How did I brake my Pixma TS8350 by lubricating it?

[Pixman]

Hey guys!

I managed to break my Pixma TS8350 last night by spraying a bit of synthetic adhesive lubricant at the back where the motor and main gears are.



I did this to quite it down because it was making annoying noises as if running dry, and I didn't want to undertake the big operation of disassembling everything (presumably) to get to this mechanism where the noise was coming from.

Now it runs so smoothly and loudly when I run the roller cleaning function, it complains that there is a paper jam and only gives me error code after error code. First it said error code 1300, i.e. paper jam. But there was no paper in it at the time. I was spraying it while running the roller cleaning function.

The original noises went away, but new noises came, and like I said it is now even louder sometimes. After a power cycle and unplugging and reinserting the cord, the error remained. But it didn't show at first, only after entering roller cleaning function or if the printer did something on its own to provoke it. I did another power cycle, and tried to print some text from Word, and it started giving me error code 6A80. After this, it started giving me the same error code every time I power cycle, and it prints a blank paper every time. As if it's a left over from last time it's trying to print.

So now I face either a service charge to have it repaired or buy a new printer. I might be able to repair it on my own if I knew what to do, especially about these error codes. All the error code 6A80 says is to cancel the print (there is none) and to power cycle (which I already did), and if that fails, it says to contact a service center.

What would cause this? I inadvertently sprayed some paper jam sensor or something? Can I get to these gears at the back from the side? So I can wipe it clean and apply some proper grease? What kind of grease do they use?

 

[x64]

I usually use either PTFE lube on sliding parts and synthetic grease on gears. What kind of crazy product did you use, adhesive grease, that sounds like two opposites.

If you think you smudged the sensors you should clean those, don't disassemble everything straight away, try to reach the parts that you think are affected and clean those.

Remember for the future that (carelessly) spraying into a machine is never a good idea, and have a understanding what kind of lubricant you need for your application.

 

[Pixman]

How does a printer know there is a paper jam? Do they have sensors for that? Are they located at the back, near the motor? I'm assuming the layout of most of these consumer printers are the same.

I totally agree that careless spraying and not using the right lubricant can have consequences. As I have learned this time. Let it be a lesson for all. But I did try to be mindful about my choice of lubricant. I could have chosen something much worse. I do in fact have an interest in lubricants, and I'm a firm believer in using the right product for the right job. I know how underappreciated the world of lubricants is, it's really a something that keeps our mechanical world spinning. But in this instance I failed miserably.

I used Presto Synthetic Adhesive Lube. It's called adhesive when it's not runny, so it doesn't drip. So it's not oily, it's sticky and turns into grease. So it's like spray grease. It contains PTFE (many lubricants have this as an additive today), and it's O-ring neutral and friendly for plastics.

From the can:

Spray grease to lubricate mechanical parts of metal or plastic. Prevents wear and sticking. Outstanding mechanical and thermal stability. Water-repellent. Absorbs sound and prevents from corrosion.

I will have another look at it, and see if I can access it and clean it with some cotton swabs maybe or similar. But I'm afraid disassembly is inevitable. When it prints a blank paper now, as it does automatically on startup now, the paper gets a little wrinkled on one of the short sides. So it's definitely rubbing against something as it passes, something with low clearance or so.

 

[Pixman]

I took apart most of the covers of the printer and the scanner unit. This is what the motors, sensors and those gears look like. So it has not one but two motors? All basic printers have that? One for moving the head and one for moving the paper? Now I know! But what are these small PCB boards with sensors for? Could one of them be a speed sensor? That might explain why the whole thing sounds louder and faster now. If the sensor is blinded.

 

[Pixman]

I took a few more shots to show you where the grease/lubricant ended up. You can see the splatter on this big circular housing or whatever that is (I thought that was some weird gear or lever), behind the two PCB boards.



There is also what appears as a dirt/dust/grease shield next to one of the sensors. I suspect this is the main cause of the problem I have now.



Here is another angle and lighting. You can see the sensor is covered in grease.

 

[Pixman]

Sorry for this noob question, but how do I get to those parts so I can give them a proper cleaning? I still can't reach those sensors in a proper way. I have never disassembled a printer before, this is the first. I never needed to before, and I tried to avoid it this time also (and made a mess). Do I just keep unscrewing until I see the light in the tunnel? Would a service manual help with this? (I honestly doubt that they are that detailed.) I would rather not remove the main PCB board and all that tricky wiring. And also, once I have cleaned it up, will the error code magically disappear or will I need to reset it with the service software?

 

[roncromberge]

Perhaps you should buy a new one. And dismantle your old one.

