Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?  (Read 3108 times)

tsjanik

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 720
Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« on: April 14, 2015, 07:37:13 am »

I've had a 4900 for some time and have successfully dealt with many clogs, often using advice from this forum.  This time I have not been successful and hope there's a technique I have yet to learn.  There is a persistent band of missing nozzles in my cyan nozzle check, not one nozzle in this band delivers ink.  A few nozzles have appeared and then disappeared at the edges of the band, but none in the interior.   I have tried every method I'm aware of to clear this, all to no or little effect.  This includes soaking the parking station with AIS cleaning solution (for weeks), cleanings (including CL3 from the service program), printing between cleanings  and even an initial fill.  Does anyone have any other techniques to suggest?

Thanks,

Tom
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2015, 08:59:34 am »

Call Epson Prographics and arrange for tech support. Yes, it costs money but if you get a good one, it's worthwhile in terms of saving your time and your printer. And printhead replacement is the last and usually - for financial reasons - ill-advised "solution", so the true test of a good technician is whether this becomes the last of the things they tell you after they have tested for all the other less fatal potential causes of your problem.
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

jferrari

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 484
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2015, 09:41:18 am »

Have you cleaned the wiper? The head? Those two things should be performed before trying anything else.    - Jim
Logged
Nothing changes until something changes.

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2015, 10:00:59 am »

In a 4900 the capping station and the wiper are part of a common assembly. Then there is an area on the side of the head that collects gunk which is easily reachable for cleaning. All this needs to be exposed in the correct manner and cleaned gently and carefully, making sure the capping station is positioned exactly right when you finish - needs some experience (visual and electronic determination) to know that. Cleaning the head itself is not the first thing to do and could cause further problems depending on how it is done. This is best left to a technician with the correct procedure and materials.
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

tsjanik

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 720
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2015, 06:14:17 pm »

I cleaned the wiper and soaked the head on a paper towel with AIS fluid as well as the other procedures I mentioned - no luck.  I've tried calling Epson Mark, but  their only suggestion has been to do cleanings.  I am not willing to invest much money in this printer at this point, so a service call is out of the question.

Tom
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2015, 08:10:09 pm »

Hi Tom - yup - over the phone they won't direct you to do much more than that because in their estimation we're not qualified to tinker inside it, and having seen what I've seen recently, while the company may be a bit on the cautious/conservative side (undoubtedly guided by their legal counsel), grosso modo they have a point. Just last week I invested a couple of hundred getting a thorough professional cleaning and fine tuning done and I have to say my printing life has been made considerably more efficient as a result. Time is worth a lot to me and I'll pay good money to avoid wasting it. As well, should the time come in the not too distant future that I want to replace this printer with another model, its very fine condition will improve its marketability and value. So another take on the value of service proposition. Each of us will have a different basis for judging that.
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

digitaldog

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20630
  • Andrew Rodney
    • http://www.digitaldog.net/
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2015, 09:25:57 pm »

I am not willing to invest much money in this printer at this point, so a service call is out of the question.
I feel your pain! I got so frustrated with the clogging, I gave the unit away once I got a clean nozzle check.
Maybe yours can be used for parts for someone who can use them.
Logged
http://www.digitaldog.net/
Author "Color Management for Photographers".

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2015, 09:30:26 pm »

What printer do you use most these days Andrew?
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

digitaldog

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20630
  • Andrew Rodney
    • http://www.digitaldog.net/
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2015, 09:36:41 pm »

What printer do you use most these days Andrew?
My favorite of all time (since the 1200), the 3880.
Logged
http://www.digitaldog.net/
Author "Color Management for Photographers".

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2015, 09:42:35 pm »

Yup - superb printer. Now, if they could marry the trouble-free operation of the 3880 with the gamut of the 4900...............
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2015, 10:36:06 pm »

I cleaned the wiper and soaked the head on a paper towel with AIS fluid as well as the other procedures I mentioned - no luck.  I've tried calling Epson Mark, but  their only suggestion has been to do cleanings.  I am not willing to invest much money in this printer at this point, so a service call is out of the question.

