For the past year I had piezo flushing fluids in my 9880 and was doing regular nozzle checks. Just before switching to a new set of K7 neutral inks in new carts (with internal bag), I printed two nozzle checks with the flushing, which showed all nozzles printing fine. I did an initial fill with the K7 inks, and am now missing a printhead completely (3rd from right on nozzle check target). 8+ cleanings and a power clean over several days have resulted in only a few nozzles printing in the ink position. (What ink position is the 3rd from the right on the target ?)
I tried running the printhead over a folded paper towel soaked with flushing fluid and picked up very little ink on the paper towel. I have clean the capping and flushing stations several times.
Don’t know if this makes a difference, but the first initial fill terminated at about 49% completion because one cart lost contact with the chip reader in the printer. I fixed that and completed a 2nd initial fill successfully. (My flushing fluid carts fit the 9880 very tightly, and my new set for K7 inks fit loosely.)
Do you have any suggestions about what I should try next before giving up on the print head and mapping it out? Is it possible the valve just before the print head for that ink position did not prime properly? (Sorry, I don’t remember what the valves are called.)
It seems to me like you have a prime issue or a pressure issue.
I would pull the carts, re-prime all of them, put them back and place cardboard under each cart as it goes into the ink bay to keep it in place when the lever is raised/lowered.
Then do 1 power cleaning. Take a look at air bubbles in the ink lines. You can see if anything is moving by looking at the air bubbles.
If I am reading the nozzle check target correctly, it appears the 3rd ink position to the right of the LLK flushing cart on the target is the cart that somehow disconnected from the cart chip reader and terminated the first initial fill. (Maybe when raising and lowering he lever?)
Not sure what you mean by “put cardboard under each cart as it goes into the ink bay.” Do you mean cut a wedge of cardboard to sit on the bottom of the ink bay for each cart slot? Do you think the carts were moving when I raised and lower the lever? I did tape thin cardboard wedges on the side of three carts that were showing as missing on the menu screen.
With the printer off, I did check all the ink lines and saw no bubbles in any lines.
Please clarify about the cardboard wedges, and I will try another power cleaning.
I primed carts, added wedges, and ran another power clean.
I could see bubbles running through only one line, which came from the left cart bay and were in the the line nearest to the front of the printer or three over from the LLB line with flushing fluid in it.
A nozzles check showed the print head position (3rd from right of LLB) is still printing with only a couple nozzles showing, though different nozzles than printed before.
I bought the printer used, but it was sold by an Epson certificate tech, who replaced the print head before selling it. I assume he replaced the damper then, but I don’t know for sure.
On second thought, I know the Epson service tech didn’t change the dampers because there is color ink stains the exterior of some of them, and I never ran color inks in the printer.
For the past year I had piezo flushing fluids in my 9880 and was doing regular nozzle checks. Just before switching to a new set of K7 neutral inks in new inkjet mall carts (with internal bag), I printed two nozzle checks with the flushing fluid, which showed all nozzles printing fine. I did an initial fill with the K7 inks, and am now missing the LC ink position completely on the nozzle check pattern. 8+ cleanings and a power clean over several days have resulted in only a few nozzles printing in the LC ink position.
Don’t know if this makes a difference, but the first initial fill terminated at about 49% completion because the LC cart lost contact with the chip reader in the printer. I fixed that by taping cardboard shims on the cart and completed a 2nd initial fill successfully. The LC cart that disconnected during the first initial fill is the same ink position that won’t print.
Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should try next before giving up on the print head and mapping it out?
Has anyone experience a new cart not priming properly?
Could the LC position damper failed that suddenly?
If you remove the cart and prime it do you get resistance? I’m worried if the cart go disconnected you either have a funky cart outlet spring or you have some air stuck in the cart spike at the back end of your ink bay.
Yes, there is resistance when you push in the syringe nozzle that is consistent with what the other carts felt like when I primed them. There is also resistance when I pull back on the plunger to withdraw ink from the cart.
I took off the the left side cover and saw no air in the ink lines were they emerge from the back of the cart holder. Also when I did an initial fill, all the lines filled with the K7 inks.
I replaced all the dampers yesterday, performed a power clean, then printed a nozzle check. All nozzles printed clean except the LC ink position, which is still missing.