Changing dampers

[stickerman12]

I have a Mimaki JV 33-160 and have ink leaking from the head. I am thinking the dampers need to be replaced. I have read all the posts I can find on the subject and it seems the best way to do this so you do not get air in the line without using a syringe is to go into the service mode and turn on each valve at the cartridge through the key board while replacing the damper to get the air out. I cannot get it into service mode by pressing function and remote while turning the printer on. It just boots up normally. Can anyone lead me in the right direction on a detailed procedure on how to do this. -Thanks

 

[Solventinkjet]

The internet people tend to overthink replacing dampers on the JV33. Here is how I, a veteran tech, have done it for almost a decade without any issues.

Take the old damper out by pulling it straight up to avoid breaking the manifold. Un-clip the damper from the claw like part and clip the new one in. Wet the manifold with cleaning solution so the new damper slides on nice and smooth. Once all the dampers are in, run a normal cleaning cycle and you are done. It really is that easy. This is not the official way approved by Mimaki but it works. I have changed 100s of dampers this way.

 

[stickerman12]

The internet people tend to overthink replacing dampers on the JV33. Here is how I, a veteran tech, have done it for almost a decade without any issues.

Take the old damper out by pulling it straight up to avoid breaking the manifold. Un-clip the damper from the claw like part and clip the new one in. Wet the manifold with cleaning solution so the new damper slides on nice and smooth. Once all the dampers are in, run a normal cleaning cycle and you are done. It really is that easy. This is not the official way approved by Mimaki but it works. I have changed 100s of dampers this way.

 

[stickerman12]

Vander, so far so good! The damper filled up about 1/4 of the way in the round part of the damper. i am printing now without any issues. Is this normal for it not to be filled up? Thanks

 

[Solventinkjet]

Vander, so far so good! The damper filled up about 1/4 of the way in the round part of the damper. i am printing now without any issues. Is this normal for it not to be filled up? Thanks

It normally will fill between 1/4 and 1/2 full on new dampers. It should get closer to 1/2 full as time goes by. Good to hear you're back up and running!

 

[joeks]

The internet people tend to overthink replacing dampers on the JV33. Here is how I, a veteran tech, have done it for almost a decade without any issues.

Take the old damper out by pulling it straight up to avoid breaking the manifold. Un-clip the damper from the claw like part and clip the new one in. Wet the manifold with cleaning solution so the new damper slides on nice and smooth. Once all the dampers are in, run a normal cleaning cycle and you are done. It really is that easy. This is not the official way approved by Mimaki but it works. I have changed 100s of dampers this way.

Thanks VanderJ! Just replaced the dampers on my Mimaki CJV30-100 the way you've described

 

[SightLine]

I'm one of those internet people. Sometime years back at a trade show some Mimaki tech showed me the Mimaki way (inverting the new damper, press the side valve while the cart valve is open) and also insisted that the dampers should be near 100% full. I did that for a long time but one day tried the way Vander described and it worked just fine and was a lot quicker.

On the two new JV150 machines we just got the dampers are dual (two ink channels in each) and a good bit more expensive. Literally the first for pay job is printing on one of them right now. So eventually I get to figure these newer style ones out.

 

[Solventinkjet]

I'm one of those internet people. Sometime years back at a trade show some Mimaki tech showed me the Mimaki way (inverting the new damper, press the side valve while the cart valve is open) and also insisted that the dampers should be near 100% full. I did that for a long time but one day tried the way Vander described and it worked just fine and was a lot quicker.

On the two new JV150 machines we just got the dampers are dual (two ink channels in each) and a good bit more expensive. Literally the first for pay job is printing on one of them right now. So eventually I get to figure these newer style ones out.

The new style ones are similar to the old ones. I'm not a huge fan of dual channel dampers because they don't always have the same color in each channel. So sometimes you will have one that has cyan in one channel and yellow in the other. So if you are having issues with cyan, you have to change two dual channel dampers to fix one color a lot of the time. They are over $100 per damper now and even with my dealer discount that is way too much. Remember the good old days when a damper was 10 bucks?

 

[EffectiveCause]

The internet people tend to overthink replacing dampers on the JV33. Here is how I, a veteran tech, have done it for almost a decade without any issues.

