Some HP 02 ink cartriges work, some don't

Hi
I am using a HP Photosmart 8250 that has given me good service so far. I would like to keep it. The problem is that 2 times within a week I have replaced empty inks with new HP inks from a multi pack and have gotten the Inks must be replaced message. Contact cleaning did not help. Then I went out and bought new single pack inks and they worked. Now I have a 3rd ink from another multi pack that I have installed doing the same thing. All 3 inks that did not work are from 2 different multi packs. The replacement replacements that did work were not. These are 3 different colors. HP is not talking, naturally.
All indications are that my printer is fine since new inks worked but e failures in a week? That is unlikely isn't it?
Any Thoughts?
10-22-10 Later in day.
I went out and bought a new Single pack magenta to replace the one #3 (from a multi pack) that did not work. This one works fine. I also replaced a yellow and a lt Cyan that ran out and those replacement works fine.

This could be confusing. I'll summarize.
I am printing a lot lately and so using a lot of ink.

I have installed 3 inks that refused to work. Cyan Magenta and Black.Message-Ink Must be replaced. All 3 inks that would not work came from 2 different multi packs.All Genuine. All within 30 days of purchase. Cleaning contacts and power cycling did not help.

I replaced all three with new single pack HP inks and they worked fine.

I have since replaced Lt Cyan, Yellow and Lt Magenta with inks from the multi packs and they work fine.

So why would 3 colors notwork from 2 milti packs but work with single packs and then 3 more from the packs work fine?
Could there be that many defective inks out there? Has HP run into problems lately? I am running fine now but have 3 dead ones that I must get HP to replace. Anybody have a similar experience or know something about this?
Thanks
Feedthestinkykitty

Are the inks expired? Does the printer give you the option to press the right arrow then press ok to continue printing?

HI
No on both. They had years left on them. The printer does give you the override option on nearly empty ones but not in this case. I do not get the "nearly empty replace soon and press ok to continue ,empty, replace now , Wrong cartridge or any of the other messages. Just the one that says this ink must be replaced.

It sounds like your cartridges in the multi pack have faulty chips on them, I would just take them back and get refund or replacement.

Hi
That is what I was hoping myself It just seemed off to get 3 like that all of a sudden. I was afraid that my printer has having problems. I'll report back to you all on the success or not of returning Them.
Feeder

Hi
Here is the answer in case anyone runs into this in the future. This is a great printer and I would hate to see any of them trashed due to a silly problem.
I too thought faulty chips and just sent them for replacement when they would not work. There was no problem with the new 40% larger ones so I assumed it was electronic in nature. Then one of the larger ones did it too. More colors started having problems. I followed the contact cleaning routine that HP recommended but it was for a totally different cartridge so no help there. Here is the fix. Remember that these are reservoirs of ink, not head and ink combos. I pulled the "bad" cartridge off and used many Q-tips and diluted Windex to carefully soak all of the dirt and dried ink off of the small plastic probe that enters the cartridge through a rubber fitting near the top and bottom. They supply air and suck ink for the heads. They looked clean and a simple cleaning did nothing but if you keep at it for a while and keep them wet there is stuff there that comes off. I then cleaned the rubber seals on the cartridge in case they had become contaminated and added a tiny bit of silicone gasket grease. Bingo! 100% function. I am not sure the grease is necessary and I believe that having an air leak at any one of the ink colors might cause the printer to fail any cartridge you replaced so do them all. Frankenprinter lives again!!
PS
Frankenprinter is running without any of its outer plastic shell or access panels. The controll panel and LCD are loose on top and free to shift around. It all works very well like that and I like the appearance with the 6 colored ink reservoirs arrayed across the front. It also means not having to open the lid to change inks or clear a jam.
Kahoona

Hi
This printer is getting on eight or ten years old now. The HP company does not provide any support because it is not made. They are still being sold by the biggest online stores though. I hope that my experience in solving the ink supply problem has saved a few of them. It has been two years since I learned about cleaning the "fangs" in the cartridge socket would solve the ink empty problem and I have discovered another twist. Recently the problem returned and cleaning did not fix it. To fix it I had to very carefully insert a toothpick into the hole in the fangs and then I used a "solder sucker"* to pull a tiny bit of ink back from the fang hole. When that did not work I used the sucker bub to blow just the tiniest bit of air into the hole. I heard bubbling from the print head area.) I would be careful not to get carried away with this. Damage or air blockage can result. After replacing the carts I got a Dad cartridge message and I unplugged the printer and let it go through its maintenance routine upon restart. All is now well. I would guess that you could flush out the system if you knew what was safe to use but It seems fine. Hope this helps someone.

