Deskjet 970 cartridges stuck

  • Thread starter Thread starter RCN
  • Start date Start date
R

RCN

My HP deskjet 970 now has power and resume lights blinking
simultaneously, and any attempt to print produces a message: "Mechanism
Error The print cartridge cannot move." It then advises me to check for
a paper jam, but there is no sign of any jam or even any stray shreds of
paper. I can move the cartridges from side to side freely by hand when
power is off.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
John
 
RCN said:
My HP deskjet 970 now has power and resume lights blinking
simultaneously, and any attempt to print produces a message: "Mechanism
Error The print cartridge cannot move." It then advises me to check for
a paper jam, but there is no sign of any jam or even any stray shreds of
paper. I can move the cartridges from side to side freely by hand when
power is off.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
John
Click to expand...


Did you try pressing the resume button? If this doesn't work then maybe
these HP help pages may be of use. If there is a hidden paper jam that
you find don't try and pull the paper out the front as this can break
the little fingers on the paper pusher bar.


http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=bpd09128&prodId=hpdeskjet918369&cc=us

http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=bpd09315
http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=bpd09170
 
What I have found out about my 970 is that the cleaning station get crudded up
with ink and lockes up.
I have had to dissassemble the printer a couple of times and clean the ink out
in order for it to work properly ( I just did it again yesterday). Initial
indications of a crapped up cleaning station are unusual raucous noises from
the printer when it starts/tries to start printing. Eventually, it will not
print and tell you that the carriage can not move. This is because the
mechanism that seals the ink cartridges while in standby cannot retract and as
a result, the carriage is not free to move. If you are interested in the
cleaning process I can post some info on how to do it. It's a pain in the ass
to do but better than having to buy a new printer (or maybe not ?).

A word of caution. Never shut off the power to the printer by by unplugging it
or with a power strip. Use only the power button on the printer. Removing the
power aggravates the problem.

You will not be ablle to get any info from HP on this problem. I tried. Found
the info in one of there business discution groups.

Let me know via this news group if you want more info.
Good luck
 
tomcas said:
Did you try pressing the resume button? If this doesn't work then maybe
these HP help pages may be of use. If there is a hidden paper jam that
you find don't try and pull the paper out the front as this can break
the little fingers on the paper pusher bar.


http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=bpd09128&prodI
d=hpdeskjet918369&cc=us

http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=bpd09315
http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=bpd09170

--
Click to expand...

Thanks tomcas, but unfortunately I've tried all those with no success
John RCN
 
Looks like that's the way I may have to go. Could you post the info here
for me, then I can decide whether to tackle it or give up and go get a
new printer.

Thanks for that,
John RCN
 
If you remove the rear door and remove the duplexer try gently rotating the
rubber roller shaft almost 1 turn till you hear a click this is the HP
mechanical reset method
 
This is the information ( with attribution ) that I got originaly from an HP
discussion group.
---------------------------------------------oo-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vasily Lisov December 20,2002 13:10 PM GMT

The cleaning station needs to be cleaned. I performed it twice
with success, but I recommend to do so only on your own risk and with extreme
care.
All you need is a Torx screwdriver No.10, a couple of hours of your time and -
again - extreme care.

Remove parts in this order: ink cartridges; small panel with
buttons (unlatch and put inside); top cover; paper tray; right , bottom cover;
power supply unit; cartridge holder assembly with guiding rod; and finally the
cleaning station.
Then fully disassemble the cleaning station, clean it and let it completely
dry.
Be sure to properly locate connectors, latches and screws before dismantling
the unit.
Reassemble in reverse order.
---------------------------------------------------00---------------------------------------------------


Unfortunately there were no details on how to go about the dis-assembly.
You will find that in order to dis-assemble the plastic, you have to find the
various tabs and hooks that hold things together. Don't force anything! Look
at the underside of the printer to locate the hooks and tabs which are usually
accessible with a screw driver or your fingers. A little patience and curiosity
will be rewarded. The second time is easy which it always is once you know how.
Re-assembly is easy as thing just snap back together.

To clean things, I used warm/hot water and dish washing detergent. I think that
you will find that the small shaft with the gears on the ends, located inside
of the cleaning sump, is probably gunked up with coagulated ink making it
difficult to rotate and this is probably the cause of your problems. A good
cleaning should fix things.

It is a good idea not to leave the ink cartiridges out to long as they tend to
dry out and clog. I put a piece of plastic (from a plastic bag or somthing)
over the ink nozels and secure it with scotch tape and put them in a zip-lock
bag while you work. I also put a piece of damp paper towel in the bag to keep
it from drying out inside (I live in a semi arid region).

Let us know how you make out.

Best
Zep
 
Thank you for the info. I've now tried rotating the rollers both up and
down, both with the power off and the power on and my ear pretty close
to the rollers, and not heard a click. Is this a bad sign, do you know?
I may have time tomorrow to tackle trying to clean the cleaning station
as that seems to be the last resort.
 
If I understand your problem correctly, I did the same operation with a
different technique.

The owner was ready to throw it away, so I

-moved the cartridges to center
-put on old clothes
-found a spot on my lawn far away from things that wouldn't look good with
lots of black ink
-attached a hose end that squirts 30 feet with one stream
-opened the lid
-sprayed the cleaning station area for about 5 minutes
-sprayed the cleaning station for 5 more minutes
-rotated printer to remove most of the water
-let printer dry for some hours
-plugged in and tested
-YES

Use technique at your own risk. Your mileage may vary.

Dick

Anonymous said:
This is the information ( with attribution ) that I got originaly from an HP
discussion group.
---------------------------------------------oo--------------------------- ----------------------------------------------
Vasily Lisov December 20,2002 13:10 PM GMT

The cleaning station needs to be cleaned. I performed it twice
with success, but I recommend to do so only on your own risk and with extreme
care.
All you need is a Torx screwdriver No.10, a couple of hours of your time and -
again - extreme care.

Remove parts in this order: ink cartridges; small panel with
buttons (unlatch and put inside); top cover; paper tray; right , bottom cover;
power supply unit; cartridge holder assembly with guiding rod; and finally the
cleaning station.
Then fully disassemble the cleaning station, clean it and let it completely
dry.
Be sure to properly locate connectors, latches and screws before dismantling
the unit.
Reassemble in reverse order.
---------------------------------------------------00--------------------- ------------------------------


Unfortunately there were no details on how to go about the dis-assembly.
You will find that in order to dis-assemble the plastic, you have to find the
various tabs and hooks that hold things together. Don't force anything! Look
at the underside of the printer to locate the hooks and tabs which are usually
accessible with a screw driver or your fingers. A little patience and curiosity
will be rewarded. The second time is easy which it always is once you know how.
Re-assembly is easy as thing just snap back together.

To clean things, I used warm/hot water and dish washing detergent. I think that
you will find that the small shaft with the gears on the ends, located inside
of the cleaning sump, is probably gunked up with coagulated ink making it
difficult to rotate and this is probably the cause of your problems. A good
cleaning should fix things.

It is a good idea not to leave the ink cartiridges out to long as they tend to
dry out and clog. I put a piece of plastic (from a plastic bag or somthing)
over the ink nozels and secure it with scotch tape and put them in a zip-lock
bag while you work. I also put a piece of damp paper towel in the bag to keep
it from drying out inside (I live in a semi arid region).

Let us know how you make out.

Best
Zep






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