Help with Lexmark Optra S 1625

[Matt Ion]

So I just rescued this thing from its way out the door to the dumpster... it
prints great using the MP feeder, but I repeatedly get paper jams using Tray 1.
Lexmark knowledge base suggests the pick motor may have problems, according to
the secondary error code (8E 23 06 11).

I can tell that the rollers are turning, by holding down the paper-select tabs
so the printer thinks it has a tray in place, but I believe they rollers are
also supposed to drop down to contact they paper, and they don't seem to be
doing so.

Now the odd thing is, when I was first testing this on-site, it always thought
it had legal paper in it (the paper-type sensors seemed to have a problem), and
when I actually put legal paper in, it printed fine. Now that I have it home,
it's properly detecting the paper size, but it's still jamming. I don't have
any legal paper to test it with, but even with the tray set at legal and then
loaded with letter, it's not picking up the paper at all.

So... ultimately, is it possible to get ahold of a field service manual for this
thing? Or if not, is there something I can/should check to test/confirm the
functioning of the pickup rollers dropping down to the paper? Can someone
perhaps give some pointers on how that happens, so I know where to look for
problems?

Thanks...

 

[phineaspaine]

I've had tons of experience with Lexmark Optra R/S/T series printers.
It sounds like your printer is not detecting the paper size
correctly. Pull out the paper tray and turn it over. On the bottom
of the paper tray, you'll see a beige-coloured tab that should be
resting at right angles on a green-coloured piece of plastic with a
notch in it. This connects the paper slider in the tray, with the
"fingers" that protrude from the side of the tray. These fingers
protrude in certain patterns that indicate the paper size to the
printer. The tab often jumps out of the notch. When this happens,
moving the green slider in the tray fails to adjust the fingers so
that the printer can detect the proper paper size. Just move the tab
back to where it should be, resting in the notch. Secondly, make sure
the internal green slider is exactly in the "letter" slot. Even if it
is out by one notch, the tray will signal the printer, via the
fingers, that a different paper size is in the tray (usually, it
erroneously reports the size as "universal").

This should correct the problem.

phineaspaine

 

[Matt Ion]

Wow, FINALLY a response - thanks!

Actually, I have played with that quite a bit... like I said, when I originally
tried the printer on-site, it kept thinking it had a Legal load (looking at the
Paper Size menu) regardless of the tray setting, and I actually got it to print
using legal paper.

Now that it's home, it does seem to detect the size properly, whether legal or
letter, but it still gives me a paper jam no matter which I use.

I'm assuming, from playing with this with the tray out and watching the
mechanism, that the arm with the pickup rollers is supposed to swing downward to
contact the paper, and as far as I can tell, it's not doing that. The rollers
turn, but the arm never moves and I suspect the rollers never get anywhere near
the paper.

 

[overload]

The rollers won't drop down unless you press the lever up on the right
side where the little tab sticks up on the drawer. It's very hard to
do this with the drawer open. It's even harder to hold the paper size
switches in at the same time and drop the rollers.

You might also pull out on the spring levers on the paper size
switches in case they are bent, and be sure you can feel each of the
switches clicking when you press the lever.

You can fix this problem in three ways:

1. Get a new set of rollers -- price unknown, but the real problem is
finding somewhere to get them.

2. Go to the printer's store near you (or look on the Internet) and
get Varn Super Rubber Rejuvenator for about $7 or $15 a gallon. (Don't
think it comes any smaller. The gallon I've got has lasted 15 years,
so I don't know the current price.) This stuff is used on printing
presses to recondition the ink rollers. (It puts back the "rubberizer"
that eventually comes out of the rollers and drys them up.) What it
does is make the rollers sticky again. This is what I use.

3. Look for some stuff called De-Ink which is similar to the above but
not as aggressive (roller conditioner, not rejuvenator) and is
packaged in 4 oz bottles for about $12. This is what the printer
servicemen carry around to clean rollers.

Good Luck.

Jim

 

[Brian E. Ashley]

We have one at work an excellent printer but fussy with the paper
feed.

Problems encountered

Won't feed a sheet from the bottom paper tray.

Stood printer on it's back end and removed paper pick up
rollers. Held on to spindle with a small plastic key, depress end and
pull off. Washed with washing up liquid under a running tap and dried
on paper towel and replaced. There are rotation arrows but a Lexmark
engineer suggested replacing in opposite direction, like car tyre
rotation.

Also the quality of paper makes a huge difference.

Feel the end of the paper sheets, as they are cut by guillotine you
can feel the ends are bent over, very small but it's there, on poor
quality cut with a worn guillotine, fan the ends and turn over the
stack of paper over or reverse ends. 4 positions, one will run OK.


Internal paper jam with 'remove cartridge' message.

This one is really annoying and have not found a good cure. The paper
always seems to stop in the same place just by the white roller on the
L.H. side some day's it runs faultless other day's 2-3 times an hour.

I thought it was due to the paper going through on the skew but if you
make the paper tray paper guide strips too close you are back to the
first problem.

The same paper in the Photocopier with a similar tray works perfect.

You can't beat a top loader for paper in my opinion.

Any other users comments will be gladly acted on.

Good luck

 

[Matt Ion]

2. Go to the printer's store near you (or look on the Internet) and
get Varn Super Rubber Rejuvenator for about $7 or $15 a gallon. (Don't
think it comes any smaller. The gallon I've got has lasted 15 years,
so I don't know the current price.) This stuff is used on printing
presses to recondition the ink rollers. (It puts back the "rubberizer"
that eventually comes out of the rollers and drys them up.) What it
does is make the rollers sticky again. This is what I use.

Stopped in my regular parts store and the chemicals shelf caught my eye
on the way out, so I picked up a bottle of Rubber Renue, and it seems to
have done the trick! Was just a few bucks for a 125ml bottle. Thanks
for the suggestion!

 

[Irv]

didn't see the beginning of this thread but if you are referring to pickup
rollers they are available through the ebay stores and are very easy to
replace.

 

[Matt Ion]

Maybe I'll try that when this bottle of Rubber Renue runs out in...
probably about six years.