feedthestinkykitty said:

Hi
This printer is getting on eight or ten years old now. The HP company does not provide any support because it is not made. They are still being sold by the biggest online stores though. I hope that my experience in solving the ink supply problem has saved a few of them. It has been two years since I learned about cleaning the "fangs" in the cartridge socket would solve the ink empty problem and I have discovered another twist. Recently the problem returned and cleaning did not fix it. To fix it I had to very carefully insert a toothpick into the hole in the fangs and then I used a "solder sucker"* to pull a tiny bit of ink back from the fang hole. When that did not work I used the sucker bub to blow just the tiniest bit of air into the hole. I heard bubbling from the print head area.) I would be careful not to get carried away with this. Damage or air blockage can result. After replacing the carts I got a Dad cartridge message and I unplugged the printer and let it go through its maintenance routine upon restart. All is now well. I would guess that you could flush out the system if you knew what was safe to use but It seems fine. Hope this helps someone.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your posts here.

I'm sorting out a little used 8250 that I set on the side almost a year ago. Expired ink messages and the "OK away" HP bull-stink didn't work.

Dark magenta is the problem cart on mine. I used the firmware release exe from the Ruushian site to get mine to "talk" after this long. (ink system error).

I got the bright idea of laying a (happened to be) Ziess lens cleaning wipe on top of the splooge ink foam thingy that the head parks over. Worked once, so I trimmed the used part off the folded wipe and laid it back on top of the foam. Using a pencil to defeat the "open cover" message. Well, the small stack of the wipe (re-soaked in iso alcohol) didn't work so good the second time.

Head movement on start tossed it where I couldn't see it. So I'm pulling it apart and I can see it, but I can't quite reach it. Grr.

In for a dime, in for a dollar.

I disassembled just about everything, without unlatching any of the flat cables (at all!). I pulled all the screws out of the lid and put the screen and flat cable out the back on a piece of foam. Then got the lid off. Pulled the large machine cover, the side covers need some playing with but both are off.

I previously pulled the mobo and removed the battery (and put it back in.) And put the mobo back in too, nothing to do behind any of it. I held the large cover up and overhead with a string and a fishing pole. ;-)

I fooled with the printhead locking latch and it really didn't seem to be undone manually. So I turned on the machine and ran a sample page. I got the head off of "park" and I unplugged it. I entertained pulling the printhead, but the screw by the hoses, it way too damn tight. The other three broke loose but I'll wait.

Right now I folded some coffee filters, set them on top of the partly printed sample page and squirted a bit of Simple Green solution on it. Ran the head over it a few times and I'm waiting to see all the inks, hopefully. Taking some breaks to allow the sample page to dry out. It appears I'm getting all the colors. But it's not over yet.

I held the p-head tightly and removed the difficult screw with a right-angle Torx. Put WD40 on it to lube it. Tubing is Tygon from a small engine dept in Lowes. 3/32 in. US$4-5.00

I used a small cap off of a spice jar and soaked the printhead in alcohol, Windex, and Simple Green solution(s). One at a time and ran test pages. No degradation of printing, but still no magenta.

I used a syringe + tubing and alternately pushed and pulled alcohol into and out of the magenta fitting on the p-head.

Used squares of coffee filter paper and kept soaking the head. All bleed except magenta. I used some tubing and the syringe and seemed to pull magenta through the p-head. -shrug-

What's odd is that the machine cycles _all_ the inks in and out of the p-head - like I assume, it's supposed to. Priming and cycling the air, and the "waste tank" is making crinkling sounds. So it appears that part of the system is functioning. I can watch all the inks move to and fro at the entering port, the 6 tube manifold. Ink and bubbles, mostly almost both ways.

I also re-assembled and ran it without the spring steel p-head hold down clip. It ran and threw another error. I put the clip back on and eventually slipped a piece of plastic under the CMOS battery. Cleared everything.

^^^ The first page of the (2)diagnostic pages still lists all the total dot count for all the inks, including magenta, as getting larger. I'm thinking the electrical portion of the p-head has an anomaly. Something there is forked.