Ink system failure on HP OfficeJet Pro 8600

Hogwild

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Hi everyone:

I'm new here. Looks like a friendly place. I used to be an IT tech, but not with printers. That being said, I have done some minor repairs, like rollers, separation pads, and etc.

I have an OfficeJet 8600 pro here which I found at the curb. The display shows the "Ink system failure" message. I did a lot of Googling and went through the following steps so far:

1. Verified cartridges are not dried up/clogged, and that still contain wet ink. I shook them to listen for the liquid inside.

2. Cleaned the gold electrical contacts on the ink cartridges, and cleaned the contacts on the printhead, that connect with the ink cartridge.

3. Inspected the carriage path for obstacles.

4. Cleaned the printhead/nozzle. I used a Windex/Isopropyl alcohol mixture. I probably should've tried
warm water first.

5. Removed the ink cartridges, then removed the printhead. Reinstalled the printhead, and reinstall the ink cartridges. Did this 4 times, just in case.

6. Checked the CMOS battery. It measured fine.

7. Some videos tell you to do what HP calls a Semi-full reset to fix this problem. This sometimes makes the printer "forget" cartridges dried up, ink was not recently pumped, etc. This is lovely, but I can't get to a menu on the LCD screen as long as the "ink system failure" message display. By definition, I'm locked out of the controls, AFAICT. So that's a catch-22 situation. I assume there's no way to do a semi-full reset if you are stuck on that error screen?

8. Some documentation suggest doing a firmware update on this printer may clear this error. As with above, I haven't found way to do that unless you're NOT stuck at the error message in question

9. Made sure the printer is plugged directly into a wall outlet, and not into a UPS, power bar, surge protector or similar. Supposedly, that can cause the problem as well. This sounds like mythology to me anyway.

10. Checked the inside of the printer for spilled ink.

11. Tried using aluminum foil or wire to bridge contact that may lose continuity on the inside of the printhead circuit board. See this video for details:
How to fix inksystem failure for HP 8600, 8610, 8620, 8630 Print Heads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlKwGVq4MSE

Have I exhausted everything before replacing the print head? Is there anything else to try?

How do I know for sure that I unclogged any clogs in the printhead?

Thanks for any suggestions
 
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The Hat

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Emulator

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Does the fat guy with the sledge hammer have a heart attack?
 

Hogwild

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Okay, colour me perplexed. I just came across this video by accident.

Reseteo impresora HP Officejet Pro 8500 8100 8600 (de Panel táctil)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbx2B_Z0bic

Just select cc (closed captioning) in the menu and select your favourite language and
you should be able to understand at least some of what I'm talking about.


This makes it look like you can go to a different service menu with the printer partially off (or something, I don't know how to describe it, since you never see the normal screens).

I know this may not fix my particular problem, esp. if the print head is damaged, but for future, is this a way to get around the ink system failure message?

What exactly is going on in this video?
 
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Hogwild

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Okay, wait...I just learned a few days ago an acquaintance of mine has an Officejet 8620. Would it be a good idea for me to borrow her print head with cartridges still in it, temporarily install it into my 8600 Pro to see if I could get it to work, or will that create problems ?

Thanks
 

PeterBJ

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I don't know with HP printers but with a Canon printer that has an electronic damage in the print head, the logic board can be damaged by the print head. A logic board damaged in this way can damage a new print head. The HP printers may behave in a similar way.

As the condition of the printer is unknown and the working print head does not belong to you, I strongly recommend not doing the test.
 

Hogwild

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Thanks Peter, and everyone.
 

Hogwild

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Wait...what would happen if I did the opposite and put my (believed defective) printhead in my friend's 8620. Could that damage her printer?
 

The Hat

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Wait...what would happen if I did the opposite and put my (believed defective) printhead in my friend's 8620. Could that damage her printer?
Most definitely, so don’t be tempted... :(
 
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