I just posted this in the Yahoo Epson Wide Format group, but it looks like
there may be more experience here.
About a year ago I purchased two used 9800 printers that were in perfect working
condition. One continues to work great but the other has been a pain for some
time with head clogs until recently, when now it will barely print anything.
Over the last six months when doing nozzle checks, a few nozzles would be
clogged here and there, especially magenta or cyan. Usually a head cleaning or
three would fix the problem. I had never done a power cleaning.
I don't use the machines that much and I got tired of starting them every other
day to do a nozzle check and noticing the ink levels going down, so I put a wet
pad under the heads and they sat unused for nearly a month. Not a problem with
the one, but a major mistake for the other.
Half the nozzles showed nothing. So, I did a power clean and most nozzles were
back in action. I let it sit for two days and did a nozzle check and now 98% of
the nozzles show nothing. I've done a bunch of head cleanings since then with
no improvement.
I called Epson and they recommended replacing the Pump Cap Assembly.
Fortunately, I have the second machine, so I swapped the assembly. I did two
head cleanings with the swapped assembly with no improvement. I also took the
original pump apart, inspected, cleaned, lubed it and there was nothing broken
or worn out with it. The rubber seal on the pad is in good condition.
I notice that the head sprays ink on the pad next to the cap assembly. I washed
both the cap pad and the one next to it, and it's obvious that it's shooting ink
on it, enough to darken it substantially. The air pump works fine and is
pressuring the cartridges. I am using Epson ink cartridges.
I'm tempted to swap the heads (to troubleshoot) but hesitant because I removed
the head on a R260 a few weeks ago, cleaning it with warm distilled water, blew
it off with air, put it back together and it powered up for about ten seconds
and it died. It won't even power on now. Luckily, that only cost me $50 to
replace.
Can a removed head be put back into it's original place with out an alignment?
If you suspect the head, any recommendations on a procedure of cleaning it?
I have access to a ultra sonic cleaner. Can the head be submerged? Blown out
with compressed air?
I can't imagine the entire head clogging within days. What's
weird here is it shoots quite a bit of ink on the pad but won't print hardly a
thing. The pad in the cap gets some ink but nothing like the pad next to it.
What exactly does the Pump Cap Assembly do other than remove ink? I see that
through the gearing it is connected to the head mechanism. What is that
relationship?
Looking forward to any help.
Thanks for your time.
