proactively replace HP fuser?

[Richard Kovalcik]

So, I have a HP LaserJet 5000 which has 150k pages on it. The HP
recommendation is to do a major service - fuser and rollers at this
point. What is the convenitional wisdom on this? Should I do it?
Should I just do the rollers and wait for the fuser to die before
replacing it? Left to my own, I will probably do the rollers but not
the fuser as the rollers are cheap and aftermarket fuser probably
isn't going to last as long as the original.

 

[Tony]

So, I have a HP LaserJet 5000 which has 150k pages on it. The HP
recommendation is to do a major service - fuser and rollers at this
point. What is the convenitional wisdom on this? Should I do it?
Should I just do the rollers and wait for the fuser to die before
replacing it? Left to my own, I will probably do the rollers but not
the fuser as the rollers are cheap and aftermarket fuser probably
isn't going to last as long as the original.

Richard
The 150,000 page number is a guideline only.
There is no doubt that you will at some time have some problems with the
printer if you don't install a kit but if it was my printer I would not do
anything until I started to get issues.
The problems that will occur are as follows -
1. Misfeeding or multifeeding from the tray(s) - fix by replacing the rollers.
If you rarely use tray 1 then don't change the roller and separation pad in
that tray. The casette trays use a separation roller instead of a pad.
2. Marks on the output caused by the fuser wearing, in extreme cases the fuser
rollers will start to come apart and cause paper jams but will not damage
anything else in the printer.
3. Poor print quality caused by the transfer roller wearing.
The kit includes everything you need to fix the above issues which usually
start to occur gradually over time. I would be inclined to buy the rollers and
fit them and buy the fuser and transfer roller when you get symptoms.

If you are getting the "Perform Printer Maintenance" message and it irritates
you, you can reset the maintenance count.
Power off the printer.
Press and hold the Item(-) and value(-) keys and power the printer on, wait for
the RESET MAINTENANCE COUNT message to appear and release the keys.
You won't get the message again for another 150,000 pages.
Aftermarket fusers should give you 150,000 pages, just buy from a reputable
company.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[GMAN]

So, I have a HP LaserJet 5000 which has 150k pages on it. The HP
recommendation is to do a major service - fuser and rollers at this
point. What is the convenitional wisdom on this? Should I do it?
Should I just do the rollers and wait for the fuser to die before
replacing it? Left to my own, I will probably do the rollers but not
the fuser as the rollers are cheap and aftermarket fuser probably
isn't going to last as long as the original.

I have been using my Laserjet 5 since 1997 and have yet needed to change
anything but toner. I guess i have been lucky. But yeah, sounds like rollers
might help, but only if you have been having feed problems.

 

[Rev. G.G. Willikers]

I have been using my Laserjet 5 since 1997 and have yet needed to change
anything but toner. I guess i have been lucky. But yeah, sounds like rollers
might help, but only if you have been having feed problems.

Using quality paper and keeping the interior mechanisms dust/toner free
goes a long way to extending longevity.
I worked for a major oil companies HQ, and they used nothing but
recycled paper in ALL of the printers and Xerox machines. What a
complete nightmare. The fibers not only jammed the rollers, but got into
every fan vent and heatsink in the place.

 

[ato_zee]

Wait until it goes wrong, some HP LaserWriters from the late 80's like
the LaserJet IID & III are still going strong, though I did have to re-engineer
the fuser part of the AC power supply when the triac went south.
Fuser itself no problems, you can still get replacement bulbs if you
need one, but no same part number replacement for the triac or
opto-coupler.

 

[Richard Kovalcik]

Using quality paper and keeping the interior mechanisms dust/toner free
goes a long way to extending longevity.
I worked for a major oil companies HQ, and they used nothing but
recycled paper in ALL of the printers and Xerox machines. What a
complete nightmare. The fibers not only jammed the rollers, but got into
every fan vent and heatsink in the place.

Note that the subject of the message included the word "proactively".
(Knock on wood), I'm having no real problems with this HP LaserJet
5000. It's working fine, but I was wondering what I should do. Are
there any horror stories of the fuser self-destructing and damaging
the printer? Like, you *DO* replace the timing chain on your car when
it says to, least the timing chain self destruct, the pistons go wild,
smash the valves, and saving $500 on a timing chain has now cost you
over $5k. But it sounds like my gut feel that I didn't need to
replace the fuser at 150k pages was correct.

