3035 First 20 Copies Smudged

[bonnie750]

If the repeat is equal to the circumference of the drum, how can the problem be fuser related? the fuser temperature can be observed and will go down slightly when starting to copy as heat is wicked away from the hot roller,and then recover when the lamps come on.

I reckon its related to drum charge which regulates once the drum conditions and stabilizes

To better observe the spacing of the repeat image run some copies on A3.Also try a sky shot and what develops.

[Llama God]

If the repeat is equal to the circumference of the drum, how can the problem be fuser related?

Absolutely right, although there's not a great deal of difference between the two. A piece of string might help!

Try another PCU in it perhaps, just to narrow it down to which unit is faulty?

[Caveman]

Possible Solution for Ghosting 3035

I want to thank everyone who has offered their ideas as to what is possibly causing this problem - all input has been valuable - I continue to work on troubleshooting this copy quality problem.

I returned to the account first thing this morning (March 30)- before running any copies I dropped the right cover to inspect the drum surface - I found that the surface was lightly covered with a stubborn haze of toner that would not easily remove with a dry rag - the residue was adhered to the drum - after removing the drum from the carriage I used a combination of cleaners that I carry and was able to buff the drum clean (drum has fewer than 30K on it). What I found got me thinking that this could possibly be related to the transfer belt not remaining off the drum overnight as the machine sits unused until the morning - I retensioned the transfer belt return assist springs - but more importanly I decided to replace the transfer belt positioning clutch assy. (AX210093) which is resposible for cycling the transfer belt on and off the drum. If the belt does not cycle on and off as it should (after each copy job and while the copier is reading the patch) I am thinking that constant contact may be contanimating the drum surface causing the adhered toner haze. After the machine is run for a few copies in the morning and the clutch is energizing the transfer belt on and off the cleaning blade finally accomplishes the job of cleaning the drum surface of the haze that was left from the belt remaining on the drum for too long - this is all speculation at this point - I will not know until tomorrow when the customer first runs the machine - I plan a follow up call to this account - I will post my findings once I know.

Any input regarding what I detailed is welcomed - thanks again for everyones effort to assit me with this problem - this has certainly proven to be a challenging troubleshoot.

Caveman

[Llama God]

Absolutely right, although there's not a great deal of difference between the two.

This is a 35cpm machine, isn't it...I am a fool

[aabarnes1]

3035 smudging

Thanks for the update, I kind of new it was pcu related with all the info you gave, however it's an interesting scenario you describe with the transfer belt. A new one on me! It will be interesting to see what happens in the morning. What does llama mean he's a fool- I wonder.

[imaginemoko]

can we try to replace the DEVELOPMENT UNIT, i suspect the magnet roller is defective...

[aabarnes1]

imaginemoko

Did you read the first page of threads by any chance

[Llama God]

I'd been going down the lines of a 22 type machine, hence me saying that the circumference of the drum and UFR were similar.

Also, I am a fool in general, a bit like that chap from King Lear; Out went the candle and we were left darkling.

[Caveman]

For those of you that have offered ideas and suggestions that are aimed at helping with this situation - I thank you - for those who want to post responses that are less than professional and are not meant to help but to ridicule I would rather these replies be saved for someone elses inquiries.

I have better than 20 years in the industry - I respect all others like myself who earn a living doing this type of work - I always try to be thorough and accurate in my approach to conducting a troubleshoot and only ask for assistance when I have exhausted all ideas as to what is possibly causing the problem.

This is an excellent resource for those of us that can appreciate the benefit of having this type of forum to conduct an exchange of ideas that can help many in the field.

For all of you out there that continue to offer your expertise and are willing to help I want to once again thank you for showing that when there is a collective effort we all stand to benefit.

Caveman

[category_five]

for those who want to post responses that are less than professional and are not meant to help but to ridicule I would rather these replies be saved for someone elses inquiries.

Oh... I guess I'll just tip toe out of this thread then...

[+ve charge]

Looks like a temperature / moisture problem in the Fusing Unit. I would advise the customer to leave the machine on at night.

This suggestion is quite probable and might be good to look into if all other options are exhausted. Was this machine working well before this problem developed? Then maybe one has to wonder about any changes in the environment that might be new (will the customer be switching off A/C's overnight that is causing a condensation within the machine?) To me it might explain the toner adhering to the drum & tranfer belt. Just thinking loud.

[Llama God]

Dreadfully sorry Caveman, it most definitely won't happen again.

[skinnypuppy]

When you say you grounded drum drive shaft assbly do you mean just the assbly or did you make sure the shaft itself was grounded. I have had experience on these models where the shaft is not getting grounded through the bearing properly . If I measured resistance between shaft and ground they would be fine, but I suspected not always the case during operation. This causes all kind of wierd background and ghosting issues. In the field Ihave temporarily rigged up a a grounding pressure plate directly touching the shaft (on 2035's) and let it run for a day. Of course replacing the assbly is always the best but not always an immediately available option.

[Caveman]

Drum Ground / Possibly Corrected

Skinnypuupy:

I fabricated a grounding plate that I secured to the frame - the ground plate contacted the end of the drum drive shaft where the flywheel attaches.


I may have finally resolved the problem with replacing the transfer belt positioning clutch - I believe the transfer belt was not releasing from the drum while the machine sat idle causing a stubborn toner residue on the drum surface that resulted in a ghost image and smudging when the machine was first started after sitting overnight.


I contacted the account this morning and was happy to find out that the copier did not show any copy quality problems when first used.

Thank you for offering your help - I appreciate your time and interest.

Caveman