Epson 9890 has lost two pair channels simultaneously, twice. Any Help?

[deanwork]

Hello guys,

I have a 4 year old Epson 9890 that I have running Piezography K6 Carbon in.

Initially I ran K7 Carbon in it,  but about two years ago my LM and LLK channels stopped completely overnight. So, I reassigned the inks and have ben printing perfect K6 exhibition prints and portfolios with it out of QTR since that time.

Last week my MK and LK channels did the exact same thing, leaving me with only four working channels. I thought maybe something was up with my ink carts or they didn't have enough ink in them so I ordered new carts and additional inks but that didn't do anything. After many normal and pair cleanings, both powerful and normal I still don't see even a slight sign of ink in either of these channels. I tried to run prints through it to get the ink flowing but the two channels are always totally missing. The other channels are consistently clean and perfect.

It so happens that IN BOTH OF MY CASES, the two inks that went out simultaneously happen to share the same pair cleaning positions.

I don't understand this odd pressurized system enough to know why nozzles would be going out in pairs.

Can anyone explain to me why this would be? Would changing out dampers potentially solve something like this? How difficult is it to change the dampers on the 9890, and can I just change out these two without replacing the whole assembly? I haven't done that since my  9600 days.  It's just odd to me how these new Epsons function in regard to the ink channels. The Cone bw inks flow with less clogging or issues than Epson inks and don't break down like other third party bw inksets, though I do shake them gently once a month. They really run clean.

When I look inside my printer it is immaculate. The cap station and every part of the interior looks like a brand new printer. I treat my printers like they are delicate babies. The only thing that had any ink at all on it was the wiper blade and I cleaned that with distilled water today. That didn't do anything. The wiper blade doesn't look worn, but this wouldn't be the problem anyway with two channels going out solidly like that all at once.

Is there anything else I should try? As beautiful  as the output is,  I won't pay Decision One two grand to fix this machine. I'll give up on Epson completely before I do that.

Sorry this is so long,

John

[datro]

John,

When a color pair sharing a cap in the cleaning station drop completely at the same time, it is most likely that the cleaning station needs to be replaced.  The fact that this has happened once already (on a different pair) I think adds even more weight in that direction.  If indeed it is the cleaning station that is problematic, no amount of cleaning will improve things.  I doubt it is a problem with ink supply or cartridges.  The cap is the only printer component that is shared by the color pairs.  And the cleaning assembly can go bad, leading to insufficient suction during cleaning procedures (either user initiated or done by the printer itself).

For your symptoms, the Epson Field Service Guide says to replace the cleaning station (also known as the "pump and cap assembly"), and that's what I would do first.  It's Part Number 567 and costs about $240. at Compass Micro.  Replacing it should be pretty straightforward if you have the Service Manual and you are comfortable taking off a few covers and can follow the instructions.  There are a number of electrical connectors that you need to remove and then re-insert, so you need to keep track of where everything goes.  Also note that the new pump and cap assembly will NOT have a wiper assembly in it; I'd recommend ordering a new wiper assembly as well (about $13) so everything you install will be new.

Of course the other option is to get a quote from Epson (D1) for the work, which I would recommend if you aren't comfortable getting inside the printer.

Dave

[deanwork]

Hello Dave,

That was very valuable info and I really appreciate it.

That sounds logical. The cap station did cross my mind but it looked so normal and clean that I moved past that. Thanks. I haven’t had a chance to even look at those lists and comment  until just now.

Well after about 50 head cleanings over a three day period both channels came back in , one at a time.

What happened here was when I was doing the pairs cleaning, after about 10 cleanings, the lb finally came back in, but the MK would’t come back in until I did several normal cleanings of all the channels using the normal clean procedure ( wasting other ink of course). Now go figure that! There is a lot going on back there that I don't think anyone understands.

Decision One told a guy on another list this past week that if he didn't see any clean nozzles after 2 or three cleanings then he needed to replace his head, at $1,750.00, so that is what he did. I'm glad I didn't call them. After numerous stories with this series printer from myself and my friends and colleagues, I sincerely believe that most of the time Epson doesn't know exactly what the problem is when these lines disappear, either partially or completely, or with banding issues.

 What D1 does is start replacing modules and the first thing they recommend is replacing the "print head assembly" including the print head and cap station. Of course that is always the most expensive solution, and it may very well be that what you are saying about replacing the cap station ( which might not be making contact with the head correctly) the wipers, and the dampers could be a much cheaper way to go and possibly work as well as all that and a head replacement. But, who knows.....I hear all kinds of mixed opinions about how long the heads should last.

If this happens again I’ll replace the cleaning station and the dampers and wiper blade before giving up. I replaced cap stations on two of my 9600s years ago. At that time they looked brittle and hard so I could see they wouldn't make proper contact. In that case it probably happened because of all the Windex I used over the years trying to break clogs. With th 9890 I would't dream of spraying any cleansers like that back there. What I did do though was put a dab of distilled water on the cap station with a lint free cotton glove and let that soak. However, the cap stations looked really good before I did that so I don't know if that helped me or not. Maybe or it was just the cleanings, or the water and the cleanings, or something else regarding a lack of pressure in the lines.

But the moral of the story is for me, don't give up and buy a new head just  because you've done a ton of head cleanings, because the next day it just may finally work. Depends on how much time you have I guess...

But don't do them all in a row, that can burn up your head.

John