JV33 pump/damper problem?

[Brilliant]

Hello,

I'm actually still trying to figure out what the problem is... Here's the story...

I've been printing daily without problems, when I recently got one of the Magenta printing only half its nozzles. I did a hard cleaning and still no change, so I did a nozzle wash for 15 minutes. After that did another cleaning and Magenta was fine.. but one of the Cyan was doing the same now.. only half nozzles dropped ink during test print.

After a couple more cleanings that same Cyan stopped dropping ink completely, so I noticed the damper was empty. I pulled ink in the damper with a syringe and filled it up. Then another cleaning, and test print... no change. After a while.. again, no ink in damper.

I also used syringe to pull ink from under the capping station, to make sure the print head is full of ink, then filled damper too.. and again.. damper was empty. Sometimes it would even to a perfect test print.. and after printing like 10-15 cm it would go away again.. damper kept getting empty.

So I got a new damper, replaced it.. filled it up with a syringe, but it still wont print.. It prints up to half the nozzles (random nozzles this time) but no matter what I do.. it wont do a fine test print.

Any ideas? Let me know if you need more info... I'm just tired to trying with a blindfold and wasting a LOT of ink.

Thanks

 

[Tekkie1]

Cartridge valves is what I would suspect.
Try making the valve open more by jamming something under the solenoid lever of the colour not working, then try sucking ink and see if will stay.
Tekkie1

 

[SightLine]

and I seriously hope you either electrically or manually opened the cartridge valve before trying to use a syringe to pull ink through..... if not all you did was create a massive amount of negative pressure in the link lines and damper.

 

[4R Graphics]

YESY YES Always open the valves before you pull ink with a syringe.

That one bit me when I first got my JV33 (after having a JV3)

 

[Brilliant]

I did have my valves open.. all of them.

I'm very frustrated... I've been working on this issue for days now, and still no result. I'm pretty sure there's another issue, probably something very small, but I just can't get my eye and mind to spot it.

Check this photo to see what's going on...


Turns out the new damper still gets empty after a couple of cleanings and test prints.
I keep sucking ink in the damper with a syringe, then I suck ink through the capping station... VERY little ink comes out.. and dampers get empty. I really don't understand where it all goes.

Do I suck too much? I don't think so. Does the cleaning get rid of it and no more comes out? I don't know!

Maybe it's a pump issue.. maybe the valves don't really open (even though I'm sure they are all the way pushed in and stuck that way with a tape.

Does anyone now what I can try to at least exclude some of them?

Thanks again

 

[gregwallace]

Have you tried replacing the ink cartridge?

 

[gregwallace]

You could also swap the lines going into the dampers of the cyan with the lines going into one of the adjacent colors. This would confirm whether the issue is before or after the damper.

 

[Brilliant]

yes I did. I have one empty Cyan cartridge and one full. I replaced them, but after spending many hours trying to get it to work, it still didn't. I'm now going to try your suggestion about swapping the lines going to the dampers.

 

[Brilliant]

haven't tried it yet... but just to add a note.. it seems to be really hard to pull ink from under the capping station now. I keep pulling and pulling and it never pulls ink... like there's an air leak somewhere. but I'm trying to keep everything tightly sealed. Valves are open, dampers are full. Does this piece of info bring any ideas?

 

[gregwallace]

Im not sure... If you pulled off the damper and pull ink does ink come out? You really need to verify that the cartridge valve is working properly. Then swap the dampers (even though they are new). If the problem remains with the cyan then I would assume that there is a leak between the damper and the head. All of your other colors are fine right? I've heard of ink starvation related to the machine not being level but that would affect all of the colors.

 

[Mimaki Mama]

How do I "open the valves"? I don't think I've ever done this and I have a JV3. I often pull ink through. Valves: what/where/how?

 

[SightLine]

The JV3 is a totally different setup and does not have the valves like a JV33.