HP 5MP paper twists

[news.rcn.com]

Does anyone know what causes the paper to twist on a 5MP please? Whether it
comes out of the upper manual feed, (in which case it twists slightly to the
left after getting 4-5 inches into the printer and then jams the printer
completely) or the lower tray (from which it gets about 5-6 inches into the
printer before jamming, which I presume is the twist), is this terminal for
a printer which is so old? Is there some inaccessible and expensive to
replace roller which has suddenly decayed or is this something caught in the
paper path?

Someone gave me a 6MP to replace it about 6 months ago but I found that all
the rubber pick-up rollers had decayed, perished and turned to a sticky glob
so I chucked it, thinking that my 5MP was bound to be more reliable as it
still worked despite being older and it has worked ever since.

 

[Tony]

Does anyone know what causes the paper to twist on a 5MP please? Whether it
comes out of the upper manual feed, (in which case it twists slightly to the
left after getting 4-5 inches into the printer and then jams the printer
completely) or the lower tray (from which it gets about 5-6 inches into the
printer before jamming, which I presume is the twist), is this terminal for
a printer which is so old? Is there some inaccessible and expensive to
replace roller which has suddenly decayed or is this something caught in the
paper path?

Someone gave me a 6MP to replace it about 6 months ago but I found that all
the rubber pick-up rollers had decayed, perished and turned to a sticky glob
so I chucked it, thinking that my 5MP was bound to be more reliable as it
still worked despite being older and it has worked ever since.

The usual cause of this with the 5P and 6P printers is a paper scrap caught
under the registration guide.
Open the cover and remove the cartridge. Inside the printer at the front is a
black guide plate that runs across the printer, it has some "fingers" that
extend about an inch and a half into the printer. At the left of this guide is
one screw that needs to be removed. That's the easy bit, gently lift the guide,
there are a couple of plastic clips that you now need to release - they are at
the front (nearest you) and middle and right end of the guide and can be
released carefully with a small flat bladed screwdriver. When they are released
you can lift the guide out, look at the left hand end and there may be some
paper caught under or near the roller that you can now see.
Good luck.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[news.rcn.com]

The usual cause of this with the 5P and 6P printers is a paper scrap
caught
under the registration guide.
Open the cover and remove the cartridge. Inside the printer at the front
is a
black guide plate that runs across the printer, it has some "fingers" that
extend about an inch and a half into the printer. At the left of this
guide is
one screw that needs to be removed. That's the easy bit, gently lift the
guide,
there are a couple of plastic clips that you now need to release - they
are at
the front (nearest you) and middle and right end of the guide and can be
released carefully with a small flat bladed screwdriver. When they are
released
you can lift the guide out, look at the left hand end and there may be
some
paper caught under or near the roller that you can now see.
Good luck.

Thanks for the quick reply but things going from bad to worse on this
printer: I did what you said quite easily and found no paper under the
guide. What I did find was a tiny circular tube of plastic towards the right
of the underside of the guide when I removed it, just behind where the
upwards facing metal 'pin' is which looks about the same size as the pin and
about a quarter of a millimeter shorter than that pin. It seems to have a
clean and fresh break on its outside, running along the length of the tube
and indicating that it was an adjunct to some other piece of plastic. I took
it out as I couldn't figure out where it came from and it didnt SEEM to go
on that upward facing metal pin.

I checked carefully for wear on the rubber wheel on the left (there was
none) and checked carefully whether I could straighten the white piece above
the rubber wheel attaching to the guide plate which looks slightly skewed. I
couldn't so I reassembled

Now, whatever I try, the printer turns the paper jam light on. Obviously I
have turned on and off numerous times, pressed all buttons to reset numerous
times, checked for paper jams at the underneath, front, by the guide, behind
it as far as I can see and at the back where the straight card-stock
releaser is. But nothing will turn the paper jam light off. The only thing
I haven't done is to try to figure out where this circular tube came broken
off from as there doesn't seen to be any broken item where it was. (If it
was there while paper was pushing through, this item would have caused the
paper to skew to the left and the right side of the paper to stick when
feeding through)

 

[Tony]

Thanks for the quick reply but things going from bad to worse on this
printer: I did what you said quite easily and found no paper under the
guide. What I did find was a tiny circular tube of plastic towards the right
of the underside of the guide when I removed it, just behind where the
upwards facing metal 'pin' is which looks about the same size as the pin and
about a quarter of a millimeter shorter than that pin. It seems to have a
clean and fresh break on its outside, running along the length of the tube
and indicating that it was an adjunct to some other piece of plastic. I took
it out as I couldn't figure out where it came from and it didnt SEEM to go
on that upward facing metal pin.

