IP4500-missing Cyan nozzle check

[Kefp]

Hi, my 1st clog that was not successfully remedied by a cleaning cycle.

Initially after a deep cleaning cycle, the printer worked fine but by the following day it happened all over again. I have been following some threads but not quite sure if the next step should be dripping windex into the slot where the cyan cart was or pull out out the print head to clean?
Thoughts?
Thx

 

[ghwellsjr]

What kind of cartridge are you using?

Do you refill? If so, what kind of ink?

Before you clear this up, you should only do nozzle checks and single-sided, plain-paper, black-only printing or you run the risk of burning out some nozzles.

This doesn't appear to be clogged nozzles but rather an ink-flow problem, so I wouldn't try to clean the nozzles either inside or outside the printer.

 

[Kefp]

This is OEM cart filled with Hobbicolors

 

[ghwellsjr]

How are you refilling? Traditional through the top of the reservoir or German refill method?

It looks to me like you also have a problem with your dye black (the bottom pattern).

It would be really helpful if you could do an extended nozzle check on your printer so that you could see each dye ink nozzle individually like you can for the black pigment nozzles. Here is a link that might work:
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=869#p869

Next I would say that the most important thing to deternine is whether you really have clogged nozzles or an ink flow problem. It sounds to me like you have the later because you said that after doing a deep cleaning, all the nozzles worked and then after a day some of them quit working. So my first question is: when you first starting printing the next day, did you do the nozzle check first thing or after it wouldn't print something else?

Here's what I would do, put a drop of Windex on the screen for the cyan and dye black nozzles and also put some Windex on the larger purge pad. Then do a cleaning of just the dye ink nozzles. Print several nozzle checks without doing anything else and see if they always print exactly the same patterns or if they change from one nozzle check to the next. If the extended nozzle check works, then do that.

If the nozzle checks are all the same, let the printer sit until the next day and do some more nozzle checks to see if the patterns change. You especially want to see if some nozzles that weren't working the day before start working and some others stop working, in other words, are the failed nozzles coming up in a random assortment or are they just getting worse.

 

[embguy]

Here's what I would do, put a drop of Windex on the screen for the cyan and dye black nozzles and also...

A word of caution: The Windex on the screen may migrate up the ink tank and dilute the ink which will change the characteristics of the flow problem. i.e. the flow problem may temporary disappear. But the Windex may help to clean up any retracted path inside the print head.

As per ghwellsjr said, monitor your printer for a few days to determine the problem.

 

[DomtheMon]

One tip I have found that works sometimes is (if using traditional refill method), fill syringe, take plug out, position outlet over ink bottle and slowly add ink into tank as it drips out through the bottom. This tends to flush the cart a bit and helps eliminate any air bubbles.

 

[Kefp]

Many thx, let me try out the suggestions and get back to you.

 

[tan159753]

Forgive me for hijacking this thread but I have the same problem with the same colour on the same printer so I thought it would be wasteful starting a new thread.

The last printjob I did involve printing 3 or 4 whole pages of cyanish color which printed ok. After the job, I checked the cyan cart which was empty and refilled as normal using the German method, reinserted th cyan cart then switched the printer off. Next print job a week later showed no cyan at all.

A nozzle check gives me abolutely NO Cyan on any of the 3 bars whatsoever. Not even a streak. Other colours are OK. I am using original carts refilled with admittedly 2.5 year old hobbicolour inks using the German method. I have performed cleaning and deep cleaning over a dozen times brings no joy. I kepp getting the exact same nozzle check pattern. Other carts ink levels are going down but the cyan ink level is staying the same. When i take the cyan cart out it seems to make a nice complete circle with the rubber seal on the print head.

I have purged another used genuine cartrige and refilled the traditional way above the reservoir. Ink runs through the cart when the top fill hole is open so I assume this cartridge is Ok. I have also filled up the purge pads with window cleaner which dissapears after closing then opening the printer lid. So i assume the purging system is working ok?

I need advice on what to do next. Is this a problem with the cyan print nozzles or could it be an ink flow problem (not in the cart but outside the cart somewhere). I think the heavy printing in cyan has something to do with it.

I bought this canon ip4500 after much research especially on info from this great forum. Its a great printer and I really want to fix this one as the newer models don't have the chip resetter, patheticly smaller inks and seem to be made cheaply too. I have done an extended nozzzle check but dont know how to post it here.

 

[Kefp]

Just reporting back:

I did as suggested above - put a drop of Windex on the screen for the cyan nozzle and also put some Windex on the larger purge pad. Then do a cleaning of just the dye ink nozzles.

It's been good for 2 days in a row now. If it dries up again I'll let you know.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Forgive me for hijacking this thread but I have the same problem with the same colour on the same printer so I thought it would be wasteful starting a new thread.

The last printjob I did involve printing 3 or 4 whole pages of cyanish color which printed ok. After the job, I checked the cyan cart which was empty and refilled as normal using the German method, reinserted th cyan cart then switched the printer off. Next print job a week later showed no cyan at all.

A nozzle check gives me abolutely NO Cyan on any of the 3 bars whatsoever. Not even a streak. Other colours are OK. I am using original carts refilled with admittedly 2.5 year old hobbicolour inks using the German method. I have performed cleaning and deep cleaning over a dozen times brings no joy. I kepp getting the exact same nozzle check pattern. Other carts ink levels are going down but the cyan ink level is staying the same. When i take the cyan cart out it seems to make a nice complete circle with the rubber seal on the print head.

I have purged another used genuine cartrige and refilled the traditional way above the reservoir. Ink runs through the cart when the top fill hole is open so I assume this cartridge is Ok. I have also filled up the purge pads with window cleaner which dissapears after closing then opening the printer lid. So i assume the purging system is working ok?

I need advice on what to do next. Is this a problem with the cyan print nozzles or could it be an ink flow problem (not in the cart but outside the cart somewhere). I think the heavy printing in cyan has something to do with it.

I bought this canon ip4500 after much research especially on info from this great forum. Its a great printer and I really want to fix this one as the newer models don't have the chip resetter, patheticly smaller inks and seem to be made cheaply too. I have done an extended nozzzle check but dont know how to post it here.

After you remove a cartridge, for example, to see how full it is or to refill it, air will get into the ink passages so you need to do a cleaning to purge the air out of the passages and then do a nozzle check to verify that all is OK and if not, your best chance of correcting it is right then. Chances are there is some dried ink blocking the passage way. Here's how to find out if this is the problem:

Remove the cartridges and then unplug the printer. Remove the print head. Make sure you put the locking lever back down. Place the print head on paper towel folded to a quarter of its original size. Place a drop of Windex or other window cleaner on each of the screens where the ink feeds into the print head. Put a puddle of window cleaner on the paper towel. Blot the print head onto the wet paper towel and observe the screens where you placed the drops of window cleaner. You should be able to see some reaction to your pressure on the bottom of the print head. If you see this on all the screens except cyan, then you know it is clogged. Let us know how the test goes.