Mutoh 1324 Clogged Head

[mameighan]

Ok, I know there are a multitude of threads on clogged heads but I am struggling to go through them all.

My 1324 has clogged heads (few in black and magenta, more in cyan and yellow) I have done numerous washes (20+), head soak overnight, and put a lot printing through the nozzles and still no real change. It will print but with a lot of banding and colors wrong (grey looking purple etc)

Any ideas?

I am at the point of considering a new head but at $2000+ (and I am not a good installer), I may be considering selling the unit and putting any money towards a refurbished printer. Cant really afford a new one at the minute. I sub out most of my banners just for ease but use the printed quite a bit for window signage, posters etc so I need to get it back up and running quickly

Any advice would be appreciated

 

[RG]

Looks like everyone else tool the weekend off. So, I'll throw out a suggestion or two. Do you KNOW that the maintenance station is working as it should? Can you see ink exiting the two drain tubes from the bottom of the pump when it is cleaning? Do you know that the air tube under the cap top is not plugged up with dried ink? I you answered YES to those questions, then you may want to try something that has freed up nozzles for me. My printer is a 1204, but I think the heads are the same. Get a piece of thin plastic (like one of those credit card offers you get in the mail) and cut off a piece that is about 1.5" X 2". Get a lint-free cloth and cut it into strips that are about 1.5" X 3.5". I use some blue, Scott Towels--shop towels. Set the head height to "high" and move the carriage to the left giving you access to the cap top. Put the piece of plastic on top of the cap top. Fold down about an inch of the shop towel. This blue shop towel goes on top of the piece of plastic that is on the cap top. The end of the shop towel that is folded down goes downward on the left side of the cap top. Put 3 or 4 cc's of cleaning fluid in a syringe and saturate the piece of shop towel that is setting on top of the piece of plastic. Move the carriage back over the maintenance station and lock it in place. Lower the head height. Wait about 15 minutes. Set the head to the "high" position and move it to the left away from the cap top. Note that the piece of shop towel may be stuck to the head. No problem. When it's over the spit box, grab the shop towel with tweezers and discard it. Be sure to find it and discard it. Do NOT leave it in there. Take the piece of plastic off the cap top, wipe it off, and set it aside for the next time you need to use it. Move the carriage back to its parking position and lower the head. Run an economy cleaning. Print about a square foot or two of CMYK color bars. Lastly, do a nozzle check and see if there is any improvement. If the nozzles have been clogged for a long time, you might have to do this more than once. By soaking the head this way (with the piece of plastic on top of the cap top and under the lint-free cloth) you are sure to have the cleaning fluid make contact with all of the nozzles. If you don't use a piece of plastic under it, then the lint free cloth will sag downward when saturated and not make any contact with most of the nozzles. This has worked for me when a normal head socking didn't work. Also, I don't run strong cleaning cycles on my printer. I think economy and normal are good enough. Good luck.

 

[FatCat]

The point about your maintenance station working properly is spot on. These Mutohs work flawlessly when the maintenance station is clean and maintains a good seal on the head. If you have a good seal on the head and clear drain lines, chances are the pump will suck out any clogs after doing a head soak. If the maintenance station is not 100% you need to replace it or clean it immediately. EVERYTHING in the ink train and head revolves around the maintenance station on these printers. If you're not getting a good seal at the cap, it will lead to air getting to the head and drying out nozzles or losing suction. If the drain lines are plugged then the pump can't do proper cleanings and will not pull ink and or plugs out of the nozzles.

Take the side covers off the 1204 and make sure you can visually "see" both drain lines pulling a good amount of ink when doing a cleaning. If that is not happening, that is your problem...

 

[Vassago]

Could be a few things.

1. Bad ink (too thick)
2. Ink Filter needs replacing
3. Cleaning fluid is reacting to ink, might be worth trying it on a dried sample of ink to see if it completely dissolves the ink or leaves bits (which would then clog the head)

 

[FatCat]

Hi FatCat….
Let's see if you can give me some advice ... I have a Mutoh 1324X ... almost 3 years and I have not changed anything ... I have a problem with black. It starts off very well and suddenly ….no black ink!…and a very bad impression comes out… I already took my head off and did it with a syringe, the liquid comes out well… after 2 o 3 little charge the nozzle check seems perfect….but after a few black prints it does the same again… ..that do you think I should do… .thank you for your attention

Could be several things, but I am going to say it is probably a damper issue from experience. Over time, sediment/particles from the ink tend to clog the dampers and don't allow ink to go through or cause starvation. Do yourself a favor and replace all of them while you are in there working. I would also go and get a new maintenance station if its 3 years old it is probably due. Make sure to keep your drain lines clean and clear, if they are clogged it might be best to buy new ones and replace.

Good luck.