Epson 4900 clog. Cleaning makes it worse.

[Mark D Segal]

Mark, I think you may want to have a look at this. I would have thought that they were first or second. Nope, third.   - Jim

Hi Jim,

My comment was focused on the inkjet/graphics printer market, not all technical printers of which there are many kinds. I should have been more specific. Anyhow, in your referenced article, in respect of the graphics printing market they say "Epson ranked third in the overall technical market and continued as the leader of the graphics applications segment, with more than double the share of the next competitor,....." Anyhow, the more competitive it is the better for us consumers.

Cheers,

Mark

[Nora_nor]

I found out that the pump unit, damper and wiper (comes in one piece) should be replaced every two or latest three years!
http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/showthread.php?352-epson-4900-serviceable-parts
http://compassmicro.com/parts_detail.cfm?ID=6811&form.mfg=Epson&form.printerstyle=Inkjet&form.printername=Stylus%20Pro%204900

[Mark D Segal]

Mine is over three years old and it's just fine. Furthermore Epson does not advise this as a routine maintenance procedure, so I would not accept it uncritically. Personally, I wouldn't replace any parts for the sake of it because some website recommends it. My philosophy is replace the part if the performance of the printer and the analysis of the problems indicates that being the cause.

[Wayne Fox]

There is no point in replacing the pump assembly unless it is the cause of the problems. The typical symptom is lack of ink to most nozzles and colors, and cleaning results in little ink consumption and little ink to the maintenance tank. 

When replacing the pump the wiper unit is included, but it can be ordered separately.  the wiper can be removed and cleaned on a regular basis, and no need to replace it unless it is damaged or cannot be cleaned. It isn’t very expensive though, so yearly replacement certainly isn’t a big deal.  My 3 year old 9900 the wiper is still pristine ... I’ve checked it a couple of times but it doesn’t show any signs of wear.

The dampers are not part of that assembly, but a separate piece. They are part of the head assembly and their main purpose is to bleed air bubbles from the ink delivery system.  Dampers can go bad, and the normal symptom is sudden loss of most or all nozzles in one or more colors that don’t seem to respond to any cleans. The damper comes as a unit, and is fairly straightforward to replace, as long as you have access to the Epson service manual and just follow the steps.

[Mike Guilbault]

Another thing to consider that I haven't seen mentioned here is the humidity level in the print room. I still get the occasional clog, but not nearly as many nor as bad since I got a humidifier. I have it placed between my 4900 and 9900 and try to keep the level at 40% or more. I only need it over the winter months here in Central Ontario, Canada - very dry in the winter, but it makes all the difference. 

[Garnick]

Hello All,

It looks like this topic has perhaps been well covered and the original poster has at last solved his problem with the 4900.  Please forgive me for coming here with no particular suggestion to add, although I suffered many a time the woes of the 9900 within my 3 year warranty period.  Some of you might recall my early posts(although 3-4 years ago), outlining some of the issues and accompanying service visits from D1.  By the end of the warranty period numerous parts had been replaced(some more than once) and the printer has performed very well since, with the help of Eric's muti-volume "service guide".  I think we all owe Eric another round at the bar for his endless posts and valuable information shared.  However, I do have one request.  I seem to recall searching for the "Service Program" for the 9900 a couple of years ago.  If memory serves I believe the only version I could find was for a PC, no Mac version then.  If anyone can direct me to the download site for the aforementioned program it would be much appreciated.  I seem to have also lost that information. 

Thank you,
Gary 

[Garnick]

Another thing to consider that I haven't seen mentioned here is the humidity level in the print room. I still get the occasional clog, but not nearly as many nor as bad since I got a humidifier. I have it placed between my 4900 and 9900 and try to keep the level at 40% or more. I only need it over the winter months here in Central Ontario, Canada - very dry in the winter, but it makes all the difference. 

Hi Mike,

I'm in the GTA and can certainly verify the DRY winters here as well.  A couple of years ago I started using a humidifier and in my opinion that has played a big role in the mostly issue free performance of the 9900.  Some days the unit struggles to reach and maintain the 40% mark, but I also keep a full container of water between the working end of the printer and the wall and that seems to help as well.  I posted a thread recently asking for opinions on reliable hygrometers, since I have three and they all read differently, usually about 10 points variance.  I guess the best hygrometer may be the printer itself, since it seems to be happier when the humidifier is working at peak performance and slightly more finiky when it isn't.

Gary

[BrianWJH]

If anyone can direct me to the download site for the aforementioned program it would be much appreciated.  I seem to have also lost that information. 

Gary, try this link: http://www.2manuals.com/product_info.php?products_id=1488

Brian.

[Garnick]

Gary, try this link: http://www.2manuals.com/product_info.php?products_id=1488

Brian.

Hi Brian,

Again, PC only.

[BrianWJH]

Hi Gary,

Yes and the reason you will probably never see a mac version is that this software was written for service techs I doubt that Epson would be willing to finance a port to other platforms given the very small number of authorized techs.

Brian.