Unclogging Canon Printheads

[stratman]

I'm going to test the purge system like you suggested. You mentioned dripping Windex on the purge pads. I've checked the illustrations in the service manual and parts catalogue and I can find a purge unit and ink absorber kit. But no specific purge pads, what do you mean by those?

I don't have a picture. Reread what I posted and follow the instructions.

 

[inkoholic]

I'm going to test the purge system like you suggested. You mentioned dripping Windex on the purge pads. I've checked the illustrations in the service manual and parts catalogue and I can find a purge unit and ink absorber kit. But no specific purge pads, what do you mean by those?

I don't have a picture. Reread what I posted and follow the instructions.

I'm looking around the forum for answers and read about electrical problems in the printhead, you suggested this as well. I'm kind of intrigued by this option. I always see these strange lines in the cyan bar. http://i.imgur.com/hyzIH.jpg This is decreased ink output of some sort, caused by electrical failure? It's been this way for 2 years or so. Cleaning the printhead made the yellow and magenta much more vivid and vibrant. But the cyan would never change one bit. I'm hoping this is electrical so I can just go for a new one.

Haven't dripped Windex on the purge unit yet because I currently don't have a syringe handy. I've tried pretty much all unclogging methods, except printing with Windex and blowing with compressed air. (I've also read a success story from someone literally sucking the clog out with the vacuum cleaner lol.)

 

[stratman]

At this point I have nothing substantive to add to what I've written already. Asking the same questions isn't productive. Choosing your next step based on all the information provided to you, and then actually following through with it, is the productive solution.

 

[inkoholic]

Lol thanks for your patience . I'm completely new to "inkjet DIY" and I'm eager to learn

I've just gone ahead and did it this morning, I've sprayed a copious amount of Windex on the purge pads. I have finally found those little pads by making a pic. I sprayed until the sponges were saturated, turned the printer on, lots of noises. Opened the printer again and the purge pads were sucked dry and somewhat whiter. So I think we can agree the purge system is OK? Pics: saturated purge pads right after spraying with Windex http://i.imgur.com/MVwdD.jpg , purge pads after automatic cleaning http://i.imgur.com/nG2uH.jpg

I also see a huge mess of cyan goo -- but cyan is also the colour that's acting weird! Is there any connection? Why is it wasting so much cyan?

What a complete mess the waste ink section is by the way, it's just nasty.

 

[stratman]

I sprayed until the sponges were saturated, turned the printer on, lots of noises. Opened the printer again and the purge pads were sucked dry and somewhat whiter.

I don't know what you mean by "saturated". You want fluid to pool on top of the purge pads. If you cannot get fluid to pool then this may denote a problem with the purge system. Otherwise, your text and pictures seem to reinforce that your purge system is working properly.

Your pictures of the purge pads are good technique - great lighting, framing and resolution - as if you had the printer partially dissembled. Some of the best I've seen.

Keep following the steps outlined.

 

[inkoholic]

Heh, thanks. But the printer was still in 1 piece. I squeezed/forced my trusty old Powershot inside the printer, used the macro setting and made sure the focus was set at the right distance. The pads looked like there was enough Windex on them, but I didn't want to flood them. I was afraid of some short-circuit and fire.

I've also checked the cartridges by using them in a different printer (MP520). Not precisely the same as mine but uses the same carts. Result: the MP520 prints very well with the same cartridges. So I guess the cartridges are fine.

So that leaves a printhead clog or electrical failure as the remaining possible culprits.

I sprayed until the sponges were saturated, turned the printer on, lots of noises. Opened the printer again and the purge pads were sucked dry and somewhat whiter.

I don't know what you mean by "saturated". You want fluid to pool on top of the purge pads. If you cannot get fluid to pool then this may denote a problem with the purge system. Otherwise, your text and pictures seem to reinforce that your purge system is working properly.

Your pictures of the purge pads are good technique - great lighting, framing and resolution - as if you had the printer partially dissembled. Some of the best I've seen.

Keep following the steps outlined.

 

[stratman]

So that leaves a printhead clog or electrical failure as the remaining possible culprits.