A new one cost you around €230,— and probably cheaper than buying spare parts. And the time to find the problem part(s).
And I hope you made photos of your current dismantling phase. Then you have for the future lubricating your dismantle guide. Lol. No I’m serious.

I have had a dismantling job of my dead ‘professional’ Canon imagePROGRAF ipf5100. +70kg dead weight! I tried to do it the proper way. But without any service manual. It is impossible to dismantle without breaking parts.

It took me more than 5 hours. And then I was able to bring the parts down two levels down.

 

[Pixman]

Perhaps you should buy a new one. And dismantle your old one.

What can I do with a dismantled printer? Sell the parts? Maybe if I can sell on eBay to reach international buyers. Locally, no one cares about printers, they are obsoleted for most part, and certainly, people would rather buy a brand new printer. Then they come out of their AC cooled villas and complain about hot summers, and make Ursula enforce paper straws so I can't enjoy my soft drink at McDonald's. What a joy!

Now they make me spill my milk because of the new plastic screws that are tethered to the bottles, and just yesterday it was in the news that this doesn't work, people are still throwing plastic bottles in nature, exactly as I predicted and was telling everyone. These hypocrites annoy me so much. EU is fun! You can only lead a horse to water, just like you can only lead a person to a trash can or a recycling station.

I'm not some crazy environmentalist, but my footprint on the environment is minimal. I'm a DIY and "know-it-all", so I will try to repair it first. But yes, I may need to buy a new printer if I can't fix it myself. Just like I had to buy a new phone because they (the big tech conglomerates) made sure I can't repair it. You won't see Ursula press companies like Canon to make service manuals available to general public. Not anytime soon. Access to spare parts will continue to depend on average users like me dismantling products and putting parts up for sale.

Canon offers free shipping label and I have the original box it came in for proper handling during transport (I always tell people to keep their boxes but they don't listen). But they can't tell me if they can fix it, and they can't (or won't) give me an estimate of what it would cost so I can make that decision more easily. Also, I can't speak to a service technician directly to explain to them what I did to cause this, and that there is nothing else wrong with the printer. They would almost certainly know how much work is involved, and what it would cost. So the whole things is set up that way, like conveyor belt passing a black magic box, and out comes either a fixed printer or a paper weight. I live up north but in EUR, they charge about 33 EUR for return shipping if they can't fix it (or won't because it's not profitable), or you can choose to have it scrapped at their place (how convenient, say goodbye to any spare part profits and those who would benefit from access to spare parts).

Printers are not even their main service focus! They do have some pictures of the inside of the service center where printers can be seen on shelves waiting for service or shipping, but their main focus seems to be on camera repairs (logical, given how much more expensive they are). They didn't even include my country in the list of countries at Canon Europe service and repair page for consumers. (Canon Europe is headquartered in the Netherlands.)

A new one cost you around €230,— and probably cheaper than buying spare parts. And the time to find the problem part(s).

I think it's a lot cheaper than that. I think I paid like 180 EUR for mine. But they don't make them anymore. This model is outdated and it's about 5 years old. I don't think they make the Pixma TS series at all anymore. So if you want a specific feature, you may need to buy it second hand.

I don't know how much it costs as a spare part, but I think I have found the problem already. It's an optical rotary encoder sensor that's coated and blinded by grease. I think I can just clean it up and get it going again, without having to replace it.

And I hope you made photos of your current dismantling phase. Then you have for the future lubricating your dismantle guide.

Of course. Absolutely! Always. I didn't take photos so much for making a lubrication guide. I did it more so I can put it all back together. There are not many screws, surprisingly. It's mostly snaps that click in place, and they are all indicated with a little arrowhead. Very helpful! The side panels were most difficult to take off. There's a stubborn latch on each side that you need to use some force and smart moves to get them off.

I have had a dismantling job of my dead ‘professional’ Canon imagePROGRAF ipf5100. +70kg dead weight! I tried to do it the proper way. But without any service manual. It is impossible to dismantle without breaking parts.

70 kg! That sounds like a tonne of fun! Did you break something in the process? What did you do with it?

It took me more than 5 hours. And then I was able to bring the parts down two levels down.

Why did it take so long? It's a process for sure. Especially if you don't have a service manual and you have never done this before. Time is mostly why service is expensive, wages are very high in the west. So if you can do it yourself and at your own pace, there's no need to rush it. But I would have imagined that it's easier to work with a big printer than a small and compact printer with tiny components. I'm not sure what you mean by bringing parts two levels down. Did you get to the faulty parts in the end?

 

[roncromberge]

What can I do with a dismantled printer? Sell the parts? Maybe if I can sell on eBay to reach international buyers. Locally, no one cares about printers, they are obsoleted for most part, and certainly, people would rather buy a brand new printer. Then they come out of their AC cooled villas and complain about hot summers, and make Ursula enforce paper straws so I can't enjoy my soft drink at McDonald's. What a joy!

