Printer Overhauls?

That's an easy printer to maintain. Print a test page to find out how many pages are on it. Rollers are mostly tool-less for replacement. There are lots of places you can get parts and supplies for those printers. I've used printerworks.com and feedroller.com. Both of those have online parts references.

As for the stripes, that could be several things. The easiest test is swapping the toner cartridge. Well, easy if you have a spare cartridge. If you don't, look for a local toner refill place that might let you use a test cartridge.

The type and spacing of the stripes can identify what is causing them.

Are the stripes *down* the page or *across*?

Per Jeff Liebermann:

I'm guessing that replacing only the rollers (first link, $20) could be chincing out and I'd regret it.

Am I on the right track? i.e. pony up the $110 for the more comprehensive "4000MKA-AEX" in the second link?

Yep. All the rollers, all the D shaped feet, separation pad, and transfer roller are the minimum. You also need to clean out the crap from the machine with an air hose or can of compressed air.

That includes the fuser assembly, which you probably do NOT need. I can't tell from here. AS you may have noted from my comments and from some of the other questions, your description of the strip is inadequate. I can't tell from here if the fuser is good, bad, or just plain dirty.

Per Jeff Liebermann:

When I get home from work, I'll post a scan.

This might be useful: "Laser printer print defects"

I've probably seen most of these (and more).

Also include the page count (from the self test page).

Per (PeteCresswell):

Scan wasn't getting it - contrast issues.

So I snapped a photo.

This is a pretty good representation of the page:

Yech. My guess(tm) is that there's toner and crud everywhere, mostly in the transfer roller. It's not repetative so it's either coming from multiple filthy rollers. If it were an electronics or laser scanner failure, it would print black or white, not gray.

See:

See if you can match up the pattern. There's a better copy of the page in the HP4000 manual.

I'm not getting decent answers to my questions, so I'll try again, this time in detail, with a few additions. In the future, the more information you supply about the symptoms, condition, situation, history, and diagnostics run, the easier it is to diagnose.

1. How many pages are on the printer test page?

1. Are there any stripes on the *BACK* of the page?

2. Is there toner all over the inside of the printer? Have you been using refilled toner cartridges, which are often overfilled with toner, and dump toner everywhere? Have you moved the printer with the toner cart still inside? Is there loose toner on the paper that smears off when you rub it with your finger? If you're not sure if there's toner all over the printer, just take a piece of towel paper, add some alcohol, and wipe the black plastic area under the fuser. Stay away from the transfer roller. If the rag comes out black, it's toner.

1. Is this with a new toner cartridge? Have you tried a different toner cartridge? Did the stripes start when you replaced the toner cartridge?

2. Are you using MICR toner? Just curious as I've noticed that it tends to make a bigger mess than ordinary toner.

1. Have you inspected the fuser assembly?

2. Do you have an air compressor? If so, use it (outside the house).

I'm still recommending wholesale replacement of the rubber parts and a general cleaning.

Per Jeff Liebermann:

Rings true to me. Dunno when I bought the printer, but it must've been at least 10 years ago and it's never, ever been serviced or had the toner cartridge replaced. It's for home use and I don't print all that much.

I don't see a "Test Page" in the menu map - except for "PRINT PAPER PATH TEST" which produces one page.

There is a "PRINT CONFIGURATION" which produces two pages: one for the printer and one for the JetDirect card.

Yes, but very faint - maybe 5% of what's on the front.

Original toner cart. Can't recall if the printer's been moved.

Gotta find out what the fuser looks like. The pics and text in /HP_4000_FUSER.pdf arent' getting it for me. Not enough def in the pix and the text isn't enough. This is a valuable exercise, though. Before I guy any kit, I'll review the instructions first to see if they're clear enough.

I wouldn't say toner is "all over" by any means, but there is some on one of the rollers - which, when I eyeball it, looks suspiciously like the pattern on the pages. I *think* it's the transfer roller.

I'm a believer: Replace everything except maybe the fuser and blow it all clean while doing the replacements.

Thanks for the help. You have de-mystified this issue for me.

You don't have to do much printing to dump toner all over the printer. Just moving it around with the toner cartridge inserted will do that.

See the title on the above PDF page. It how to print a configuration page. You've done that. Congrats. Now, please read the first page and kindly disclose how many pages your printer has run.

That's enough. There's toner all over the transfer roller and probably the red rubber roller in the fuser assembly. Cleanup time.

Original? How many pages has your printer test page show?

Those instructions are about as clear as you're going to find. I'll see if I can find something better or with larger images, but for now, that all there is.

The transfer roller is directly under the toner cartridge. Keep your finger oils off the foam. Only handle my the metal ends.

I'm beginning to think you may be out of your depth. You're not answering my questions, you seem reluctant to volunteer info, and the few answers you supply are unrelated to the question. I'm trying to save you the cost of a fuser replacement, but without info, I can only guess. I give up. I suggest you send the printer to a professional HP repair service shop or hire someone with experience to do the job.

Also, if this really is a 10 year old toner cartridge, methinks it might also be a problem. Toner is somewhat hygroscopic and will absorb a little moisture from the air. The result is caking and packing inside the cartridge, resulting in anything from blotchy printing, difficulties feeding, and occasionally a scratched drum surface. That's why they're sealed in air and light tight aluminum foil bags. Shakeing and heat drying does work but takes a while.

Per Jeff Liebermann:

Page Count: 9680 Pages Since Last Maintenance = 9680

"Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by misunderstanding, stupidity, or incompetence."

Not reluctant, probably out of my depth.

I write software for a living... so I'm not dumb or, at least, not *too* dumb. Incompetent in the context of printers: for sure.

But thanks for all the effort you've contributed.

Once I get to end-game, I'll let everybody know how it came out - not that anybody probably cares... but it seems like the right thing to do.

The wiper blade in your cartridge is stuffed. Try a new cart.

Replacing the cartridge will fix the problem.

That's almost nothing for these printers. The HP LJ4000 should go for at least 100K pages or more. However, the toner cartridge is officially rated at 6000 pages (or 10,000 pages if you believe the refillers who tend to overfill the cartridges). Either way, you're overdue for a cartridge replacement. It's also possible that ONE of the sources of the smear is the cartridge. I can't tell for sure because of the non-repetative nature of the test page.

No malice ever even suggested. However, I can't tell if you are able, willing, qualified, or interested in doing the work yourself. It's really not that difficult. The document I previously found describes all of the important steps:

Once you have it disassembled, hit with an air hose (outside) to clean out the loose toner. Make sure there's no rusty water in the compressor tank (my favorite mistake). With only 10K pages, the rubber parts might still be ok. Clean with just ordinary household cleaner (e.g. 409) and dry.

Yep. Of course, you could treat this as a learning experience. Perhaps a manual will be helpful?

I avoid programming at all costs.

Start with "I saved $xxx.xx by rebuilding my own laser printer.