Sandy wrote:
In article , Tony
wrote

Firstly enter maintenance mode (press the menu key while plugging in
the power), then

a) Press the 8 and 0 keys in this order in the initial stage of the
maintenance mode. The USB serial number appears on the LCD.
b) Press the Fax Start key. Each time the Fax Start key is pressed,
one of the following log information items appears on the LCD in
the order given below.
1) Ink cartridge drop count, indicating how many droplets have been
jetted out from each of the ink cartridges (Note 1).
2) Ink drop count after near-empty, indicating how many droplets have
been jetted out from each of the ink cartridges (Note 1) after the
ink empty sensor detects near-empty.
3) Total ink drop count, indicating how many droplets the equipment
has jetted out from each of the ink cartridges (Note 1) since
produced.
4) Jam count, indicating how many times a paper jam has occurred.
5) Total page count, indicating how many pages have been printed
since the equipment was produced.
6) PC print page count, indicating how many pages the equipment has
printed as an output device of the connected PC.
7) Copy page count, indicating how many copies have been made.
8) FAX page count, indicating how many received FAX pages have been
printed.
9) Purge count, indicating how many times the purge operation has
been carried out.
10) Wiper count, indicating how many times the wiper operation has
been carried out.
11) Ink cartridge change count, indicating how many times ink
cartridge replacement has been made for each color (Note 1).
12) Error code of the most recent machine error (Note 2).
13) Error code of the most recent communications error (Note 3).
14) ADF jam count, indicating how many times a document jam has
occurred.
15) ADF page count, indicating how many documents have been fed.
16) Flat-bed page count, indicating how many documents have been
scanned.

To stop this operation and return the equipment to the initial stage
of the maintenance mode, press the Stop key.

Note 1 - To check each of the four ink cartridges, press the Menu key.
Pressing the key cycles through black, yellow, cyan, and
magenta.
Note 2 - When a machine error code is displayed, pressing the Menu key
cycles through recent nine errors that have occurred.
Note 3 - When a communications error code is displayed, pressing the
Menu key cycles through the latest 3 errors.

Item 12 (see note 2) may give us some clues. It will probably only
give error code numbers but I can tell you what they mean (there are
dozens of different error codes).

Dear Tony,

I got a list of machine errors as follows:
1 - A1
2 - 33
3 - A1
4 - 33
5 - A1
6 - 33
7 - A1
8 - 33
9 - A1

The comms error list was:
1 - 17070000
2 - 0000FF00
3 - 17070000

The machine errors look like they come as related pairs. And so are
the comms errors. (I have a week old previous printout somewhere that
lists the comms errors as 0000ff00, 17070000, 0000ff00.)

I am really, really intrigued as to what are "A1" and "33". I look
forward to your answer.

Thanks again for your kindness.

With kind regards,

Sandy

P.S. In the meanwhile I have photocopied out my Christmas cards and now
I'm guillotining them down to size -- before that long haul of writing
to everyone we haven't spoken to all year.
--
Alexander Anderson
(Yorkshire, England)

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

OK Sandy they don't appear to be related but I bet they are somehow.

Error code A1 is
Scanner unit opened. (surprise, surprise)
likely failure is Scanner open sensor actuator
or Main PCB or Scanner unit.

Error code 3* (where * = any number) is
likely failure is Carriage travel error or Carriage ASSY
or Encoder strip (Any stains or scratches? Hooked correctly?)
or Carriage motor
or Main PCB
or Power supply PCB
or Purge unit
or Head flat cable N
or Driver PCB
or Main chassis

For the moment I would ignore the error 33 because of the strong relationship
between error A1 and your symptoms.

If you want to try the following it may help

Sensor Operational Check
This function allows you to check the following:
- Document front sensor
- Document rear sensor
- Document cover open sensor
- CCD HP sensor
- Scanner open sensor
- Registration sensor
- Paper width sensor
- Purge cam HP switch
- Pump switching cam HP switch
- (Print head detector)
- Black ink cartridge sensor
- Yellow ink cartridge sensor
- Cyan ink cartridge sensor
- Magenta ink cartridge sensor
- Manual feed slot cover sensor

Operating Procedure
(1) Press the 3 and 2 keys in this order in the initial stage of the
maintenance mode. The
equipment sounds 1100 Hz and 400 Hz tones cyclically for testing the speaker:
NOTE: To stop beeping, press the Menu key.
If the sensing status are as listed below, the LCD will show "DFDRDCFHCSCVRSPW"
and
"P1P2HDIKIYICIMMP," which can be switched by pressing the Fax Start key.
Given below is the relationship between the LCD indication, sensor name and
sensor status.
LCD Sensors Sensing status
DF Document front sensor No document detected.
DR Document rear sensor No document detected.
DC Document cover open sensor Document cover closed.
FH CCD HP sensor CCD unit placed in the home position.
CS Cassette sensor Not applicable to the MFC5200C/MFC890
CV Scanner open sensor Scanner unit closed.
RS Registration sensor No recording paper detected.
PW Paper width sensor No paper detected.
P1 Purge cam HP switch Purge cam placed in the home position.
P2 Pump switching cam HP switch Pump switching cam placed in the home position.
HD (Print head detector) (Not used.)
IK Black ink cartridge sensor Black ink cartridge loaded.
IY Yellow ink cartridge sensor Yellow ink cartridge loaded.
IC Cyan ink cartridge sensor Cyan ink cartridge loaded.
IM Magenta ink cartridge sensor Magenta ink cartridge loaded.
MP Manual feed slot cover sensor Manual feed slot cover closed.
(2) Change the detecting conditions (e.g., insert paper through the document
sensors, registration
sensor or paper width sensor, open the document cover/scanner unit/manual feed
slot cover, or
remove the print head or ink cartridges) and then check that the indication on
the LCD
changes according to the sensor states.
(3) To stop this operation and return the equipment to the initial stage of the
maintenance mode, press the Stop key.

What this is saying is that when you press the Fax Start key the display should
toggle between 2 sets of code lines. The two characters that correspond to the
"CV" portion of one code line should change in the other code line when you
open or close the scanner cover. If you are fortunate you may find this happens
if the scanner cover or the immediate area near the control panel is sensitive
to vibration or very slight movement, you can test this by wiggling the cover
without lifting it more than a couple of millimetres or tapping around the
control panel area (the sensor is actually under the control panel). If so the
sensor or the actuating lever is at fault. If not then I suspect you have a
more serious problem. There may be something loose in that area, or some slight
damage. I have tried to make this less cryptic than it appears g.

How old is the printer, if it is under warranty you should have a valid claim.

Good luck
Tony