Need Help L25500 Installing New Carriage Belt

[Suz]

Well it finally happened! Time to replace the Belt! I'm contemplating a new machine, but will have to wait longer if we go that route.

We're going to do the belt replacement work ourselves. Now to find the Service Manual I downloaded from Signs101 once upon a time. The belt is on it's way and should be here in about 2 days.

Wish me luck on replacing the belt!

 

[Santimus]

Good luck! It's not that hard of a procedure you'll do just fine!

 

[Suz]

Update:
We did find a belt and installed it. There was a lot of black rubber residue to remove from the machine from the previous belt that fell apart in the machine before it broke! We never got the machine to work right after installing the belt. It starts up, then the print carriage moves back and forth in the machine a couple times and finishes with print carriage slamming into something on the right side of the machine. It makes a huge unsettling banging noise, and can't get any further than that.
Wish it would work, but it sits still. Have been subbing out my wide format print jobs.

 

[netsol]

i have never touched a 25500, but i will assume it is like all the other hp's in that size range.

one of my employees changed a carriage belt and had the same problem.
the something he was slamming into was the splice ( a belt thst large has a splice, where the endss sre joined rto make a circle)

on our 5500ps 60"'printer the splice had to be locatedabout 2 or three inches to the left of the carriage the heads ride on. this way the splice never reaches the motor or parts with a gap the splice can not pass through

inspect your belt & you will probably discover i am correct

 

[maximumapogee]

Did you use an HP belt? We tried to use an aftermarket belt and had similar problems. We think the aftermarket belt would stretch too much.

 

[Suz]

inspect your belt & you will probably discover i am correct[/QUOTE]

netsol,
Thanks for the idea about checking where the splice is! My apologies for not responding sooner! This time of year is extremely busy and we are thankful for that, but I just haven't had much reading time lately, lol!
Okay, to answer your question... Yes we did pay special attention to the splice, even installed the belt twice to get the splice where we thought was the right position. Might have to check that one more time! I hope you are right! Even if we can only use the printer a short while longer, there is enough ink in it to last through quite a few jobs. Thanks again!

 

[Suz]

Maximum,
Yes we did install OEM (HP) Belt. Thanks for stopping and posting, your thoughts are appreciated! I think the belt is fine and that it's not stretching, but may have to check again where the splice is located, hope that's the problem. Would be great to use this printer some more before it goes to the printer graveyard. : )

Did you use an HP belt? We tried to use an aftermarket belt and had similar problems. We think the aftermarket belt would stretch too much.

 

[growler]

Have you done all the appropriate calibrations the machine needs.
I have a service manual rolling around with the steps you could try through the service menu to reset it etc.

 

[netsol]

have you moved the carriage, by hand through it's entire travel ?

 

[VFT]

Does anyone happen to know where belt replacement is covered in the manual? The service manual has been removed from the site I typically use. They had a section to search where you could search it. I can't do that with my downloaded copy. And to think, just yesterday I was praising my old L25500 and today it shreds the belt.