Z3100 belt replacement help needed

[Vlad3]

Hello,

Do you know anyone west of Toronto who could replace the rubber belt on my aging Z3100? I live in Oakville and HP service is financially out of my reach…

Thanks in advance,

Vlad3

[kers]

I have done it myself- as many others

belt 40$

1 day work ; make a lot of photographs and when you take something out put it in an order so you know in what order to put it back

video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U56v6y0FDh4
my printer works fine ... it is not difficult- just work tidy.

[Vlad3]

Hello Pieter,

Thank you kindly for your speedy reply!

I know about Youtube and some other sources of knowledge, I just don't trust myself to successfully carry such a complicated procedure. Obviously, if everything else fails I might attempt it... with my shaking hands...

All the best,

Vlad

[Robert Ardill]

Hello Pieter,

Thank you kindly for your speedy reply!

I know about Youtube and some other sources of knowledge, I just don't trust myself to successfully carry such a complicated procedure. Obviously, if everything else fails I might attempt it... with my shaking hands...

All the best,

Vlad

I chickened out of doing it myself and got a technician to do it for me (cost around $350).  But I did watch every step and helped him with the job (he was freelance, not an HP guy).  It's entirely possible to do it yourself - but I have to say I was more than happy to pay the money.  Even though it's possible for one person to do the job, there are bits that are really quite difficult to do on your own, so having an extra pair of hands is a really good idea, if possible.

The technician also took lots of photographs and laid all the pieces out on a board in the order he removed them.  He only needed to go back to one photograph ... but it was very good to have it!  Also, the Z3100 maintenance manual is very good, and worth having to hand.

After you've finished you will have to run head alignments etc.

The main reason I was happy to pay the money is in case the printer didn't fire up properly afterwards -- and it didn't initially as the spectrophotometer came up with errors.  As it turns out it was probably just a bit of dirt that had got in (even though the technician was super-careful cleaning all the parts and inside the printer) ... but if it had been more than that I just wouldn't have had the heart to open the printer up again (but the technician would have had no option but to do so).

Robert

[Vlad3]

Greetings,

Robert, you are SOOO right! I'd gladly pay $350 knowing that he could fix the problem without causing any additional damage. As always it happened on Friday afternoon. I'll call HP on Monday but will also investigate additional help in and around Toronto.

All the best,

Vlad

[sbay]

I changed the belt myself while watching the video. It took me all day and in retrospect I would have tried harder to find a tech I could just pay to do it (especially for $350).

While changing the belt I dropped a torx bit into the bowels of the machine. I thought I would never get it out but i managed to by fishing with a coat hanger and scotch tape. If the bit had rolled a little bit after falling, it would still be in there.

[Vlad3]

Yeah, I feel it is a design issue. This flimsy belt wears out whether you print or not. After approx. 4 years you are out of warranty and out of luck too...

[John Nollendorfs]

I have a 7 year old Z3100 44" and belt still seems to be fine with moderate usage. I have a feeling that there was a supplier problem with the 24" machine. I did help a friend with a 24" machine replace his belt, and yes, it was an all day ordeal, and yes, a second pair of hands and thoughts were extremely helpful. The trickiest part was reassembly, with putting the carriage back into place, and yes, we did manage to break that flimsy plastic piece--thank goodness we had ordered a replacement and had it on hand.

[Mark Lindquist]

Z3100 Belt Débâcle

[Vlad3]

I'm happy to report that my printer has been repaired by RAM IMAGING company in Toronto (Etobicoke). Knowledgeable people, a reasonable price, and they carry supplies too.

Thank you all for your support! It helped me tremendously,

Vlad3