Help! Code C-3101 Fuser Sepator code on Bizhub C650. HOw to fix??

[keystonenew]

Just starting a rush job on our bizhub C650 & a C-3101 "fuser roller separator" code came up. Is there a quick fix for this? We're not on service contract. Thanks

[krazeekidz3]

I looked this code up on the Konica Minolta website and it says that the fuser unit was installed incorrectly OR that there is a gear that needs to be replaced. Looks like you may have place a service call. SORRY1

[keystonenew]

Thanks & we're trying to pull the fuser unit out & unscrewed the capture screws & the left side will slide out easily, but the right side (non operator side), won't pull out. Is there some kind of lever or catch we need to release to get it out?

[copytechman]

In short, nope... comes out like the other side (usually). Maybe you've removed the wrong screw for that side.. it's easy enough to mix em up..
Regards!
A.

[anothertech]

The most common cause is a Broken fuser drive gear /B 28T p/n A03U808201

[keystonenew]

The most common cause is a Broken fuser drive gear /B 28T p/n A03U808201

We got it fixed. The fuser got out of time & somehow the little black "sensor wheel" got strained & broke one of its fingers off. We made a piece & glued it on. Works great now.

[anothertech]

Alright, good work. Do you guys keep that machine running by yourselves? That's a lot of machine to keep going without a tech. I'm guessing someone there has some field experience.

[keystonenew]

We're total novices, but called a local KM dealer & paid for a service call. We used to work on our C500 thru trial & error & were able to keep it going unitil 2 million copies got it all plugged up. Anyway, our fuser unit broke down again & we removed it, reinstalled it & it still throws the 3102 code. Guess we have to find a new fuser unit. Is it possible to get one oni ebay or does anyone know where we can get one for a good price?

[keystonenew]

ALso, the KM tech said if the fuser unit shuts down, to replace the 63 milliamp pico fuse on the front. When the machine turns on & starts up, it sounds like a gear malfunction happens & it quits. The right side of the fuser uit binds up & we have to remove the back covers to get it out. Could a bad pico fuse be the cause? Thanks.

[Stirton.M]

The problem you are having is a mechanical problem. It is why you need to replace the fuser. Separation is a bit of a misnomer. It is really a problem with fuser roller pressure. There are two gears at work during normal operations. One gear simply drives the fuser unit movement for paper to pass through. The other gear turns only a small amount, a cam on the shaft of the gear pushes one roller into the other roller to provide fusing pressure.

The pico fuse is only for life count. A new fuser will have a fresh fuse. When the new unit is in, the machine will do a new article detect because a circuit is closed (the fuse provides this) and reset the fuser counter. At this point, the machine will overload the fuse deliberately to blow the fuse.

Replacing the fuse just resets the counter.

Note that on this series machine, the life counter is extremely accurate. In the past, we could simply reset the counter on some fusing units, many could exceed the count life of typically 120K to 160K, depending on the machine. Fuser units in the 451/650 series are all rated at 300K. By experience, we have learned that when the counter is up on these units, that is it. Replace them. Resetting the counter is possible, but mostly a waste of time. Usually by this time the belt and roller surfaces are no longer in good enough shape for a clean fusing process, not to mention the fuser mechanisms are heavily worn.

There are instances where the fuser can prematurely fail. This is due in part to the cleaning roller section of the fuser itself, the bearings/bushings fail, causing the unit to seize. The unit is considered an unserviceable item, so no parts breakdown is available to do field repair. This has however, not stopped us from doing a mix and match with another failed fusing unit to produce a working unit. This however doesn't always produce a reliable unit. A crap shoot. As I said before, when they go, we replace them without question.

In your case, the fusing unit is quite likely done.