HP deskjet 990cxi: overflowing and jammed waste ink sponge

Jeff Jonas · May 8, 2008

I'm trying to unjam a HP deskjet 990cxi.
The ink parking/sealing station grinds away upon power up.
The waste ink pad was so full it leaked ink!

1) How does the pad remove? I lifted it from the spike
and it still won't come out.

2) Can I just use a plain sponge 'till I get a real replacement
(and where?)

3) Any other clues how to unjam the cartridge cleaner?
It moves fine if I pull it gently towards the front

Thanks in advance!

-- Jeffrey Jonas
jeffj@panix(dot)com
The original Dr. JCL and Mr .hide

Al Bundy · May 9, 2008

I'm trying to unjam a HP deskjet 990cxi.
The ink parking/sealing station grinds away upon power up.
The waste ink pad was so full it leaked ink!

1) How does the pad remove? I lifted it from the spike
and it still won't come out.

2) Can I just use a plain sponge 'till I get a real replacement
(and where?)

3) Any other clues how to unjam the cartridge cleaner?
It moves fine if I pull it gently towards the front

Thanks in advance!

-- Jeffrey Jonas
jeffj@panix(dot)com
The original Dr. JCL and Mr .hide

What I do is pry out the access plate that those function buttons are
on to provide clear vertical access to the pad area. I can usually
pull the sponge out by using a 4" nosed plier. If I had to, I would
cut the sponge with a long sharp knife. Now that I think of it, some
of those have two spikes, one further back than you see. With the
sponge removed, I hose the area down with Super Clean by Castrol and
brush it with a toothbrush and an acid brush. I keep washing the area
until it looks reasonable. Periodically I soak up the extra with a rag
at the end of a screwdriver. I replace the absorbent with pieces cut
in sections or cut holes using the old sponge as a template. All of
this is done over a mechanic's work tray. The printer will continue to
leak residual fluids for a long time. I add a plastic tray under the
printer to prevent damage to anything when I use it.
You can't simply put a tray under the printer without cleaning it
first because those mechanicals there need to be de-gunked to function
properly. Sometimes you will have a mound of gooey ink there that
looks like a stalagmite.

Jeff Jonas · May 9, 2008

I'm trying to unjam a HP deskjet 990cxi.

What I do is pry out the access plate that those function buttons are
on to provide clear vertical access to the pad area.

I'm pleased to say I got the cover off without damage:
it's held on by 2 screws on the top,
2 latches in front, 2 in back (easy to spot with a flashlight).
And the button/indicator panel popped out easily
so I can run it with the cover removed.

I can usually pull the sponge out by using a 4" nosed plier.
If I had to, I would cut the sponge with a long sharp knife.
Now that I think of it, some of those have two spikes,
one further back than you see.

I suspect that's why I can't pull the sponge out
despite pulling it clear of the main spike.
I'd use an X-acto knife if not for the ink
gunking up everything NEAR it.
I won't risk ruining the blade holder.

With the sponge removed, I hose the area down with
Super Clean by Castrol and brush it with a toothbrush and an acid brush.

I guess I'll find SuperClean at an automotive store?

I keep washing the area until it looks reasonable.
Periodically I soak up the extra with a rag at the end of a screwdriver.
I replace the absorbent with pieces cut in sections or cut holes
using the old sponge as a template.

Sounds straightforward.
I'd still like to get a replacement pad
so it's the same material (felt?)

The printer will continue to leak residual fluids for a long time.

I'm tempted to see if the printer mechanism removes from the
bottom to minimize that and to better clean the
moving parts of the waste ink mechanism.

I'm puzzled why there's a rotating paddle-shaft under the nozzles,
as if it's supposed to splash the ink around.
It can't be moving the blotter since that's fixed in place by the spikes.

I add a plastic tray under the printer to prevent damage
to anything when I use it.

It wasn't leaking until I was stupid and set it on its back for storage.

Thanks for the suggestions and procedures!

Al Bundy · May 9, 2008

Jeff said:
I'm pleased to say I got the cover off without damage:
it's held on by 2 screws on the top,
2 latches in front, 2 in back (easy to spot with a flashlight).
And the button/indicator panel popped out easily
so I can run it with the cover removed.

