Question leaking between black head & captop

[netsol]

i have been unable to get a good seal between black head & captop
we have done this lots of times for clients AND FOR MYSELF, but we have a substantial vacuum leak where the head would seal with captop
changed damper, captop (twice) substituted an old, defective printhead. yellow is still seating & holding vacuum as are the others
it appears there is no physical damage to the head surface or the retainer for the captop (which determines where the captop rests)
the machine has been getting "cranky" recently, i have had to pull black through the captop with a syringe is we had a long period with no printing.

this one really has me baffled. i am trying to figure out what to use to mount a dial indicator to see if the head is truly level on all axes, relative to the others.
i am very much open to suggestions,

 

[Zoogee World]

Which printer model are you having this issue with?

 

[netsol]

oops, roland sc545-ex
i guess i lost that line when i cut & pasted.
sorry

 

[Zoogee World]

Thanks, I don't have that particular model, but I'm guessing it has multiple heads and that the trouble seems to be only your yellow / black head. As you've already changed the things I would suggest first (cap top, damper and head), the next things I might check would be: 1. Make sure the the cap top alignment is correct and that all springs and parts are there (I've lost springs on my VS-300i a few times that caused similar troubles) and 2. make sure the head is slotted correctly. Not sure if any of these will be helpful or aren't things you've already tried, but they are things that pop to mind.

 

[Terry01]

Have you got the damper correctly fitted.

 

[damonCA21]

I would check the bolts that hold the print head carriage to the bearing blocks behind and make sure the carriage isnt loose or has shifted at all. It could be the heads arent laying quite parallel with the cap tops. Also check the plastic plate that the head fits to is securely screwed down
For checking if they are level in relation to the others I just use a short straight edge steel ruler laid across them which gives a decent enough quick check.
As you change the head for another one though and it still didnt help, it would point to there being something off with the print head carriage not being level

 

[netsol]

damonca21
it is odd, it doesn't seem to be tilted.
there are 6 dx4 heads. black is in the b group
heads on both sides are seating

we had a pretty good head strike damage the black a while back. IT HIT A MEDIA CLAMP
i was still printing a perfectly acceptable high quality print.
the head strike was 3 or 4 months ago
if i didn't print for a week (still doing my test print every day) i had to draw black through with a syringe or the right channel was ALMOST BLANK)
LAST WEEK i had to change cut carriage cable & now can not draw black in through either channel

 

[damonCA21]

That is very strange that it would only effect that. It does sound like maybe the head strike bent something, but its strange it was working fine after that. Is it definitely leaking around the captop? Am wondering if air is getting in somewhere further back along the ink line, so when the captop is trying to draw ink through it isn't getting enough suction?

 

[damonCA21]

If you hear a leak around the captop it could be air getting drawn through the head instead of ink maybe? Black ink lines can be hard to tell if they are old if there is air in them

 

[netsol]

I will use a can of "smoke test" we use to certify fire alarm systems. Bobby filled the manifold with cleaner & pinched hose on laptop but I am not sure.otherwise it's dial indicator time.

 

[MikePro]

those have epson dx4 printheads right?
definitely a broken/cracked manifold. easily happens with pressure while messing with the dampers, as the little plastic nipple that they seat-onto can snap easier than a toothpick.

replaceable while also salvaging the existing printhead ...with a bit of extra effort on top of your typical printhead replacement procedure by swapping out a new one of these on the printhead.
Requires full removal of the printhead & two screws and a fitted gasket later your printhead is "good as new", ezpz, but reinstalling without dripping ink onto electrical components and alignment procedures are the biggest pita of the whole process.

 

[netsol]

those have epson dx4 printheads right?
definitely a broken/cracked manifold. easily happens with pressure while messing with the dampers, as the little plastic nipple that they seat-onto can snap easier than a toothpick.

replaceable while also salvaging the existing printhead ...with a bit of extra effort on top of your typical printhead replacement procedure by swapping out a new one of these on the printhead.
Requires full removal of the printhead & two screws and a fitted gasket later your printhead is "good as new", ezpz, but reinstalling without dripping ink onto electrical components and alignment procedures are the biggest pita of the whole process.

already changed the manifold. it was cracked, but, both tests were with a good manifold
we always have them (we keep dx2, dx4 & dx7 manifolds)

i will see where the smoke comes out of.

 

[cornholio]

Sounds like a leak somewhere from damper to cartridge. Happened to me (mostly in the tubing)a couple of times with heavily used older machines like an EX now is...

 

[B13 Signs]

I own the same printer and had a similar problem a few years back. i had a head strike and was cleaning the head with a syringe. In the process of taking the dampers on and off there was a small tare in the pastic of the damper. i couldnt see it and the ink wasnt leaking; but when i pulled ink through the head it would almost pool in the damper that was the only indication. But when took it off and blocked off the end and tryed to pull air it wasnt sealed.... And then in the process of the repair, I broke the nipple off the head it was a bad week. and there is no easy or clean way to fix these printers... Its all trial and error. Hope you find something with the smoke test... What a pain in the ass. Why can it never be the first obvious thing...lol good luck

 

[netsol]

I own the same printer and had a similar problem a few years back. i had a head strike and was cleaning the head with a syringe. In the process of taking the dampers on and off there was a small tare in the pastic of the damper. i couldnt see it and the ink wasnt leaking; but when i pulled ink through the head it would almost pool in the damper that was the only indication. But when took it off and blocked off the end and tryed to pull air it wasnt sealed.... And then in the process of the repair, I broke the nipple off the head it was a bad week. and there is no easy or clean way to fix these printers... Its all trial and error. Hope you find something with the smoke test... What a pain in the ass. Why can it never be the first obvious thing...lol good luck

years ago, we ended up doing a "smoke test" with one of the machines car mechanics used. this was the only way we found a VERY MINOR leak (a bad bushing) on a baffle on one of our dodge caravans
(i always liked coming up with the test to prove a weird problem's solution)
same principle, it should work find

I DON''T THINK it will lend itself to posting a video, though