MPC4502 "overheating"

[tinalt]

We have a MPC4502 that has started to "overheat"

The machine does not trip a code, there was a smell and some very noticeable discoloration on the top of the duplex door and the vents above the door.

The fuser was not damaged and after swapping the entire fuser from another machine, the customer stated that the overheating smell still happened. The fuser that cam out seems to work in our office just fine.

Myself and other technicians have not had much luck duplicating the issue while onsite.

Power from the wall was suspect but at this time is stable and no issues there.

Has anyone else had a similar issue?

[Phil B.]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

We have a MPC4502 that has started to "overheat"

The machine does not trip a code, there was a smell and some very noticeable discoloration on the top of the duplex door and the vents above the door.

The fuser was not damaged and after swapping the entire fuser from another machine, the customer stated that the overheating smell still happened. The fuser that cam out seems to work in our office just fine.

Myself and other technicians have not had much luck duplicating the issue while onsite.

Power from the wall was suspect but at this time is stable and no issues there.

Has anyone else had a similar issue?

are all fans/filters clean?

[tinalt]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

are all fans/filters clean?

The filters have been cleaned and all fans are working

[tsbservice]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

are all fans/filters clean?

+1. Also air ducts should be unobtructed all fans should work not just sit at their places

[mga]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

are all fans/filters clean?

+1. Also air ducts should be unobtructed all fans should work not just sit at their places

+1 both if it was overheating you should get error could be ozone smell also mover away from walls

[Phil B.]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

+1 both if it was overheating you should get error could be ozone smell also mover away from walls

good point didn't even mention clearance

[tinalt]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

+1 both if it was overheating you should get error could be ozone smell also mover away from walls

The machine is about 8 inches from the wall behind it and there is nothing close on either side.

The customer was asked and it was not an ozone smell, at least as it was described/asked.

If the machine was actually to hot I would expect to see some damage and I would expect to have had it code out, it did neither.

[mga]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

The machine is about 8 inches from the wall behind it and there is nothing close on either side.

The customer was asked and it was not an ozone smell, at least as it was described/asked.

If the machine was actually to hot I would expect to see some damage and I would expect to have had it code out, it did neither.

If you haven't seen it yourself it's probably just the customer advise he you checked with a smell meter and its within manufacturer specifications {he he}

[8T2]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

I ran into batch of paper once that smelled horrible... literally had a chemical cat pee/drunk hobo vomit smell so maybe take them a ream of paper to test and remove one possibility out of the equation?

Sent from my WAS-LX1 using Tapatalk

[slimslob]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

Considering that the C4502 was launched in February 2012, discoloration of the covers above the fuser is understandable, and if the unit was ever where sunlight through a window was shining on it, more discoloration.

There are 2 fans that deal with the excess heat rising from the top of the fuser. The fusing fan, mounted above the AC control board, draws heated air out. The paper exit fan which pushes room temperature air in. If either of those fans or the fusing fan duct are not installed properly, it will cause a problem.

One other thing to check. If a paper jam was not properly removed, scraps of paper might be inside the fuser. Those scraps become a source for both discoloration and the smell of scorched paper.

[Klydon]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

Several good posts here both regarding the filters and also the paper.

If the machine didn't code, then it was very likely not really out of spec. If it was and went much higher, the thermo-fuses would have popped off.

Living in the nice humid midwest, running paper that has absorbed a lot of moisture can cause some pretty strong odors and since we have now added moisture to the equation, a customer sticking their hand near the upper door will feel the heat more readily from the moisture burning off. (IE, steam). I have seen paper so bad at times that after running a bunch through a machine, you can open the door and the guide above the fuser will be drenched in water.

Something else to check beyond verifying if the fans are running or not is to feel for air flow. Fans can be running, but as Silm mentioned, if ducts are missing/not installed correctly, you may not be getting very good airflow.

[sandmanmac]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

This is almost definitely a customer dreaming things up.
As mentioned earlier, the yellowing of certain panels is quite common as machines age - although I've never personally been able to nail down a specific cause, because I've seen it in a variety of machine locations and situations
I'm certainly not aware of ever having a machine get so hot, not code out, and/or also melt fuser rollers.

Some time ago, I was contacted by a customer just a few hours after rebuilding the fuser on their MP2851. They had noticed a peculiar smell, and told me that the entire operation panel had turned "yellow".

Well, obviously the smell was a bit of grease burn off from the new bearings, and the Yellowing had been there for YEARS!

[fshead]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

Check fans are pointing in the right direction.
Had this once on a old B/W 220 where the exhaust fan was backwards..
it melted some plastics and took me a bit to figure out..also you can adjust how long some fans run in SM.

[Mark Bbb]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

If it's a contract, i think he wants to get rid of it.
It might be he had a visit of a competitor with a (much) better price...
It might also be that he wants you to sell him a new machine at a better price (concerning the problems he says he is facing with the mpc4502)
Thermoswitches would open if that happens what your customer claims.
Does the fusing belt wear out quickly?
(I should have had 8 by now, but has anyone seen my 7th green card?)

[FrohnB]

Re: MPC4502 "overheating"

You are correct in assuming that if it "overheated" it would pop a code. As long as the fuser is turning, everything should be fine.
On this model, if the fusing exhaust fans are not working, it usually pops a code for that too.
You can check fuser temps in SP mode, and adjust them down if they're set higher than default, and you can physically show the customer what temperature the unit goes up to, and back down to, so as to give them some clarity that, "Yeah...these things get hot, that's part of the process".
If there is toner residue and such in the fan ducting, clean those out and see if that makes any improvement.

We've had too many machines to count that get the discolored covers, and a lot of customers that think "the machine is too hot, I hope it doesn't start a fire", or the customers who are baffled as to why their paper comes out hot. LOL!

I'm gonna say it's probably "all in your customer's head". Never once have we had a machine "overheat" without throwing a code.

Random story:
We had a C305 in our shop a year or so ago and were trying to nail down an add toner issue that wouldn't clear (never cleared), and while testing it, one of our techs kept getting a fuser code because it wasn't plugged in (machine was severely torn apart.....so he took the harness for the fuser off the machine and plugged it into the fuser sitting next to the machine and when he turned it on, it melted the fuser rollers together due to not having the drive to turn the rollers.
This is literally the only time I've seen something like that ("overheating") occur.