yellow ink making a mess

[gabagoo]

There is ZERO learning curve if you get a Mimaki JV33. It's almost exactly the same, just prints faster, better, and it's new instead of coming in every day wondering if you'll be able to print or not.

Every time I'd call Advantage to trouble shoot something, they'd say "woh, those normally only last three years" and I was at 6 years. Everyone I talked to seemed to say 7 years was the longest they'd seen the heads last, so I figured by the time I replaced the heads, and rebuilt what was breaking on the current one, plus the tax advantage on the new one, I basically got into it for under 5K.

You got a jv33 for under 5 grand? assuming you got a trade in for the jv3? sounds to cheap

 

[TheSnowman]

If I figure what I'd have dumped into the old one to keep it alive, plus the tax part of the write off, plus the "loyalty discount" they had...yea, it was around $5,000 to get into the new one. I still had to pay more than that for it, but I had to either dump a lot into an old one, or get a new one and have the "perks" of the writing it off and other incentives they offered.

If you know a lot about working on that stuff, and are ok working on it when you have deadlines that need to be out the door, then stick with what works. I just couldn't handle coming in every morning and printing stuff and losing color in the middle of it, and everything else that went along with that drama of my equipment not working, and me not knowing how to fix it every time.

It's still not fun to pay for...but was just saying what I ended up doing, because I was in your exact same boat three months ago, with the same equipment. It was a workhorse for 6 years, and if someone puts new heads, and dampers in it, it may run another 6 years, who knows. Just depends where you are in life if it's for you or not.

 

[gabagoo]

If I figure what I'd have dumped into the old one to keep it alive, plus the tax part of the write off, plus the "loyalty discount" they had...yea, it was around $5,000 to get into the new one. I still had to pay more than that for it, but I had to either dump a lot into an old one, or get a new one and have the "perks" of the writing it off and other incentives they offered.

If you know a lot about working on that stuff, and are ok working on it when you have deadlines that need to be out the door, then stick with what works. I just couldn't handle coming in every morning and printing stuff and losing color in the middle of it, and everything else that went along with that drama of my equipment not working, and me not knowing how to fix it every time.

It's still not fun to pay for...but was just saying what I ended up doing, because I was in your exact same boat three months ago, with the same equipment. It was a workhorse for 6 years, and if someone puts new heads, and dampers in it, it may run another 6 years, who knows. Just depends where you are in life if it's for you or not.

and the jv33 is much less maintenance I hear?

 

[TheSnowman]

and the jv33 is much less maintenance I hear?

Haven't had to do anything yet maintenance-wise. It's easier to clean as far as around the wiper and all that stuff for the daily cleaning. It only has one head in it instead of four. I don't know if that makes it cheaper or more expensive to replace some day.

 

[gabagoo]

Here is how the print test looks..... now if you saw this on your machine, what is the best way besides a nozzle wash to get the head firing... As I mentioned last week, that when I found it like this I ran a few nozzle washes and it never got much better. I turned the printer off for the day and the next morning it was firing 100% perfect.... That is just strange....

 

[Jack Knight1979]

Check your cap top hoses and the pump.

I have been battling the exact same problem for two days. My yellow head was acting up. (coincidentally) Tuns out the black cap top lost connection to the pump they both share and was causing a leak.

I ended up replacing both cap tops and yellow dampers. Cleaned out the pump as well. After a half day of bad prints after the repair, it seems to be fixed. I thought the head was going out. That head has nearly two billions shots on it, but it's still going fine after the tune up today.

The ink on the right of the cap top indicates (to me) the pump isn't clearing the cap top of pooling ink, and when the head seats to the cap it's squirting the ink out.

Think bowling ball into a five gallon bucket of water. SPLASH

 

[gabagoo]

Sound to me to be a capping station issue. When you left with the kim wipe it causes the sealing ring on capping station to seal better!

but even after that nozzle wash with the kim wipe it still was not firing. Turning off the printer and leaving it till the next morning did the trick....just exactly what trick it was is unknown to me lol

 

[gabagoo]

Check your cap top hoses and the pump.

I have been battling the exact same problem for two days. My yellow head was acting up. (coincidentally) Tuns out the black cap top lost connection to the pump they both share and was causing a leak.

I ended up replacing both cap tops and yellow dampers. Cleaned out the pump as well. After a half day of bad prints after the repair, it seems to be fixed. I thought the head was going out. That head has nearly two billions shots on it, but it's still going fine after the tune up today.

The ink on the right of the cap top indicates (to me) the pump isn't clearing the cap top of pooling ink, and when the head seats to the cap it's squirting the ink out.

Think bowling ball into a five gallon bucket of water. SPLASH

Can you explain how I do this check, I am no means a mechanic, but am willing to try and look

 

[Jack Knight1979]

I have a roland, so it will be a little different than your system.

There looks to be a stainless steel plate in front of the caps. Find the screws to take of that plate and there will be pump and tubes beneath that sheet metal. You'll have to move the head carriage onto the platen to do this, btw. Also make sure the printer is off and unplugged.

Trace the hose from the yellow cap to the pump and make sure that it's connected properly. Most likely you have another head connected to this pump as well. check that cap top too. On my roland I am able to spin the pumps with the same tool that drops the capping station down.

I'm not sure on a mimaki, but I imagine they are similar and you are able to spin the pump to verify it is indeed sucking ink. If the ink is pooling in the cap. The head is not cleaning and causing print failures.

Put a little flush in the cap tops and then manually spin the pump to verify the pump is moving material.

In my case. The black was moving the ink and yellow was standing still. After some tinkering I was back in business.

I hope this guides you down the right path to repairing your printer.