VP540 sudden deflections on cyan head

Can anyone tell me whats happening here? My cyan head did this after the holiday weekend (no printing for 3 days). It's never happened before. There was definitely not a head strike yet the test print is filled with deflections.
I've done a..... normal cleaning.... medium cleaning... manual cleaning.... soaked head in cleaning solution for 2 hours, anything else I should be doing? Other than panicking
Edit: Machine is a VP540

 

If I recall, I replaced the captops a year ago.... it makes sense... but I still need to get that head cleared up. I've got a bunch of them on hand, they have clear tubes.

 

Ok. What exactly makes them junk? And how do I get this head cleared up afterward?

 

Update.....
I've replaced the captop, pulled ink through with syringe, let the head soak overnight a few times, done multiple cleanings including manually pressing cleaning fluid onto the head gently, and the test print looks exactly the same. Anything else I can try?? This is just bizarre to me..I've never had so much trouble clearing up an imperfect head.

 

In case anyone is concerned while waiting on a new head I gave the current one a good *** whooping and got it 90% clear! I'm confident if I keep working on it I will get it nearly 100%. Lesson learned, use quality cap tops!!