MP301- fuser: toner rubs off in middle of page

[RandyW]

We looked at a MP301 the other day that the customer called complaining about gritty type copies.

The toner was rubbing off in the middle of the page. We changed some of the temperature settings and
seemed to be ok. The machine has less than 15,000 pages on it. We haven't had that sort of problem on
that machine before. Considering swapping out whole fuser with another if it comes back.

[banginbishop]

We looked at a MP301 the other day that the customer called complaining about gritty type copies.

The toner was rubbing off in the middle of the page. We changed some of the temperature settings and
seemed to be ok. The machine has less than 15,000 pages on it. We haven't had that sort of problem on
that machine before. Considering swapping out whole fuser with another if it comes back.

Gritty type effect is normally a sign it's pulling dev from the pcu. I'd possibly try a pcu, look at the transfer and is it oem toner as well?

[slimslob]

Gritty type effect is normally a sign it's pulling dev from the pcu. I'd possibly try a pcu, look at the transfer and is it oem toner as well?

Also if it pulling developer, developer will not fuse to the paper and therefore rub off. Either the machine has a lot more than 12K copies on it or it has set for not being used and the toner has settled out of the developer.

Run SP 2802 Developer Mixing a couple of times and see iif that corrects the problem. If not, replace the PCU.
Initializes the developer and checks the TD sensor output (Vt). The machine mixes the developer for 2 minutes while reading and displaying the Vt value. The machine does not initialize the TD sensor output. If the machine has not been used for a long period, prints may have a dirty background. In a case like this, use this SP to mix the developer. The message "Completed" is displayed when the program ends normally.

[copyaction]

agree with above, gritty sounds like developer which sounds more like a PCU issue.
look in the paper drawer and see if developer has leaked into there.

[Iowatech]

I would suggest that you mainly pay attention to the preceding posts. However, based on the print count you provided, I am curious if only 20-24 lb paper is being fed through the machine. In most circumstances the machine can't automatically determine the paper thickness, and if the paper being run through the machine is thicker than the default settings allow, toner will not fuse well, just like what the machine is doing now. On an even more vastly less significant note, if they are using non OEM brand toner in that machine and they can't be convinced to use the recommend supplies, that will just be an issue you will have to put up with from time to time. Good luck with that.

[ruben]

I've had PCDU, UFR, and paper all cause these issues.

Type 1515 drums fit in this machine, but should really only be used if you don't have a Type 301.

UFR is extremely rare to degrade at that amount, unless the counter has been reset.

Double check the paper settings just in case, try setting the tray to a heavy paper setting, and see if that makes a difference. Best bet would be PCDU at this point.

[RandyW]

thanks for the replies.

I wanted to talk to our tech first before checking back in...he said the copies didn't feel gritty at all and didn't see any
developer in the toner/drum area.

This was a new machine we got directly from Ricoh/Savin. They have been using OEM toners. We haven't had any of the
MP301 PCUs fail like that. We have had some do the Add Toner thing about 1/2 way through their lives but not any gritty/developer
type issues. I want to say they got in maybe January or February of this year.

So far it seems to be working ok after changing some of the fuser temps- also first. We'll have to see what happens. Also, it is in a fairly new
looking office building.

[blackcat4866]

... I wanted to talk to our tech first before checking back in...he said the copies didn't feel gritty at all and didn't see any
developer in the toner/drum area...

If it's not gritty, perhaps the poor fusing has something to do with the media type that you are using. On "Plain" paper settings the heaviest media that you can run is 28# bond. With heavier media the paper draws heat from the fuser rollers in the center first, causing poor fusing after 5 to 10 pages. If you are running heavier media than that, you'll need to select the appropriate media type setting to increase the fixing temperature and slow the copying speed, to insure proper fusing. I believe the operators manual should cover this topic. =^..^=