Yellow ink cartridges emptied out on the floor!

[Wencas]

I recently replaced the pump on the black/yellow lines to try to fix the black test print dropping out, it didn't fix the problem, but the next thing I knew - both full yellow 440 cartridges were empty and yellow ink was pooled on the floor.

What could cause this?? It was printing yellow fine.

Should I replace the capping station?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom.

 

[Z SIGNS]

Holy cow that's a lot of ink on the floor.

Hope the EPA doesn't hear about this.

When you took your machine apart and put it back together did you have any left over parts ?

 

[MagnetStew]

What model printer?

 

[SightLine]

My question would be where did you get the pump? Genuine OEM Mimaki pump or cheap Chinese made aftermarket one? The cheap aftermarket ones are notorious for not working right. If a pump is not sealing closed properly the head when parked over the capping station can simply wick all the ink out of a cartridge.

I'm assuming this is on an older JV3. This cannot happen (near as easily anyways) on a newer JV33 since the newer machines use a valved ink system and ink cannot flow unless the machine opens the valves behind the cartridge. On a JV3, the ink system is gravity based which is where this is a high possibility of happening.

First of all you need to determine exactly where the ink was coming out. if it simply filled the waste ink tank (and overflowed it) then your problem is either the tubes from the pump to the waste tank, the pump itself (or the tubes that go through the pump), the tubes between the pump and capping tops (quite possible you pulled one off the bottom of the yellow top when installing the pump), or the capping tops. If it leaked our elsewhere then it is simply a matter of finding where the leak is and fixing that.

 

[Wencas]

Good Morning!
Thank you for your quick responses!

I did install a Mimaki pump - not a knock -off. The waste tank was full, but not overflowing. I replaced the capping station and the dampers last night. I think that was the problem (I hope so) but I won't really know until I get more yellow ink! There was ink on the bottom of the rack where the cartridges plug in.

Is it common practice to replace the dampers whenever you replace a pump?

 

[Solventinkjet]

When you replaced the pump make sure the waste ink lines do not drop so low into the tank that they become submerged. This causes a syphon and will drain the system.