Kodak ESP 3250 copier

Only used as a stand alone copier, put away for 6 months now does not get past POST. Displays error "Printhead carriage jam...." Some sort of mechanical carriage latch is not de-latching,firmly holding carrier in place, how to delatch or whatever , without taking the machine apart. Carriage is jammed at park position.

Reply to
N_Cook
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hit it with a phonebook, maybe that will unstick it.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

Sounds like the grease has hardened and jams some locking mechanism. Someti mes trying carefully to move the carriage both sides it may unstuck after a while. If you could see the latch or some moving part in that zone a drop of oil might help. Also some printers use a latch that is detached by a sma ll movement to the opposite direction.

Reply to
Jeroni Paul

If only someone had taken a pic of that area, under or behind the carriage, I could perhaps fashion a joggled probe and fiddle. I can lift the top cover enough to see the leftmost edge of the carrier and nothing hooklike there. I was wondering if it was some latch that was under Software control , unlatched in POST but they don't use batteries these days , that could run down in 6 months

Reply to
N_Cook

Looks like gummy ink problem. I unclipped the ink cartridge carrier that contains the printhead, contacts to the right in pic, purpley colour is ink

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Then unclipped a 40x35mm simple black cover to the left of the dump sump pad. The dump pad is not recessing and so jamming the parts marked o either side of the pad, on the carriage. Also shows 2 wiper pads marked W, with spring, that must slide over to wipe the printhead, so a complicated and compact mechanism , now how to free it up

Reply to
N_Cook

I've now got to the problem area. The final cog to the rack that moves the cleaning carriage is binding in too tight in a small housing around it, plastic against plastic, either plastic on plastic " bearing" or plastic sides of cog against plastic housing, presumably chemical reaction with the ink or time. It will just about turn with parallel jaw pliers but that force would jump teeth farther back along the gear chain, let alone driving by motor force. So what squirted in there will dissolve the compaction or whatever. Moving by hand via pliers , has not eased up on a couple of traverses.

Reply to
N_Cook

kill or cure time. I squirted some PTFE lubricant spray in where the cog/rack tooth engages. Now rack is moving with the lightest of finger turning of the cogs, will it still be free to move tomorrow? a few months down the line? The relevant spot is on the underside , so I doubt you could squirt in-situ , without dimantling

Reply to
N_Cook

must be all this Scots stuff about. Third attempt , at reposistioning the cleaning carriage in the different parts of its cycle , to get it copying again.

Reply to
N_Cook

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