HP 2100 grabs multiple sheets at manual tray

[GM]

On our HP 2100 lately . . .

Multiple sheets are sometimes picked up simultaneously in the
MultiPurpose tray (the manual feed tray), wasting papers, and more
severely impacting 2nd side prints in two-sided print operations.

Are certain rollers cleanable to fix the situation? Might we spray a
polymer such as Armor-All (auto vinyl restorer) on internal rollers &
pass a few blank paper sheets to clean excess oils? Such would require
opening up the printer, but the warranty is gone anyway.

Help!

- GeneM

 

[Tony]

The likely problem is worn pickup roller and separation pad in the MP tray
assembly.
You can just see the grey roller when the tray is open, you can try to clean it
with isopropyl alcohol but it is hard to get to.
You could try dampening a cloth with isopropyl and holding it against the
roller while you get the printer to feed from the MP tray, be careful not to
let the cloth get caught up in the roller! You may need to operate the MP tray
paper detection lever while you do this or the printer will try to feed from
the cassette tray.
A repairer would advise replacement of the roller and the separation pad (the
pad that the roller is sitting on). With this printer it is quite a big job
involving the removal of the covers, the formatter and the gear plate. About
45 minutes labour. I have never used a polymer, so not sure what the effect
would be.
Tony