cleaning ricoh 1045 thermistors

[hooman23]

i have problem with my ricoh copier with cs 543 and cs545 and i dont know how to clean thermistors..i reduced the temperature just for end thermistor 11052 and solved my problem with wrinkled papers. but cs 543 still shows up sometimes

[Dickie]

Don't bother trying to clean them just replace them. Once this starts to happen it is the only way to cure the problem.
They are not that expensive either

[Iowatech]

I agree with Dickie, toner buildup on the thermistors means the non-stick surface of the thermistor is worn out and cleaning them won't help.
A visual guide for that - the thermistors normally look tan colored. If they have a white or metallic colored patch where they contact the hot roller, they need to be replaced.

[slimslob]

What I have ran into is this. If there is a build up of toner on the thermistor that comes off with a light touch, that is all the cleaning you should try. Trying to remove more firmly attached toner could result in the active component of the thermistor coming off. Then you have no other choice than to replace it.

[Gift]

yep - dirt should come off easy, otherwise the teflon film is worn out. As for this old bugger - I had a few cases with reoccuring fuser SC even after replacing the thermistors. Beside replacing the thermistors it doesn't hurt to clean the big connectors contacts and re-seat the fuser for ~15 times in order to perform some "contact self cleaning".