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Puddle of ink around cap top ?

autoexebat

New Member
As you can see about my captop I have a puddle of ink , I just cleaned the whole captop assembly yesturday . You can see by the motor there is a big puddle of ink . Eventually it will leak down by the drain bottle and end up on my floor .

I did install a new captop , no idea .
 

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damonCA21

Active Member
Check the ink lines are clear from the bottom of the captop through the pump and into the drain bottle. Normally when you are getting this it is a failed or failing ink pump not pulling the ink through from the captop so it sits there.
Also check the alignment of the captop and make sure it is sealing properly. If the pump is working properly and all attached you shouldn't get any ink left around the captop after it has run a cleaning cycle
 

autoexebat

New Member
Check the ink lines are clear from the bottom of the captop through the pump and into the drain bottle. Normally when you are getting this it is a failed or failing ink pump not pulling the ink through from the captop so it sits there.
Also check the alignment of the captop and make sure it is sealing properly. If the pump is working properly and all attached you shouldn't get any ink left around the captop after it has run a cleaning cycle
Pump seems fine as I have ink in the bottle , As far as alignment that could be the issue as I have removed that part for cleaning . I have no idea how you can align it back to factory specs .
 

damonCA21

Active Member
Check all the lines and joints anyway as partly clogged ones can cause problems. If you get the service manual it will tell you how to make sure the cap top is properly aligned.
Did you also change the wipers as these should be done at the same time as the captop
 

autoexebat

New Member
I have the manual and I don't see anywhere that says anything about the captop mechanism being aligned ., Lines are brand new . I replaced them yesterday as I though they were leaking from the under side of the captop . Wiper and felt changed last week .
 

damonCA21

Active Member
Its the lines both to and from the ink pump you need to check. Do you have the user manual or service manual, they are different, its the service manual you need
 

Jim Hancock

Old School Technician
You should be able to push the captop up and down freely. It should also be sitting level. Are you getting any ink drips on your prints? Also look at the bottom of the head after printing and see if there is any ink on the head.
 

Joe House

Sign Equipment Technician
If you take the cap top base out, you need to mark the bed where it goes before removing it. It is set with a jig at the factory. If you just removed the cap top to replace it, the only calibration done regularly is the flushing position adjustment. But that's a left and right thing, it looks like you're getting ink on the front of the cap top.
The puddle of ink on the bed by the feed motor is not from a capping alignment, it's coming from below the cap. Check all tubing connections.
Pump seems fine as I have ink in the bottle
Does ink flow into the bottle when the pump runs?
Lines are brand new . I replaced them yesterday
Did you replace the lines from the cap top? An OEM cap top should come with lines attached to it. If you used and aftermarket cap top, I'd start with replacing that with an OEM cap top.

Good luck
 

autoexebat

New Member
If you take the cap top base out, you need to mark the bed where it goes before removing it. It is set with a jig at the factory. If you just removed the cap top to replace it, the only calibration done regularly is the flushing position adjustment. But that's a left and right thing, it looks like you're getting ink on the front of the cap top.
The puddle of ink on the bed by the feed motor is not from a capping alignment, it's coming from below the cap. Check all tubing connections.

Does ink flow into the bottle when the pump runs?

Did you replace the lines from the cap top? An OEM cap top should come with lines attached to it. If you used and aftermarket cap top, I'd start with replacing that with an OEM cap top.

Good luck
I removed the bed without marking it .
 

damonCA21

Active Member
I removed the bed without marking it .
Ah ok that is probably why you are getting a problem. You will need to adjust it and try and get it back to the position it should be in. It is a bit trial and error doing this unless you can tell where it was from any dirt around the base
 

autoexebat

New Member
Ah ok that is probably why you are getting a problem. You will need to adjust it and try and get it back to the position it should be in. It is a bit trial and error doing this unless you can tell where it was from any dirt around the base
Yeah I cant tell as I try to keep the printer very clean . I will try to adjust it more .

Thanks for the help .
 

autoexebat

New Member
I never did buy an OEM cap top . What is the different between the OEM and knock off brands for 1/4 the price ?
 

Joe House

Sign Equipment Technician
I never did buy an OEM cap top . What is the different between the OEM and knock off brands for 1/4 the price ?

I've never used anything but OEM, so I can't tell you what the difference is. I've seen many reports on this forum from members that I trust that say there is a difference. If you've had good luck with them, that's great. It may be an application issue.
I've never had a problem with OEM cap tops and when you're trying to eliminate variables, that's a good place to start.
 

autoexebat

New Member
I just found out my Light Magenta ( refillable cartridge ) was leaking from where the ink comes out . I'm going to say that was probably my issue.

I will update this when I get a new one .
 
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