Savin 9050 keeps asking for toner even though there is plenty of toner in the bottle

[Samanator]

The owner of our company took over service on this machine as part of a "deal" to place a new machine. We are not a Savin or Ricoh dealer. This machines toner hopper unit had the handle broken off when we first looked at the machine. That toner hopper unit was replaced with a new one but still the machine will run for a while then it will ask for toner. I checked the bottle that is in it and it feels 3/4 full yet the machine say the there is only 1/4 bottle. I open the machine, check the bottle, then close the machine and the machine indicates that the bottle is full. It will run for a while then call for toner. The machine is also saying that the waste toner is almost full. I have looked for this bottle but cannot find it. I have no book or experience with these models and this machine has now become a rock in my shoe. For some reason I am to make this run and we cannot replace it. I have no idea what is going on but I am willing to bet it is something to do with the series that would not be apparent to techs not experienced with these machines. Any help would be welcomed. Thanks.

[slimslob]

The machine is also saying that the waste toner is almost full. I have looked for this bottle but cannot find it. I have no book or experience with these models and this machine has now become a rock in my shoe. For some reason I am to make this run and we cannot replace it. I have no idea what is going on but I am willing to bet it is something to do with the series that would not be apparent to techs not experienced with these machines. Any help would be welcomed. Thanks.

The waste toner collector is part of the transfer belt unit.

[guitar9199]

The owner of our company took over service on this machine as part of a "deal" to place a new machine. We are not a Savin or Ricoh dealer. This machines toner hopper unit had the handle broken off when we first looked at the machine. That toner hopper unit was replaced with a new one but still the machine will run for a while then it will ask for toner. I checked the bottle that is in it and it feels 3/4 full yet the machine say the there is only 1/4 bottle. I open the machine, check the bottle, then close the machine and the machine indicates that the bottle is full. It will run for a while then call for toner. The machine is also saying that the waste toner is almost full. I have looked for this bottle but cannot find it. I have no book or experience with these models and this machine has now become a rock in my shoe. For some reason I am to make this run and we cannot replace it. I have no idea what is going on but I am willing to bet it is something to do with the series that would not be apparent to techs not experienced with these machines. Any help would be welcomed. Thanks.

If you've already replaced the toner hopper with a new unit, I would suspect worst case the PCU is At/Near end of life, or BEST case the entrance from the toner hopper to the developer unit is plugged with caked toner....

Remove the hopper and the PCU, and check where they "meet up". Open the little slide and see if you have clumps of toner in the entrance...and if so run your vacuum over it and see if that makes a difference.

The Maintenance kit for these machines is rated at 120K, and if you're already getting a "Waste Toner" message...you're likely there already. The part number for the kit is PMD009160K, and it includes parts to rebuild the transfer belt assy, the fuser unit and the drum. If it's been more than 300K since the last PM, you're also going to need B2969640 developer as well.

This machine was released in 2008, so you might want to consider how much you want to invest in a machine that's 11 years old now.

Good luck!

[JDYAL]

Don't you love when your boss does something like that and expects you to keep a machine running and not spend money. Everything guitar9199 is spot on. You're probably going to need that developer for sure. You're looking at $500 or more for the pm kit and developer unless you can get dealer pricing for this stuff. Those toner hoppers can definitely be a pain in the butt. Make sure that the cap is being pulled off the bottle when the lever is engaged.

[FrohnB]

If you have 40 minutes to spare, there's a decent video on youtube that will show you the Maintenance Procedure and where to find the "waste Toner" and such for this series.

YouTube

Also has the part numbers listed in the description of video.

[Samanator]

I would like to thank all of you for your prompt replies. I would hope the video covers how to get into maintenance mode to set the developer if needed. In 40 minutes I sure it would. I think this machine was badly taken care of and a maintenance kit would solve a lot of ills. But the first thing I need to personally eyeball where the toner and developer meet up. That is the sort of thing that needs to be addressed kit or not. Now I have a direction do go. Thanks again.