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Thread: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

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  1. #1
    EOTS's Avatar
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    Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    Hi there,

    after 5 months not printing (travelling, photographing, developing, scanning) etc,
    I tried to reactivate the Epson 4900 again, which I bought in May 2011.

    I printed a nozzle test pattern and only 4 nozzles are clear,
    the other 7 are 100% clogged, i.e. 0% ink on the paper!!!

    Warrenty is only 1 year, so I'm a bit desperate.

    I now know that regular printing seems to be a _must_,
    before I only thought that some clogging will appear,
    which can be fixed with a couple of powerful cleaning runs...


    Hmmm what issue could that be? Extreme clogging in the head and within the hoses between ink and head?

    Has anyone experienced something like that?


    Does anyone have a 4900 repair manual / service manual?


    Best,
    Martin

  2. #2
    EOTS's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    Here's what the nozzle test page looks like:
    Click image for larger version. 

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  3. #3
    EOTS's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    10 forced clean runs and letting the printer sleep did not help...

    Shaking the old inks did not help ...

    Tried to put in fresh inks, but that hasn't helped either.

    No matter what I do, the pattern stays the same ...

    Best,
    Martin

  4. #4
    mitch
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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    contact jon cone at ink jet mall and get his cleaning set up also they have you tube veido on cleaning printers. his sstuff fixed my 4880.
    mitch

  5. #5

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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    If you run several nozzle cleaning cycles and clogs remain, just let it sit overnight. The clogs will moisten from the fresh ink being pushed in the system and then loosen. If clogs still remain, then run a power cleaning cycle.

    Shaking the ink cartridges isn't a bad idea but won't fix a clog (nor will fresh ink cartridges). The clog is in the print head, not the cartridges.

  6. #6
    EOTS's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    Thanks for your help guys!

    Hi Mitch, will look into it!

    Hi Greg, I did 10 cleaning cycles and then let it sit overnight.
    No change in the pattern.
    Then again did two cleaning the next day, let it sit ... no change ...

    Also tried shaking ... no change ...

  7. #7
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    There are a number of things you can do, but, imo, the best idea is to get a set of cleaning cartridges. Load them up and let the cleaning solution sit in the lines, dampers and head for a couple of days. Then run a cleaning cycle. With some patience, this should work. The down side is the cost of the cartridges. Here in the USA, you can get refillable cartridges for a 4880 (which is what I have) for about $130, and cleaning solution can be made very cheaply. I don't know the cost for a 4900. By doing this I recently resurrected a 7600 that had been sitting unused for years.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  8. #8
    Jon Shiu's Avatar
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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    Wondering if you did a Power Cleaning, or regular cleaning cycle?

    Jon
    my black and white photos of the Mendocino Coast: jonshiu.zenfolio.com

  9. #9

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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    I had to run 7 powerful cleaning cycles to get a 4900 printing again. The regular cleaning cycles did not produce any effect that I could tell. At one point, the printer was so clogged that it didn't print any nozzle check pattern with any of the inks. Then it gradually came back after the third power cleaning. That was 2 months ago and all seems fine now.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Shiu View Post
    Wondering if you did a Power Cleaning, or regular cleaning cycle?

    Jon

  10. #10

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    Re: Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

    I don't have that printer, so I don't know if the following is viable for that model, but have you done research on the method where you soak a paper towel with Windex, get it situated under the head and then let it sit overnight? This goes after the clog from the other direction (in other words, from the front side of the nozzles).

    I just fired up my R2400 for the first time in probably 9 months last night. Luckily, the K3 ink gods were with me and the clogs blew out by four or five total head cleanings. Lots of ink wasted though. It seemed that any color which had a cart that was close to empty was the most problematic. Hopefully you can get up and running fairly quickly.

    Doug
    www.BetterScanning.com

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