Only used as a stand alone copier, put away for 6 months now does not
get past POST. Displays error "Printhead carriage jam...."
Some sort of mechanical carriage latch is not de-latching,firmly holding
carrier in place, how to delatch or whatever , without taking the
machine apart. Carriage is jammed at park position.

N_Cook wrote:
Only used as a stand alone copier, put away for 6 months now does not
get past POST. Displays error "Printhead carriage jam...."
Some sort of mechanical carriage latch is not de-latching,firmly holding
carrier in place, how to delatch or whatever , without taking the
machine apart. Carriage is jammed at park position.

hit it with a phonebook, maybe that will unstick it.

N_Cook wrote:
Only used as a stand alone copier, put away for 6 months now does not

get past POST. Displays error "Printhead carriage jam...."

Some sort of mechanical carriage latch is not de-latching,firmly holding

carrier in place, how to delatch or whatever , without taking the

machine apart. Carriage is jammed at park position.


Sounds like the grease has hardened and jams some locking mechanism. Sometimes trying carefully to move the carriage both sides it may unstuck after a while. If you could see the latch or some moving part in that zone a drop of oil might help. Also some printers use a latch that is detached by a small movement to the opposite direction.

On 13/09/2014 02:04, Jeroni Paul wrote:
N_Cook wrote:
Only used as a stand alone copier, put away for 6 months now does not

get past POST. Displays error "Printhead carriage jam...."

Some sort of mechanical carriage latch is not de-latching,firmly holding

carrier in place, how to delatch or whatever , without taking the

machine apart. Carriage is jammed at park position.


Sounds like the grease has hardened and jams some locking mechanism. Sometimes trying carefully to move the carriage both sides it may unstuck after a while. If you could see the latch or some moving part in that zone a drop of oil might help. Also some printers use a latch that is detached by a small movement to the opposite direction.


If only someone had taken a pic of that area, under or behind the
carriage, I could perhaps fashion a joggled probe and fiddle. I can lift
the top cover enough to see the leftmost edge of the carrier and nothing
hooklike there.
I was wondering if it was some latch that was under Software control ,
unlatched in POST but they don't use batteries these days , that could
run down in 6 months

Looks like gummy ink problem.
I unclipped the ink cartridge carrier that contains the printhead,
contacts to the right in pic, purpley colour is ink
http://www.diverse.4mg.com/kodak_esp3250.jpg
Then unclipped a 40x35mm simple black cover to the left of the dump sump
pad. The dump pad is not recessing and so jamming the parts marked o
either side of the pad, on the carriage.
Also shows 2 wiper pads marked W, with spring, that must slide over to
wipe the printhead, so a complicated and compact mechanism , now how to
free it up

I've now got to the problem area. The final cog to the rack that moves
the cleaning carriage is binding in too tight in a small housing around
it, plastic against plastic, either plastic on plastic " bearing" or
plastic sides of cog against plastic housing, presumably chemical
reaction with the ink or time. It will just about turn with parallel jaw
pliers but that force would jump teeth farther back along the gear
chain, let alone driving by motor force. So what squirted in there will
dissolve the compaction or whatever. Moving by hand via pliers , has not
eased up on a couple of traverses.

kill or cure time. I squirted some PTFE lubricant spray in where the
cog/rack tooth engages. Now rack is moving with the lightest of finger
turning of the cogs, will it still be free to move tomorrow? a few
months down the line?
The relevant spot is on the underside , so I doubt you could squirt
in-situ , without dimantling

On 13/09/2014 16:36, N_Cook wrote:
kill or cure time. I squirted some PTFE lubricant spray in where the
cog/rack tooth engages. Now rack is moving with the lightest of finger
turning of the cogs, will it still be free to move tomorrow? a few
months down the line?
The relevant spot is on the underside , so I doubt you could squirt
in-situ , without dimantling

must be all this Scots stuff about. Third attempt , at reposistioning
the cleaning carriage in the different parts of its cycle , to get it
copying again.