Now they make me spill my milk because of the new plastic screws that are tethered to the bottles, and just yesterday it was in the news that this doesn't work, people are still throwing plastic bottles in nature, exactly as I predicted and was telling everyone. These hypocrites annoy me so much. EU is fun! You can only lead a horse to water, just like you can only lead a person to a trash can or a recycling station.

I'm not some crazy environmentalist, but my footprint on the environment is minimal. I'm a DIY and "know-it-all", so I will try to repair it first. But yes, I may need to buy a new printer if I can't fix it myself. Just like I had to buy a new phone because they (the big tech conglomerates) made sure I can't repair it. You won't see Ursula press companies like Canon to make service manuals available to general public. Not anytime soon. Access to spare parts will continue to depend on average users like me dismantling products and putting parts up for sale.

Canon offers free shipping label and I have the original box it came in for proper handling during transport (I always tell people to keep their boxes but they don't listen). But they can't tell me if they can fix it, and they can't (or won't) give me an estimate of what it would cost so I can make that decision more easily. Also, I can't speak to a service technician directly to explain to them what I did to cause this, and that there is nothing else wrong with the printer. They would almost certainly know how much work is involved, and what it would cost. So the whole things is set up that way, like conveyor belt passing a black magic box, and out comes either a fixed printer or a paper weight. I live up north but in EUR, they charge about 33 EUR for return shipping if they can't fix it (or won't because it's not profitable), or you can choose to have it scrapped at their place (how convenient, say goodbye to any spare part profits and those who would benefit from access to spare parts).

Printers are not even their main service focus! They do have some pictures of the inside of the service center where printers can be seen on shelves waiting for service or shipping, but their main focus seems to be on camera repairs (logical, given how much more expensive they are). They didn't even include my country in the list of countries at Canon Europe service and repair page for consumers. (Canon Europe is headquartered in the Netherlands.)

I think it's a lot cheaper than that. I think I paid like 180 EUR for mine. But they don't make them anymore. This model is outdated and it's about 5 years old. I don't think they make the Pixma TS series at all anymore. So if you want a specific feature, you may need to buy it second hand.

I don't know how much it costs as a spare part, but I think I have found the problem already. It's an optical rotary encoder sensor that's coated and blinded by grease. I think I can just clean it up and get it going again, without having to replace it.

Of course. Absolutely! Always. I didn't take photos so much for making a lubrication guide. I did it more so I can put it all back together. There are not many screws, surprisingly. It's mostly snaps that click in place, and they are all indicated with a little arrowhead. Very helpful! The side panels were most difficult to take off. There's a stubborn latch on each side that you need to use some force and smart moves to get them off.


70 kg! That sounds like a tonne of fun! Did you break something in the process? What did you do with it?


Why did it take so long? It's a process for sure. Especially if you don't have a service manual and you have never done this before. Time is mostly why service is expensive, wages are very high in the west. So if you can do it yourself and at your own pace, there's no need to rush it. But I would have imagined that it's easier to work with a big printer than a small and compact printer with tiny components. I'm not sure what you mean by bringing parts two levels down. Did you get to the faulty parts in the end?

Why did it take so long? Because manipulate 70+ kg in a tiny space in the attic on my own. Is a heavy task.
If it was for the faulty parts! Then it was a simple job. Replace the two print heads (in a Canon professional printer) the are end user replaceable. But for printer 10+ years old and out of service live. Paying € 1000,00 for two heads. So I decided to go to something smaller. The Epson P900. And now the printer lives next to me at my desk.

Canon Europe is headquartered in the Netherlands.
Yes I know. My former headquarters and where I worked a long time. Are neighbors. In eye sight.

 

[x64]

I took apart most of the covers of the printer and the scanner unit. This is what the motors, sensors and those gears look like. So it has not one but two motors? All basic printers have that? One for moving the head and one for moving the paper? Now I know! But what are these small PCB boards with sensors for? Could one of them be a speed sensor? That might explain why the whole thing sounds louder and faster now. If the sensor is blinded.

You want to be cleaning the sensors on those small PCB and the associated encoder wheels. Those measure the movement of the DC motors and are the cause of your current issue. You took some decent pictures showing that, those sensors and encoder wheels need to be completely clean.

In regards of the lube you used, I do not think it is a good choice. It is more of a heavy duty lube, the gears on a printer do not require any weather or corrosion resistance. However it did not cause a mechanical issue.

First clean those greasy sensors and at least the encoders you photographed and test the printer. You don't have to disassemble it completely, as long as you can reach it with some kind of cleaning cloth.