time ago, long before I lost the pigment black printing.

 

[bankerjohn]

Here's what my nozzle print looks like:

 

[The Hat]

Now were getting somewhere so its back to the black cartridge again.
Did you try a new or replacement cartridge so as we can eliminate that first.

turbguy Sounds like a classic purge unit issue to me!

The purge unit would then be the next port of call.

I started with #3 ... flooded the purge pads with water, and then executed a cleaning cycle. Nozzle check printout still completely missing the top line where the PGBK cartridge is supposed to print. Checked the purge pads and the water is gone, so I assume the purge unit is functioning correctly.

Try filling the purge unit again this time don't do a cleaning cycle and see if the water drains from the unit or stays there.

If it drains off without a cleaning cycle then the tubes on your purge unit have dropped off the bottom,
try that first and come back with your answer please..

 

[bankerjohn]

Now were getting somewhere so its back to the black cartridge again.
Did you try a new or replacement cartridge so as we can eliminate that first.

OK ... I installed a brand new PGBK cartridge ... genuine Canon, not refilled ... absolutely no difference ... no printing from PGBK cartridge at all!

The purge unit would then be the next port of call.

Try filling the purge unit again this time don't do a cleaning cycle and see if the water drains from the unit or stays there.

If it drains off without a cleaning cycle then the tubes on your purge unit have dropped off the bottom,
try that first and come back with your answer please..

Flooded the purge pads again ... waited a couple minutes ... doesn't appear as though they're draining out, at least not completely "dry" like they were to start with. Is there any way to further test the purge unit, beyond tearing the printer apart?

If not, what next?

 

[turbguy]

The pool (puddle) on the purge pad should be stable, and last many, many minutes, else it's a loose hose below the pad...

Wayne

 

[bankerjohn]

The pool (puddle) on the purge pad should be stable, and last many, many minutes, else it's a loose hose below the pad...

Wayne

Can I assume that if the hose is loose, it can be tightened up? Any instructions for getting to that point?

 

[stratman]

The Pigment Black issue could be

1) Ink starvation - no ink leaving the cartridge and requires a flush of the cartridge (if refilling) or a new cartridge to fix.

2) The print head may have a Pigment Black ink clog in the print head - soaking the print head may resolve the issue.

3) The purge unit for the Pigment Black may be malfunctioning in one of several ways. Use a syringe/needle, soda straw, long eye dropper or some other implement FLOOD water on top of the purge pads. Water should POOL on top of the 2 pads. It takes more than a couple of drops to FLOOD the purge pads. The purge pads are located to the extreme right as you look into the inside of the printer. When the printer is idle or powered off, the print head rests above the purge pads. Open the lid and you will see the print head come to and stop in the middle, like when you change cartridges. Now use a flashlight to see the pads to the right. FLOOD the purge pads making sure you see a pool of water above them then close the lid and perform a simple cleaning. Open the lid and look to see if the water is now gone (the pads may even look a little less blackish). Report if you are unable to FLOOD the pads, if the POOLED water doesn't go away. Report your experience - if it worked as expected or not.

4) Print head malfunction - you can try cleaning the electrical contacts on the print head AND the printer with a soft pencil eraser or a lint free cloth and isopropyl alcohol. If you do any cleaning up inside the printer be careful not to smudge or dirty the plastic timing strip - see here for an idea of what and where the timing strip is.

5) Logic board malfunction

Start with #3. You could also do #1 if you have a new or known working cartridge, otherwise, report back your observations.

I started with #3 ... flooded the purge pads with water, then executed a cleaning cycle. Nozzle check printout still completely missing the top line where the PGBK cartridge is supposed to print. Checked the purge pads and the water is gone, so I assume the purge unit is functioning correctly.

Before I proceed to try other possible solutions, one thing that no one has responded to is my concern that My Printer software is no longer allowing me to view the ink levels. When I click on Printer Status, nothing happens. In the past, this would bring up a window showing the ink level on each cartridge. Is there a possibility that my driver file has become corrupted? Should I attempt to uninstall the "Canon iP4500 Series" program, then download and install the current version? ... before I try anything else?

It is important you follow explicitly the instructions in #3 and not do anything else such as printing something. The idea is to isolate the function of the purge system as best as possible with this test.

Reading your subsequent posts, and if I understood you correctly, the purge system seemed to work properly. You flooded the purge pads and the pooled water stayed on top of the pads. If you close the lid of the printer, the printer may purge some ink as part of a routine maintenance from having the lid open - you will hear the printer grinding and click-clacking similar to when you first turn it on. The pooled water will now be sucked into the purge system. In this instance, you won't need to run a cleaning cycle, but it is often instructed to do to make sure things are working properly. At this point I don't think you have a purge system issue based on all your posts.

You have now tried a new pigment black cartridge and nothing was printed out in the nozzle check for pigment black. This leads to the possibility of a clog in the print head, a print head failure, or a logic board failure. Soaking the print head is the next logical step (unless you have a replacement print head handy).

Concerning the software issue -- the easiest solution is to uninstall the printer software - all of it - reboot, and then reinstall the printer software as if installing the printer for the first time. Do not skip steps of a "new printer" install.

 

[turbguy]

The pool (puddle) on the purge pad should be stable, and last many, many minutes, else it's a loose hose below the pad...

Wayne

Can I assume that if the hose is loose, it can be tightened up? Any instructions for getting to that point?

Again follow the directions o#3 above. If the pool slowly disappears with no action, you have a problem. If it's stable, you may not have a problem. It was not absolutely clear from your earlier response what the result was...

BYW, you have TWO purge pads, one for Pigment BK and one for the remaining dye-based colors

Reconnecting loose purge system hoses can be a real Pain in the a**!

Wayne