jv33 empty ink line issue

[Murray]

Hi everyone.
Today my one of my cyan cartridges ran out and because the ink level sensor turned out to be broken, it bled the line dry (presumably both cyan lines as they are connected with a T just after they leave the cartridges). The cyan cartridge light is green so there dosnet seem to be a chip problem and the ink solonoid appears to be functioning properly. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until the print was complete (it ran out half way through a 3' X 8' print) I replaced the cartridge and ran a hard cleaning at least a dozen times but there is still no sign of the cyan returning. I put a cup under the waste hoses to see if the pump is indeed working and it appears to be operating normally (the capping station is new and functioning properly with a perfect seal). It is difficult to determine if there is any ink at all in the lines as they are dyed blue of course. The cyan dampers appear to have at least as much ink in them as the other colours however this too is only a visual confirmation as they too are somewhat stained blue. This happened once before and after half a dozen or so hard cleanings the lines re-filled and all was well. Im worried about the cyan section of the head drying out and causing further issues if i don't get it refilled as soon as possible. As I live on an island, a tech visit is a longshot so im pretty much left to my own devices with this issue. I did speak to a tech and he recommended more hard cleanings and if that dosent work then perhaps using a syringe to suction the ink back into the lines however ive never done that before and Im not sure how to open the cartridge solonoids so that the ink will actually flow freely from the cartridge when suction is applied. Nor am i sure where to attach the syringe hose. Sorry for the long-winded tale but i wanted to try and be as clear as possible. Although I have removed the dampers to do a small repair on the head a few months back, ive never actually "disconnected" a damper from its line and im of course concerned about introducing air or trapping air that is already in the empty line causing further issues. Any information from anyone who has worked on the ink lines of a Mimaki jv33 would be very much appreciated. (Yes ive ordered a new ink sensor switch, actually all 8). I cant seem to attach a photo of my test print however it would only reveal that the test is normal other than the missing cyan section. Thank you in advance for any assistance!

 

[Solventinkjet]

Is the green light over the new cartridge? If both cartridges went empty without flagging the machine and you only put one new on in, it is probably still trying to pull from the other empty cartridge. I would keep the new cartridge in and pull the other one out. Then test it this way. If it still doesn't work, there may be other issues going on.

 

[Murray]

Is the green light over the new cartridge? If both cartridges went empty without flagging the machine and you only put one new on in, it is probably still trying to pull from the other empty cartridge. I would keep the new cartridge in and pull the other one out. Then test it this way. If it still doesn't work, there may be other issues going on.

thanks for your reply. Both carts have ink and both display the green light when they are the active cartridge. The machine failed to switch to the full cartridge when the initial cartridge ran dry. The dry cartridge eventually sucked both lines dry as they are connected at the T. But to your suggestion, yes both cartridges are now full but I have only tried refilling the lines with both cartridges in place, perhaps i could remove one and see if that makes a difference.

 

[Solventinkjet]

If you changed both it should be pulling down. I would hook up a tapered syringe to the cyan dampers, open the valve on the back and try to see if you can pull the ink down manually. Usually you can tell if an ink line is empty because it will be a much lighter color than the rest. You may also have a bad cap top and or one side of the pump is clogged. Even if ink comes through the waste lines, the cap can still be bad. Try pushing cleaning solution through both sides of the pump. If you get a lot of resistance, it's clogged. You can usually unclog it by working solution through.

 

[Murray]

If you changed both it should be pulling down. I would hook up a tapered syringe to the cyan dampers, open the valve on the back and try to see if you can pull the ink down manually. Usually you can tell if an ink line is empty because it will be a much lighter color than the rest. You may also have a bad cap top and or one side of the pump is clogged. Even if ink comes through the waste lines, the cap can still be bad. Try pushing cleaning solution through both sides of the pump. If you get a lot of resistance, it's clogged. You can usually unclog it by working solution through.

I attach the syringe line to the bottom of the damper itself, without disconnecting the damper from its ink line and try to pull ink through the damper itself? I didnt know I could do that but i will try. How do I open the valve at the ink cartridge?
I appreciate your assistance, thank you. And you are correct, one of the cyan lines is definitely darker than the other one.

 

[Solventinkjet]

There is a way to open the valve through the service menu but it may be quicker to take the cover off the back of the cartridge area and push the valve open manually. You can use some tape to hold the valve shut. Just to be clear, pushing the valve opens it and it's natural stat is closed.

 

[Murray]

There is a way to open the valve through the service menu but it may be quicker to take the cover off the back of the cartridge area and push the valve open manually. You can use some tape to hold the valve shut. Just to be clear, pushing the valve opens it and it's natural stat is closed.

Ok, the back is already open as i have been checking things out back there, Ill try the manual method, thank you again.

 

[Murray]

Ok, the back is already open as i have been checking things out back there, Ill try the manual method, thank you again.

I tried alternating the cartridges and it made no difference. I flushed all the pump lines and they are clear however, I get very little discharge with a hard cleaning so im wondering if the pump itself is not sucking sufficiently. I took a look at the dampers and they appear full so im at a loss as to why im not getting cyan on my test print (im fairly certain that at least one of the cyan lines is still empty and the ink in the damper on that line is merely residual ink)

 

[Mysigns4u]

Dry print head like a car with out oil. Could it be a overheated head?

 

[Murray]

There is a way to open the valve through the service menu but it may be quicker to take the cover off the back of the cartridge area and push the valve open manually. You can use some tape to hold the valve shut. Just to be clear, pushing the valve opens it and it's natural stat is closed.

I tried the syringe and on the one line it filled with solid ink immediately so im guessing that that line was still full. The other line was more like half air half ink but eventually ran with full ink. When I was done it made no difference, which ever cartridge i pulled from i still get a complete cyan void so the "priming" dosent seem to be happening. I have ordered a new pump to see if that makes the difference but at this point im fresh out of ideas.

 

[Murray]

I tried the syringe and on the one line it filled with solid ink immediately so im guessing that that line was still full. The other line was more like half air half ink but eventually ran with full ink. When I was done it made no difference, which ever cartridge i pulled from i still get a complete cyan void so the "priming" dosent seem to be happening. I have ordered a new pump to see if that makes the difference but at this point im fresh out of ideas.

Installed new pump but still no difference, in fact im now losing the other colors also. I hear a small gurgling sound when i use the syringe to draw ink through the lines, dampers and head from the pumps discharge line. My first guess is that it is coming from between the cap and head which looks like it is sealed but may not be a perfect seal. Any ideas
on how to ensure that the seal between the head and the cap is without air leaks would be much appreciated.