Hi all, we have a Mutoh VJ 1204 thats exactly 1 year old and we bought it new. We've kept up with routine maintenance and never let a day go by without printing a little something as instructed. It's worked flawlessly until last week when we received the "low ink" message for Magenta. We replaced it a few days after receiving the low ink warning. It worked fine for a few days then no magenta on test patterns. After that performed multiple cleanings, ink charges, soaked the capping station with cleaning fluid, pulled ink through the lines at the dampers with a syringe but nothing seems to help. Also very gently pushed a few drops of cleaning solution through the head and magenta came out mixed with cleaning solution immediately so I don't believe there to be a clogged head. Been on the phone troubleshooting for days with Mutoh, and paid a very expensive tech to come out today for over 3 hrs and still no magenta. The tech noticed bubbles in the magenta lines and he also pulled it out w/ syringe at the dampers to remove bubbles. He noticed some bubbles came back immediately after extracting them with the syringe and the ink began to flow back the opposite direction toward the cartridge. He then cleared out the magenta line and tried an ink charge and there is no ink flowing from the cartridge at all. He also pulled ink through the drain lines under the capping station but after all that still no magenta. He suspects a bad seal at the ink cartridge or a bad cartridge or a bad o-ring(s) at the damper(s). Does this sound right or could it also be a clog in the drain lines? I'm at my wits end and would appreciate your help. Thank you
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Mutoh Valuejet 1204 No Magenta - Please Help!!!
- Thread starter bartm160
- Start date
heyskull
New Member
I would probably guess it is an issue with the o ring damper seal or damaged manifold.
I can't believe the tech did not change at least the seal on the capping station and then maybe the dampers.
These being the cheap parts that normally rectify the issues.
Can you post some picture of the test print and of the capping station?
I think this machine should be under some sort of warranty or even good will if it is only a year old.
I have a 1604 which is now 8 years old and runs as good as the day we had it installed and still running its original dampers!
SC
I can't believe the tech did not change at least the seal on the capping station and then maybe the dampers.
These being the cheap parts that normally rectify the issues.
Can you post some picture of the test print and of the capping station?
I think this machine should be under some sort of warranty or even good will if it is only a year old.
I have a 1604 which is now 8 years old and runs as good as the day we had it installed and still running its original dampers!
SC
Solventinkjet
DIY Printer Fixing Guide
My thoughts exactly. I would never go on a service call and take 3 hours to notice a bubble in the ink line. A good tech always has dampers and cap tops on him no matter what the original issue is.
If you saw the ink flowing back into the ink cartridge, after the damper was in place, then there is a massive air leak. One or both magenta dampers could need to be replaced. Be sure that the o-rings that connect the ink lines to the dampers are in good shape or replace them. Lastly, the post (or nipple) on one of the magenta channels on the manifold could be cracked or broken. Good luck with it!
Update
Thanks everyone for the great advice. You would think Sign Warehouse would honor the warranty since it's just a week past the year mark but they won't. Apparently they only have one repair tech that they physically fly out from Dallas so they're very selective due to the cost of flying him around, transportation and lodging. I'm buying a second 1204 and Mutoh Cutter later this month and I told them I won't be buying from them.
Mutoh at least has a company that they contract with to physically facilitate service calls. I agree it was pretty frustrating that the expensive Tech I paid didn't have any dampers on him I would think that's a necessity.
I still don't have this resolved quite yet but I'm somewhat optimistic now. I've placed an order and waiting for it to arrive later today for 2 new dampers and o-rings and a brand new magenta ink cartridge too just to rule that out. I hope this does the trick and I'll post back soon with the results.
Thanks everyone for the great advice. You would think Sign Warehouse would honor the warranty since it's just a week past the year mark but they won't. Apparently they only have one repair tech that they physically fly out from Dallas so they're very selective due to the cost of flying him around, transportation and lodging. I'm buying a second 1204 and Mutoh Cutter later this month and I told them I won't be buying from them.
Mutoh at least has a company that they contract with to physically facilitate service calls. I agree it was pretty frustrating that the expensive Tech I paid didn't have any dampers on him I would think that's a necessity.