Take the old damper out by pulling it straight up to avoid breaking the manifold. Un-clip the damper from the claw like part and clip the new one in. Wet the manifold with cleaning solution so the new damper slides on nice and smooth. Once all the dampers are in, run a normal cleaning cycle and you are done. It really is that easy. This is not the official way approved by Mimaki but it works. I have changed 100s of dampers this way.

What if my damper won't fill with ink?

 

[Solventinkjet]

What if my damper won't fill with ink?

It depends on your situation. Did you change all the dampers at the same time and none of them will fill? If so, you probably have a bad cap top or pump. If you changed 1 damper and it doesn't fill, it could be a bad cap top still especially if it's the left most magenta damper. It's a common issue with that model and is usually fixed by changing the cap top and the slider. It could also just be damaged. Check around the damper and see if there are any puncture marks. If there are then it's toast. Other than that, you may need to change the connector that the damper connects to the ink line.

One thing I always check before anything else when 1 damper won't fill is if there is ink in the cartridge. It sounds dumb but I have run into that exact situation many times. Sometimes the cartridge doesn't flag the machine as empty and it just pulls back on the system so no matter what no ink will go into the damper.

 

[EffectiveCause]

It depends on your situation. Did you change all the dampers at the same time and none of them will fill? If so, you probably have a bad cap top or pump. If you changed 1 damper and it doesn't fill, it could be a bad cap top still especially if it's the left most magenta damper. It's a common issue with that model and is usually fixed by changing the cap top and the slider. It could also just be damaged. Check around the damper and see if there are any puncture marks. If there are then it's toast. Other than that, you may need to change the connector that the damper connects to the ink line.

One thing I always check before anything else when 1 damper won't fill is if there is ink in the cartridge. It sounds dumb but I have run into that exact situation many times. Sometimes the cartridge doesn't flag the machine as empty and it just pulls back on the system so no matter what no ink will go into the damper.

I just changed the yellow. No obvious signs of damage to the damper. I got a little bit of ink to pull into it but it won't fill the bottom part.

We haven't used this printer in a while because of the yellow dropping out and so I have noticed Im missing quite a few magenta and light cyan nozzles. Could this be caused by a bad cap top?

 

[EffectiveCause]

I was able to draw ink into the damper with a syringe but still wont print a drop of yellow. Any suggestions?

 

[Solventinkjet]

If you can draw ink in with a syringe but not into the head it might be the cap top or pump. Close off one of the waste tubes and then hook a syringe up to the other waste tube. Pull while the head is docked. You should feel a lot of resistance and if you let the syringe go, it should pop back. Eventually a little ink may come through but it shouldn't be a lot because the valves should be closed. If you pull and just get a ton of air with no resistance, you need to change the cap top and I would recommend changing the slider as well.

 

[EffectiveCause]

Did the syringe test and got a lot of resistance with it popping back like you said. Does that mean its probably the pump?

 

[Solventinkjet]

Did the syringe test and got a lot of resistance with it popping back like you said. Does that mean its probably the pump?

Un-dock the head and do the same test. If it does the same thing, your tubes are clogged. If it pulls air, the problem is going to be deeper in the machine such as a bad valve at the cartridge or even possible head clog or damage.

 

[EffectiveCause]

Un-dock the head and do the same test. If it does the same thing, your tubes are clogged. If it pulls air, the problem is going to be deeper in the machine such as a bad valve at the cartridge or even possible head clog or damage.

It looks like clogged tubes. whats the best way to clean them out?

 

[EffectiveCause]

Thanks a lot by the way for all the help. Really appreciate it.

 

[Solventinkjet]

It looks like clogged tubes. whats the best way to clean them out?

I usually hook a syringe filled with cleaning solution to one end of the tube and then have another syringe hooked up to the other end. I will then push with the cleaning solution syringe and pull with the other one. Then I work it back and forth for a while until it starts to budge. Once you can get a little solution through, it should start to break apart the clog. A lot of the time this isn't enough and you have to work the tube with your fingers by rolling it back and forth. In the end, if it is too clogged and won't budge, it's easier just to change the pump. It's pretty satisfying when that long piece of dried up ink slowly oozes out of the tube though.