Need help with Canon iP3500 print head

[fdm2000]

In recent days I have been unable to print black text of any kind - colors work fine. These are the steps I have taken to try to resolve the problem:

1.Deleted and reinstalled the latest Canon driver for the iP3500
2. replaced the PGI-5 Black cartridge - no help
3. ran deep cleaning cycles several times - no help
4. removed print head and blew compressed air through black inlet to clear any thick ink - no help
5. soaked lower area of print head (below electronic contacts) in warm mixture of water and alcohol over night, then blew through black inlet - no help

Any other steps I can try before either junking the printer or buying a new print head?

Most likely choice would be a new inexpensive one function printer as the replacement print heads cost nearly as much as an new entry level Canon printer.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Frank

 

[Harvey]

I used a syringe and warm water (better if you use distilled water) to get a perfect nozzle check from a totally absent pigment in the nozzle check, I just used the syringe with its needle. I used like a pressure water gun in the printhead filter and the nozzles. I just filled the syringe like 3 times per each the filter and the nozzles, I made sure printhead was dry, installed it and it worked perfectly.

Warm water will help to remove dried pigments, I have used alcohol before, but with dyes not with pigment which is harder to unclog, and here is when using warm water will help. You could use Windex as well, just use it warm.

 

[qwertydude]

If you put a new OEM cartridge in and it still didn't print one thing to check is if your purge unit is working. Sometimes these can get clogged with ink. Place a few drops of windex on the black purge pad so it looks wet then run a cleaning cycle, if the windex disappears your purge system works and likely your print head is toast. If it doesn't disappear there may be a clog, it can happen because pigment ink dries up solid. Soaking the pad in windex overnight sometimes helps.

 

[Harvey]

Id like to add to qwerydude advice this. Remove the porous pad where the head parks with a pair of tweezers and wash it with boiling water to remove the dried pigments and add the Windex directly to the rubber tray, check if this can help.

In the other hand I also swapped carts and the problem with missing pigment in the nozzle was the head itself, I dealt with the head, and it solved the problem right away.

 

[fdm2000]

Many thanks for the suggestions Harvey and qwertydude - not being totally familiar with the terms you both used - can I ask for further clarification of the following comments:

"If you put a new OEM cartridge in and it still didn't print one thing to check is if your purge unit is working. Sometimes these can get clogged with ink..." Do you mean the sponge in the ink outlet port of the cartridge or something else?

"Remove the porous pad where the head parks with a pair of tweezers and wash it with boiling water to remove the dried pigments and add the Windex directly to the rubber tray, check if this can help." Not sure which porous pad you refer to - is this the sponge like pads below the printer head and where is the ruber tray you refer to?

Frank