Tom

On further reflection Tom, having done all this with still no good results, it *could be* that you need a pump replacement. If this were the case, between parts and labour you would probably be in for something in the range of 500 dollars. At that point you would probably be weighing the option to replace the printer with say a 3880 or the just announced P800 when it hits the market.
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

Georgecp

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 41
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2015, 11:00:25 pm »

Tom,

to Mark's suggestion, I had a problemmatic 4900 and went through all manner of clog-management issues similar to your description.  While several of the methods worked temporarily, I ended up replacing the pump last August at a cost of approximately $500 and the printer has been like a new machine.  I still have to run a normal power clean on a couple of nozzles if I don't print with it for a week; however, other than that, it has been problem free.

I determined that the $500 was a worthwhile investment as the printer does a very nice job when it works and a replacement printer would cost much more than the repair.

good luck with your decision.

George
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2015, 07:42:15 am »

Tom,

I determined that the $500 was a worthwhile investment as the printer does a very nice job when it works and a replacement printer would cost much more than the repair.

George


Clearly one way of looking at it, and I agree with you that the 4900 produces stunning output - certainly the best I've ever achieved, and I've been using a suite of Epson professional printers for the past fifteen years. That said, there are also other factors entering into such a decision. Firstly, it was designed as a production machine, so you still need to print with it every several days otherwise there will be nozzle cleaning to do. We've learned to live with it, but is this really acceptable as a long-term proposition? Secondly, having done the pump replacement, once the printer is several years old, what comes next, when and at what cost? There may be years of trouble-free operation, but the probability of issues increases with age. A new printer has a warranty and newer technology. Like so much in life - compromises and trade-offs in a context of uncertainty due to imperfect information about the future! :-)
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

tsjanik

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 720
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #13 on: April 15, 2015, 11:43:28 am »

Mark and George, why would a faulty pump result in the loss of 5 lines in the C nozzle check?  Ebay has Epson pump assemblies for around $250; I have the service manual and can follow directions reasonably well so that might be worth a try.  Were I to give up on the printer, I'd be most upset about the expense and waste of all the then useless ink I'd have. >:( .  Mark makes a point I have considered: money into an old printer vs. a new one. 

Thanks,

Tom
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #14 on: April 15, 2015, 11:55:19 am »

Mark and George, why would a faulty pump result in the loss of 5 lines in the C nozzle check?  Ebay has Epson pump assemblies for around $250; I have the service manual and can follow directions reasonably well so that might be worth a try.  Were I to give up on the printer, I'd be most upset about the expense and waste of all the then useless ink I'd have. >:( .  Mark makes a point I have considered: money into an old printer vs. a new one. 

Thanks,

Tom

If I remember correctly from what I was shown, the cleaning process involves the use of the pump and two tubes. If the pump is not delivering the ink to one of the tubes, part of the cleaning process may not be doing anything (please, if someone reading this has better knowledge to correct me, do jump in). However, if it is the C channel alone, the other possibility is that the capping station isn't seated properly, allowing air to dry out that part of the print head. I've also experienced disproportionate C channel clogs and this was suggested as a possible cause. Diagnostics before action is where the experience and expertise of a qualified technician is useful, but sadly, like all qualified expertise, it does need to be paid for. If the Service Manual you have was obtained from an unofficial source (it is Epson's proprietary information) it may not be a current version of the manual, and unless you have experience dismantling the printer and reassembling it to the extent necessary to replace these components, you could be letting yourself in for problems. But that varies depending on one's individual skills at this sort of thing coming in at it from the cold. Personally, I would not - I believe in the theory of comparative advantage; but that's just me. You msy do very well with it - once you really know what the problem is :-)
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

ericbowles

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 38
    • Bowles Images
Re: Suggestions for a clogged 4900?
« Reply #15 on: May 30, 2015, 07:35:45 am »

Here is a link to a Youtube video about replacing the pump/ink supply unit.  The unit itself is $395 including a 30 minute instructional video for do it yourself replacement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyVRONzrCV8

The Epson 4900 pump unit is available through Compassmicro.com for $229.  It's $319 through another online source.
http://www.compassmicro.com/parts_search3.cfm

The pump unit is not "user replaceable" per Epson.  But it sounds like a reasonable job if you are handy with printer repairs and maintenance.  From my own standpoint, I'm going to take my 4900 to an Epson Service Center and let them perform the work and any other diagnostics required.  In some cases they have cheaper ways to clear a clog that might save money. 

Epson seems to be following a trend to produce subassemblies as a unit and sell or replace the entire unit.  That is ultimately cheaper than paying for the training and labor required to disassemble and repair a pump unit or similar "part".
Logged
Eric Bowles
Nature Photography
Workshops and Instruction
Pages: [1]   Go Up