Yes, that is my thinking based on the data you've provided.

 

[inkoholic]

A little update, I've worked out a battle plan. Yes I know, I could be faster
-I've procured a genuine cyan cart, let's see if that removes the lines in the cyan output.
-then I'm trying the method Marceltho wrote about first

and here is how I clean a print head. I have a cover up side down, with 4-5 layers of paper kitchen towel in it, and 2 mm of the famous cleaning solution from the forum with some Windex, hand warm.
I roll from paper kitchen towels small rolls, and put them on the posts of the print head where the cart should be. Then I push the head up and down a bit, and the towels sucks up the solution. This is very effective, and the bad stuff goes where it came from, instead of trying to get it through the small holes of the print head. The picture below shows the second batch of rolls of paper kitchen towels, and almost no ink is coming through any more.
I let it rest over night, and do this one more time in the morning.....always works PERFECT !

-I've received quality refill juice from Octoink, let's see what happens when I insert refilled carts.
-If that doesn't work I'll try some kind of Powerflushing , i.e. running hot water through the printhead from the hot tap. Dangerous I know, but it's a last resort.
-Should that fail or -- god forbid -- wreck the printhead, I'm forking out 75 for a new printhead. QY6-0075.

 

[Trigger 37]

inkoholic,....I'm sorry that I have been away and for some reason I have not been getting any notifications of post. Whatever,.. anyway,...I am very dissapointed in all of the posts that have gone on for a very long time. Many people have posted all kinds of suggestions and NONE of them have even come close to your problem. They have all been guess and "Shotgun" suggestions,...especially the ones about getting a new printhead. When I finally went back and looked at your orginal nozzle test post the answer is clear on that first picture. The patterns you are getting and the stripes are cause by clogged nozzles. If you want to see in detail exactly which ones are clogged,...then go into the Service Mode and print a "Service Test Print" This will show you a picture similar to the the large Black matrix for every ink cart color you have installed and in that matrix you will find one or more or many individual nozzles that are clogged. It will help other if you post the result of that Test Print so they can see what a Service Test print looks like. However, many times the colors are so week, because the printer is using the Absolute minimum amount of ink for each tiny nozzle, you will have to "Enhance the image" in any photo editor so the colors will be very visible.

Your Purge unit is working perfect. The ink carts are OK,... You need to do an "Effective Cleaning cycle" on your printhead. I have a PDF file that I send to most of my customers that will teach you a good way to clean your head. To get it you are going to have to send me an email and once I get that I will return the intructions.

 

[inkoholic]

inkoholic,....I'm sorry that I have been away and for some reason I have not been getting any notifications of post. Whatever,.. anyway,...I am very dissapointed in all of the posts that have gone on for a very long time. Many people have posted all kinds of suggestions and NONE of them have even come close to your problem. They have all been guess and "Shotgun" suggestions,...especially the ones about getting a new printhead. When I finally went back and looked at your orginal nozzle test post the answer is clear on that first picture. The patterns you are getting and the stripes are cause by clogged nozzles. If you want to see in detail exactly which ones are clogged,...then go into the Service Mode and print a "Service Test Print" This will show you a picture similar to the the large Black matrix for every ink cart color you have installed and in that matrix you will find one or more or many individual nozzles that are clogged. It will help other if you post the result of that Test Print so they can see what a Service Test print looks like. However, many times the colors are so week, because the printer is using the Absolute minimum amount of ink for each tiny nozzle, you will have to "Enhance the image" in any photo editor so the colors will be very visible.

Your Purge unit is working perfect. The ink carts are OK,... You need to do an "Effective Cleaning cycle" on your printhead. I have a PDF file that I send to most of my customers that will teach you a good way to clean your head. To get it you are going to have to send me an email and once I get that I will return the intructions.

Wow, that's news to me. Thanks for your trouble in any case -- I'll send a PM with my email address. Actually I already gave up on the unclogging option. I've tried a lot without result, so I thought it would be electrical malfunction or something. I'm familiar with Photoshop so I'll try and post the service test print. Thanks again for the input, let's hope I can unclog this thing once and for all