I checked carefully for wear on the rubber wheel on the left (there was
none) and checked carefully whether I could straighten the white piece above
the rubber wheel attaching to the guide plate which looks slightly skewed. I
couldn't so I reassembled

Now, whatever I try, the printer turns the paper jam light on. Obviously I
have turned on and off numerous times, pressed all buttons to reset numerous
times, checked for paper jams at the underneath, front, by the guide, behind
it as far as I can see and at the back where the straight card-stock
releaser is. But nothing will turn the paper jam light off. The only thing
I haven't done is to try to figure out where this circular tube came broken
off from as there doesn't seen to be any broken item where it was. (If it
was there while paper was pushing through, this item would have caused the
paper to skew to the left and the right side of the paper to stick when
feeding through)

The wheel under the guide is at an angle, this is specifically designed to
ensure the paper is kept to the left of the paper path.
The pin you describe is a toner cartridge contact, it has a small black tube
around it, the tube should sit proud of the base of the paper path about 5mm
and the connector should protrude about 10mm out of the tube. Is this the part
you found? The tube is held onto the main board, the pin should push in and
return under spring tension.
If you are getting a false paper jam message then probaby a sensor is not
correctly working, there is one under the guide you removed, if you remove the
guide again, there is a lever left of centre that should be sitting up into the
paper path quite a way, if you push it flush with the printer it should return
by itself, maybe it has become stuck.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[news.rcn.com]

The pin you describe is a toner cartridge contact, it has a small black
tube
around it, the tube should sit proud of the base of the paper path about
5mm
and the connector should protrude about 10mm out of the tube. Is this the
part
you found? The tube is held onto the main board, the pin should push in
and
return under spring tension.

Yes, that pretty much describes it, the 2mm tube being pretty much integral
with the base of the area where the pin is and I cant see that the extra
tube I found near that one could go over the pin without covering it almost
completely, - so I cant think that this extra tube is anything to do with
that pin even if the size is coincidentally identical.

If you are getting a false paper jam message then probaby a sensor is not
correctly working, there is one under the guide you removed, if you remove
the
guide again, there is a lever left of centre that should be sitting up
into the
paper path quite a way, if you push it flush with the printer it should
return
by itself, maybe it has become stuck.

No, I checked that large black lever sticking upwards and it floats freely


PLEASE IGNORE THE ABOVE

Here is the scoop: I took the toner cart out of the 6MP before I sent it out
for recycling so have a spare to the pretty much full one in the 5MP. Dunno
how much there is in it (there is no way of checking this with a C3903A is
there?)

Underneath the cart is a green cylinder. Over the cylinder is a black plate.
There was not one tiny tube broken off, but two! They secure the plate onto
another plastic runnner swinging under the cart.

One cart had the plate on it, the other didnt. It was stuck deep in the
printer. As soon as I removed it and put the 6MP cart in, the whole thing
started to work properly!

Now I suppose I should keep that as a spare and superglue the tubes back on,
to hold the plate in place? Just in case I need the cart again before the
printer dies next time / the rubber in various internal parts perishes for
good as I noted in the 6MP.

 

[Tony]

Yes, that pretty much describes it, the 2mm tube being pretty much integral
with the base of the area where the pin is and I cant see that the extra
tube I found near that one could go over the pin without covering it almost
completely, - so I cant think that this extra tube is anything to do with
that pin even if the size is coincidentally identical.


No, I checked that large black lever sticking upwards and it floats freely


PLEASE IGNORE THE ABOVE

Here is the scoop: I took the toner cart out of the 6MP before I sent it out
for recycling so have a spare to the pretty much full one in the 5MP. Dunno
how much there is in it (there is no way of checking this with a C3903A is
there?)

Underneath the cart is a green cylinder. Over the cylinder is a black plate.
There was not one tiny tube broken off, but two! They secure the plate onto
another plastic runnner swinging under the cart.

One cart had the plate on it, the other didnt. It was stuck deep in the
printer. As soon as I removed it and put the 6MP cart in, the whole thing
started to work properly!

Now I suppose I should keep that as a spare and superglue the tubes back on,
to hold the plate in place? Just in case I need the cart again before the
printer dies next time / the rubber in various internal parts perishes for
good as I noted in the 6MP.

Ah, that little tube, hmmm.
The part that it belongs to is the drum shutter (the drum is the green
cylinder).
The shutter is there to protect the drum from physical damage and from the
light when the cartridge is not in the printer, it has no function when the
cartridge is installed. So you can safely ignore it. Just make sure you store
the cartridge in a light proof back and pprotect the drum with a soft cloth in
the bag.
You should be able to use the cartridge without the shutter.
Pleased the problem is solved.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging