VJ1604 sub tank

[bsm]

Hi Guys,
I have to regularly do a little charge to fill the Cyan sub tank, due to printing stopping with an error that requires a restart. Was told by Mutoh that it was more than likely the maintenance station. Does anyone agree with that or think it is probably something else I could check?
Thanks, Brad.

 

[FatCat]

Hard to say based on the limited info you're giving. If I had to guess, I would say it's more likley you're running into the issue where the sub-tank valves will tend to "stick" and this is why your sub-tank isn't filling.

Maybe give some more history and info on how/why this is happening and for how long. What error code is the machine throwing, etc.

 

[heyskull]

My sub tank valves stick on my VJ1604 but never when it is printing.
It could maybe be a pump problem or more lightly a leak in the the pipework from the cartridge to the head or even more lightly a failed or leaking damper.

SC

 

[bsm]

valve stuck

Hi Guys,

I went into the hidden menu to exercise the valves, they were all turned on but there was no click on valve 2 which would be the cyan that I am getting the subtank lo error on.

Sean, I will post the exact error message next time it comes up. I bought the machine second hand a few months ago. It was serviced regularly when new but lacked after the warranty ran out. Got a quote from Mutoh here in Australia to replace the maintenance station and head plus do a service but they wanted 6.5k AU which is more than I paid for the printer. 3k just for the head. If I have instructions I am capable of carrying out any repairs as needed.
Cheers, Brad.

 

[Robert M]

Ink lines

Check to see if you are getting air in the lines leading up to the print head, if you do have air in the lines a small charge will suck them out, but if you have say leaky dampers, the air will come back.

 

[bsm]

stuck valve

Thanks to all who replied. looks like the connection near the valve had a bad connection. after jiggling the cyan connection at the valve it is now clicking when turning the valve off and on. dont know if it has solved the problem but now the valve is working again i am assuming that it is ok.

 

[FatCat]

sorry, just got your pm this morning. Well, try to run a few test prints and see what happens. If all is good, then you have likely solved the problem.

However, keep in mind that typically on these Mutoh VJ's the maintenance station itself is the key to many print related problems as well as head clogging. Remember to do a manual head cleaning at least once a week, and also to flush the drain lines with a little bit of cleaning solvent to keep them from clogging. Typically, a MS needs replaced every 2-3 years under normal care. Replacing a MS isn't too hard to do yourself, and while they aren't cheap, you can add lots of life to your printer and print head by keeping it in good shape.

 

[bsm]

yeah sounds like a plan, i noticed now that when a print starts there is a kind of gradient that runs for about the first 2 inches of the print, kind of like a fade of the colour it should be. maybe the valve is sticky. will definately do the maintenance station but do you think it would be worthwhile replacing the valve also?

 

[FatCat]

I am not sure what you are seeing when you say "fade". If you can post pics it would be very helpful. It could be clogged nozzles that are freeing themselves as you print a little. But if it does this every time, it more likely could be an electrical issue or loose wire in the head. Does the carriage move freely on the rails? Have you cleaned and re-greased the rails since you got the machine? Have you checked the encoder strip, does it show signs of ink splatters? If so, you need to clean that really well. Honestly, there are all sorts of things that could be wrong, but again, without a picture, I'm just throwing darts and trying to hit something.

FWIW - There are no valves on the head itself. The nozzles are either open or closed - ink either comes out or it doesn't. What does your nozzle test look like? Any missing nozzles, if so how many? If your head isn't getting a tight seal on the cap on the maintenance station it allows air to reach the head, drying out nozzles and causing clogs. Also, a similar thing can happen when the drain lines become clogged/plugged. I can't stress enough the importance of having a maintenance station in good, clean condition. If your maintenance station is failing it will cause all sorts of problems that you will not resolve until it is replaced.

 

[impactprinters]

Hi am new to this site and recently purchase a used Mutoh 1604 Printer (with no huge experience with this machine). Initially it worked okay when we printed but we left the printer off for like 3 weeks and when we try printing again the print was very bad. We were told that we need to do several strong cleans and it should be alright. Actually it did work a little bit but notice that the black is not printing properly.

We remove the head and soak it in cleaning solution for like 3 days and install it back it printed the test print with all the colors as compare to the prints before we soak the head but now all the lines from the sub tank to the head is clear especially on the of the head (black cover where the line comes in as 2) (like its not pulling any of the inks CMYK)

Do I have a clog in the lines? Is it the Pump? Is it the Head? The Dampers?

Also for the past several months since we purchase this machine we have seen after the first several prints this message on the screen "lifetime heads" if am correct. Could this be a reason why the inks are not going to the heads?

Thanks Chris

 

[bsm]

Sean,
I have attached a pic of the 2 way valve. No. 2 is not clicking when I do a valve exercise. I can jiggle the connection and valve and get it to work but as soon as the machine sleeps or is turned off the valve doesnt work again.
If I need to replace this, anyone know where I can get just the one valve?