I still don't have this resolved quite yet but I'm somewhat optimistic now. I've placed an order and waiting for it to arrive later today for 2 new dampers and o-rings and a brand new magenta ink cartridge too just to rule that out. I hope this does the trick and I'll post back soon with the results.
Solventinkjet
DIY Printer Fixing Guide
Unfortunately Sign Warehouse has an exclusive license on the 1204s so they may be your only option for a new one. Mutoh dealers are not allowed to sell 1204s to sign shops but we can sell to non-sign shops. I would look in to upgrading to the 1324 which is faster and 54". We have one in our warehouse right now that we are selling at a discount. You get the 1 year warranty which we honor a little bit after it ends and if you continue to buy ink we give free phone service for the life of the machine. Give us a call for a quote if you're interested!
Update!
Good news, we finally are back up and running again and thanks again to everyone for the great advice. Trying to make a long story short, we ended up (as a precaution) replacing all 8 dampers and in the process we discovered that both nuts above the Magenta dampers were spinning freely and not able to tighten properly which we think may have been the original source of our problem all along. We also had to replace the manifold which had a crack in one of the stems and we also had to re-align the head which we think we caused to go out of alignment by removing the two screws on the front of the head which we found out wasn't necessary to remove the cover. After replacing these things, we drew ink out from the bottom two waste lines under the charging station and did a few cleanings and Bingo! It's printing like new again. We ultimately ended up having to diagnose, troubleshoot and replace all of these issues ourselves so we were pretty disappointed in Mutoh's tech support or lack thereof and also the company Mutoh referred us to as their choice for on-site Tech service, who completely misdiagnosed the problem to begin with. I guess the silver lining here though is that we're much more knowledgeable and wiser going forward.
Good news, we finally are back up and running again and thanks again to everyone for the great advice. Trying to make a long story short, we ended up (as a precaution) replacing all 8 dampers and in the process we discovered that both nuts above the Magenta dampers were spinning freely and not able to tighten properly which we think may have been the original source of our problem all along. We also had to replace the manifold which had a crack in one of the stems and we also had to re-align the head which we think we caused to go out of alignment by removing the two screws on the front of the head which we found out wasn't necessary to remove the cover. After replacing these things, we drew ink out from the bottom two waste lines under the charging station and did a few cleanings and Bingo! It's printing like new again. We ultimately ended up having to diagnose, troubleshoot and replace all of these issues ourselves so we were pretty disappointed in Mutoh's tech support or lack thereof and also the company Mutoh referred us to as their choice for on-site Tech service, who completely misdiagnosed the problem to begin with. I guess the silver lining here though is that we're much more knowledgeable and wiser going forward.
I guess the silver lining here though is that we're much more knowledgeable and wiser going forward.
In more ways than 1. First of all, local support is key. Mutoh depends on the dealer to support the product. The fat that SW let you down is not a reflection of Mutoh America. I am a servicing dealer in Florida. Mutoh has stepped up and beyond with a couple of issues my customers have had.
I would also suggest that you upgrade to the 1324. You would be surprised at the minimal price difference between the 2 machines. The 1324 is a 54" printer. Makes getting material much easier. New style head. Left side service door gives better access to cleaning the head. Better quality and speed. It has a take up unit. Most of all, it has a 2 year warranty.
ps. did I mention the 2 year warranty (worth the price difference by itself)
In more ways than 1. First of all, local support is key. Mutoh depends on the dealer to support the product. The fat that SW let you down is not a reflection of Mutoh America. I am a servicing dealer in Florida. Mutoh has stepped up and beyond with a couple of issues my customers have had.
I would also suggest that you upgrade to the 1324. You would be surprised at the minimal price difference between the 2 machines. The 1324 is a 54" printer. Makes getting material much easier. New style head. Left side service door gives better access to cleaning the head. Better quality and speed. It has a take up unit. Most of all, it has a 2 year warranty.
ps. did I mention the 2 year warranty (worth the price difference by itself)