yellow miss firing

[sfr table hockey]

Hi Table Hockey
I have glued the nipple area at the bottom, and it still starves.
The ink is going into the bottom lines at the same time and fills them to about 3/4, then drains them.
Yes I crossed the lines and it was fine.
Also when I remove the damper no ink travells back towards the cartridge. So that would tell me it is somewhere between the exit o-ring on the damper and the head.
Mabey I have to glue the damn damper right to it!
Or better yet just ebay it!

So just to confirm, you swapped dampers and then the yellow printed and recharged the head where the new position of the yellow was?

Then did the Lm or whatever color damper you swaped with start doing what the yellow did before? If yes to the above then I think the head is toast. Not sure if most time when a head cracks its at the nib or it may be internal. Yours sounds like internal.

Do you have any old heads. If so by putting one back in you could at least see if the clear lines still fill like they are now. Again mine do not fill like that and when they do I know I have a problem to look for.

I do have an old one that won't print but you could do a test with. If you can just get a new head it would be better to go that route and be done with it.

 

[Vital Designs]

I am not completely familiar with your printer but I recently chased the identicalproblem on my Mimaki and it ended up getting fixed by replacing the o rings on both the top and bottom of the damper. I replaced everything from the ink valves to to cap station (except the head). A $2 o ring fixed it.

 

[wedosigns]

Tablehockey
When we talked on the phone you mentioned you had a source for economical heads.
I swapped the lm and y and did a bar test print 52" wide printed it fine. Mabey it just did not have enough time to have the air leak in to it?
I think you are right, that there is a crack internally. I have the damper glued to the head(painful operation lol). I think that would eliminate the exit o-ring.
I am going to try an old head and see what happens. If I can find you with the yellow still decent.

 

[sfr table hockey]

So did the Lm start dropping out or did you not do the whole 6 color fill test print?

Also did you do this test print before you glued the damper down?

Any head will help with seeing if those clear lines still fill up. Even if the head does not print, as long as it was not cracked you should notice that the clear lines do not fill up during cleaning cycles.

Also seems like the heads are getting harder to get at a good price. I will have to look a bit more.

 

[wedosigns]

I did the whole 6 colors, and it was fine, no drop out. Yes that test print was before I glued the damper.
The last dx2 head I bought for $200 but it did not have a rank number. The are ussually going for $250 and up.
I am putting another head in right now to see if the lines fill.

 

[sfr table hockey]

That is strange.... I would have thought the problem would have stayed on that same head with the other color in place. That would make more sense or even if the problem followed the yellow to the new spot. But to have both working after the swap does not make sense.

$250 for a head may be as good as it gets right now.

 

[Fatboy]

Fatboy
It is a dx2 printhead. I don't think there is a removeable manifold.

oops sorry,my bad.

 

[wedosigns]

Well put in another head, couple medium cleans, test print. I have nothing firing on lc. But this does not surprise me because this head was from the other side and was replaced because black was really bad.
I am 50% through a 10'x4' banner right now, and no loss of yellow.
So you were right it must have been an internal leak.
I guess I am going to print in cmyk only till I get a new head ordered.
If I select just cmyk for color mode in flexi, will I need new profiles?
I think mabey it printed fine for that test print because the head did not get warm from trying different things or just a fluke.
Thanks for all the help everyone

 

[wedosigns]

Tablehockey
Yes you are right! There is no ink in those lines anymore either!

 

[sfr table hockey]

To just print in CMYK is a good idea in order to bypass the damaged (what was black but now Lc) head and get you printing.

I think the same profiles should be fine and you may like the results just as well, as a lot of guys just print in CMYK anyway.

Also good to know that those lines don't fill up any more. You may need to blow them out so that the little bit of ink that might sit in them does not dry out and block those lines. I will attach a syringe to the other end of those clear lines and blow a bit of air in them to clear them. Other oprion when plugged is to remove the captop and unplug which takes a lot more time.

Soooo...... no ebay..... darn.. could always use a third CJ.

 

[wedosigns]

No ebay for now lol.
It has really been a great printer, and makes life easy, especially for partial wraps.
Should be good for awhile after I replace the head, since I replaced everything but the head lol. I just could not figure that darn yellow problem out.
Yes I am going to clean out those lines with cleaner then blow them out.
Thanks again for the help!