I suspect that's why I can't pull the sponge out
despite pulling it clear of the main spike.
I'd use an X-acto knife if not for the ink
gunking up everything NEAR it.
I won't risk ruining the blade holder.

I guess I'll find SuperClean at an automotive store?

Sounds straightforward.
I'd still like to get a replacement pad
so it's the same material (felt?)

I'm tempted to see if the printer mechanism removes from the
bottom to minimize that and to better clean the
moving parts of the waste ink mechanism.

I'm puzzled why there's a rotating paddle-shaft under the nozzles,
as if it's supposed to splash the ink around.
It can't be moving the blotter since that's fixed in place by the spikes.

It wasn't leaking until I was stupid and set it on its back for storage.

Thanks for the suggestions and procedures!

You have to be willing to get down and dirty with this job. Cleaning
an Exacto tool afterwards is a small concern. I suggested Super Clean
because it is such a good solvent for that ink. You can use alcohol
too. Yes, I use a felt pad for a replacement. I remove good pads from
old printers. Some people clean the pads.
One time I gave one of these printers to a lady that had a white
carpet and she used the printer right on the floor. Thankfully, the
cleaner was that good that it cleaned it all. So I use a tray now. And
I never put a printer on a carpet.

measekite · May 9, 2008

Al Bundy wrote:

Jeff Jonas wrote:

I'm trying to unjam a HP deskjet 990cxi. The ink parking/sealing station grinds away upon power up. The waste ink pad was so full it leaked ink!

What I do is pry out the access plate that those function buttons are on to provide clear vertical access to the pad area.

I'm pleased to say I got the cover off without damage: it's held on by 2 screws on the top, 2 latches in front, 2 in back (easy to spot with a flashlight). And the button/indicator panel popped out easily so I can run it with the cover removed.

I can usually pull the sponge out by using a 4" nosed plier. If I had to, I would cut the sponge with a long sharp knife. Now that I think of it, some of those have two spikes, one further back than you see.

I suspect that's why I can't pull the sponge out despite pulling it clear of the main spike. I'd use an X-acto knife if not for the ink gunking up everything NEAR it. I won't risk ruining the blade holder.

With the sponge removed, I hose the area down with Super Clean by Castrol and brush it with a toothbrush and an acid brush.

I guess I'll find SuperClean at an automotive store?

I keep washing the area until it looks reasonable. Periodically I soak up the extra with a rag at the end of a screwdriver. I replace the absorbent with pieces cut in sections or cut holes using the old sponge as a template.

Sounds straightforward. I'd still like to get a replacement pad so it's the same material (felt?)

The printer will continue to leak residual fluids for a long time.

I'm tempted to see if the printer mechanism removes from the bottom to minimize that and to better clean the moving parts of the waste ink mechanism. I'm puzzled why there's a rotating paddle-shaft under the nozzles, as if it's supposed to splash the ink around. It can't be moving the blotter since that's fixed in place by the spikes.

I add a plastic tray under the printer to prevent damage to anything when I use it.

It wasn't leaking until I was stupid and set it on its back for storage. Thanks for the suggestions and procedures!

You have to be willing to get down and dirty with this job.

Who in their right mind want to do that except for hehehe...LOL and he is plonked

Cleaning an Exacto tool afterwards is a small concern. I suggested Super Clean because it is such a good solvent for that ink. You can use alcohol too. Yes, I use a felt pad for a replacement. I remove good pads from old printers. Some people clean the pads. One time I gave one of these printers to a lady that had a white carpet and she used the printer right on the floor. Thankfully, the cleaner was that good that it cleaned it all. So I use a tray now. And I never put a printer on a carpet.

Al Bundy · May 10, 2008

measekite wrote:
Who in their right mind want to do that except for hehehe...LOL and he
is plonked

I respect the wide range of people's abilities and interests.
Some people are fortunate enough to be able to wipe their own ass
while others need a nanny to change their diaper, not that there's
anything wrong with it.