MP560 please help diagnose

[strobemonkey]

Hi all

I don't know what is wrong with my printer.

I have done so many deep cleanings, removed the printhead and soaked in alcohol, glass cleaner, washed with distilled water to no avail.

Here is a scan:

Please help, thank you.

Edit:
forgot to mention it is the magenta causing the problem, other colours are working properly.

I have also tried different magenta cartrdges, though they are all refilled.

 

[Harvey]

You didnt mention if the printer started giving this odd nozzle check suddenly, or the problem was increasing. As per the squares in the dark magenta it could be an electrical problem, also you have tested several carts, is the same problem present with the other carts too? Are the carts you have new? They could need a purge, and the problem would be related to ink flow after all.

 

[stratman]

I take it there have been no error messages?


1) The top stripe of Magenta, the one with the segmented or boxcar-like appearance is unusual. I don't recall seeing this particular distinctive pattern before. Are you printing your nozzle check in Landscape mode? Regardless, this looks like a major malfunction at first blush.

2) The subsequent Magenta stripes variable missing ink appears to be due to either a clog or ink starvation.

3) The capitalized letters C,C,C,M,M,M,Y,BK are green but should be black. That the black vertical stripes that flank either side of these capitalized letters appear to be OK points towards an issue with the Magenta but does not rule out major malfunction.

What might be the problem:

A) Magenta cartridge failure. You've tried several other cartridges with no success. Unless all of them are not working properly, and a new OEM Canon Magenta cartridge would definitely rule this issue out, the problem then lies elsewhere. Because we have no idea the condition of your Magenta cartridge, a new OEM Canon Magenta may be a prudent purchase to narrow the list of what might be at issue.

B) A print head clog affecting Magenta. Stop deep cleanings and do soaks and flushes. Only print nozzle checks. This may take days of soaking plus flushes. If you see no improvement at all in the nozzle checks despite patient and proper soaks and flushes, then the problem lies elsewhere.

C) The odd appearance of the top Magenta stripe could in part be due to a dirty timing strip which can cause certain breaks in ink output. This is one link describing the issue. It may not have anything at all to do with your problems, but a careful and gentle cleaning inside the printer, as well as electrical contacts of the print head, shouldn't cause harm.

D) Check your purge pump function. When the printer is turned off or on standby the print head parks itself over two pads located on the far right of the printer. When you open the lid of the printer, as when changing cartridges, the print head moves to the center and stays there temporarily. You can now see the rectangular foam purge pads which should be blackened from ink. Using a flashlight if necessary, take a syringe or other suitable instrument and flood the top of the purge pads with water. The water should pool on top of the pads. Now close the lid, which should prompt a purge/clean cycle, the result being the pooled water is sucked away to the ink waste pad inside your printer. Open the lid, allow the print head to move to the center and check the purge pads. The pooled water should be gone and the pads may be slightly whiter. If you are unable to pool water initially or the pooled water does not disappear, then you have a purge system issue. Report your observations of the entire process thoroughly here.

E) A print head failure. Only a new print head will fix the issue. I find Canon Sales to be the best prices in the USA but I always search on Google, Amazon, and eBay just in case.

F) A logic board assay failure. Replacing the board is expensive unless you do it your self, something that is not for the faint of heart. It may be time to get a new printer.

 

[strobemonkey]

Thanks Harvey and Stratman,

There was no error message at all.

I forgot to mention I have done your suggestion (D) and the water disappeared. So I guess it is not a purge pump issue.

Can I just buy a magenta compatible cartridge to try instead of OEM?

edit:
This started happening after I haven't used the printer for about 3 weeks, but the printer was left on all the time.

 

[stratman]

Can I just buy a magenta compatible cartridge to try instead of OEM?

Entirely your decision. If you are confident the aftermarket cartridge is functional then there should be no difference for your purpose.

 

[jru]

Hi Strobemonkey,

I had a clogged PGI-5 cart where the entire nozzle print was missing that cleared by my putting drops of distilled water onto the intake screen of the printhead (just beneath where the cart sits) as well as onto the park pads. I did this repeatedly, letting it sit for a while before I closed the lid -- followed by nozzle checks to see if it was improving.

For a long while it did not improve. But then it gradually started showing parts of the missing nozzle check pattern.

I think what had a significant impact was putting the distilled water onto the screen and park pads, closing the cover and turning it off before it got to do a clean cycle, and leaving it overnight, soaking. The next morning I turned it on and did a nozzle check and the entire missing PGI-5 nozzle check pattern was returned. Don't know if this would solve your problem, but it might be worth a try.

Best wishes...

 

[strobemonkey]

Can I just buy a magenta compatible cartridge to try instead of OEM?

Entirely your decision. If you are confident the aftermarket cartridge is functional then there should be no difference for your purpose.

What I did was use a fully working yellow cart and I just swapped the chips. The test print was still the same pattern but yellow. So my guess is it is safe to rule out a "starving cartridge".

Ruled out so far:
1. Purge pump
2. Starving cyan cartridge

now tried to wash the print head with running warm tap water and soaking with alcohol again.....


@jru - thanks for your suggestion

 

[strobemonkey]

this is really frustrating, with my epson p50, if there is a missing color, I just print and print the missing color until it appears....

 

[stratman]

Canon print heads require the cooling action of liquid ink or else they heat up and malfunction. Epsons utilize different technology.

What method and solvents are you using to soak your print head?

 

[strobemonkey]

Canon print heads require the cooling action of liquid ink or else they heat up and malfunction. Epsons utilize different technology.

What method and solvents are you using to soak your print head?

I'm using a mixture of 90% alcohol, a window cleaner, and distilled water.