Unfortunately, the provance of all of my laser printers is ugly. This
HP LaserJet 5000 and my HP Color LaserJet 5M both came from US High
Tech companies who thought it was cheaper to get rid of them. (In
this case, the company bought an Epson (for about $500) rather than do
the $200 service we are talking about here. The Epson has been broken
about 1/2 of the time. And they effectively gave away the HP LJ 5000
with two unopened toners. Their loss is my gain.) My other HP LJ
5000, I picked up for change because it had a failed fuser after less
than 100k copies. (It also had a working duplexer and a JetDirect
card which were worth more than I paid for it.) It was jamming often
and it looked like it had been thru a war. I suspect it came from a
very dirty environment. So, I replaced the rollers when I replaced
the fuser on that one.

So, while I am only using quality paper now, I have no real idea what
sort of paper was used in the past. Given how cheap / stupid the
companies I got these printers from were, I should probably assume
the worst - that they used cheap paper too. I have tried to carefully
clean the inside of the printers, but I don't want to go crazy with a
shop vac.

 

[Tony]

Note that the subject of the message included the word "proactively".
(Knock on wood), I'm having no real problems with this HP LaserJet
5000. It's working fine, but I was wondering what I should do. Are
there any horror stories of the fuser self-destructing and damaging
the printer?

No there aren't, I have never seen or heard of that.
Tony

Like, you *DO* replace the timing chain on your car when

 

[Rev. G.G. Willikers]

Note that the subject of the message included the word "proactively".
(Knock on wood), I'm having no real problems with this HP LaserJet
5000. It's working fine, but I was wondering what I should do. Are
there any horror stories of the fuser self-destructing and damaging
the printer? Like, you *DO* replace the timing chain on your car when
it says to, least the timing chain self destruct, the pistons go wild,
smash the valves, and saving $500 on a timing chain has now cost you
over $5k. But it sounds like my gut feel that I didn't need to
replace the fuser at 150k pages was correct.

Unfortunately, the provance of all of my laser printers is ugly. This
HP LaserJet 5000 and my HP Color LaserJet 5M both came from US High
Tech companies who thought it was cheaper to get rid of them. (In
this case, the company bought an Epson (for about $500) rather than do
the $200 service we are talking about here. The Epson has been broken
about 1/2 of the time. And they effectively gave away the HP LJ 5000
with two unopened toners. Their loss is my gain.) My other HP LJ
5000, I picked up for change because it had a failed fuser after less
than 100k copies. (It also had a working duplexer and a JetDirect
card which were worth more than I paid for it.) It was jamming often
and it looked like it had been thru a war. I suspect it came from a
very dirty environment. So, I replaced the rollers when I replaced
the fuser on that one.

So, while I am only using quality paper now, I have no real idea what
sort of paper was used in the past. Given how cheap / stupid the
companies I got these printers from were, I should probably assume
the worst - that they used cheap paper too. I have tried to carefully
clean the inside of the printers, but I don't want to go crazy with a
shop vac.

I have acquired many an hp on the cheap and sold the JetDirect card for
more than the printer cost me. Hope the secret doesn't get out
Dumpster diving has its upside.

 

[GMAN]

Note that the subject of the message included the word "proactively".
(Knock on wood), I'm having no real problems with this HP LaserJet
5000. It's working fine, but I was wondering what I should do. Are
there any horror stories of the fuser self-destructing and damaging
the printer? Like, you *DO* replace the timing chain on your car when
it says to, least the timing chain self destruct, the pistons go wild,
smash the valves, and saving $500 on a timing chain has now cost you
over $5k. But it sounds like my gut feel that I didn't need to
replace the fuser at 150k pages was correct.

The point i was getting at was that if there doesnt seem to be any problems
yet, I wouldnt sweat it. By the time your printer does die on you, You'll most
likely rather spend those few hundred bucks instead on a new Color Laser
Printer. They are rediculously low cost nowadays

 

[Richard Kovalcik]

The point i was getting at was that if there doesnt seem to be any problems
yet, I wouldnt sweat it. By the time your printer does die on you, You'll most
likely rather spend those few hundred bucks instead on a new Color Laser
Printer. They are rediculously low cost nowadays

Point taken, but I'm probably much more likely to spend several
hundred on a HP 8500 (or maybe 5500) class color LJ printer which will do the
duplexing and 11x17 and so on.

 

[Richard Kovalcik]

The point i was getting at was that if there doesnt seem to be any problems
yet, I wouldnt sweat it. By the time your printer does die on you, You'll most
likely rather spend those few hundred bucks instead on a new Color Laser
Printer. They are rediculously low cost nowadays

Point taken, but I'm much more likely to spend several hundred dollars
or more on a used HP 8500 (or maybe 5500) class color LJ with the
duplexing, paper trays, 11x17 printing and so on that I've used to.
IMHO, the used HP tanks provide better value than the current low end
stuff they are producing.